Key Takeaways
- Uber Freight connects shippers with carriers for seamless item transportation.
- Requires vehicle ownership, passing background checks, and physical ability for heavy lifting.
- Ideal for those seeking flexible schedules, requiring an appropriate vehicle.
- Offers straightforward sign-up, custom load suggestions, and rapid payouts.
What Is Uber Freight?
Uber Freight is an arm of the ride-hailing company Uber that provides a digital freight brokerage or shipper platform for shippers and carriers to connect.
Launched in 2017, its main goal is to make shipping and logistics seamless and efficient for the parties involved.
Uber Freight links shippers with carriers to help them move their loads across long distances using commercial trucks. It’s designed to provide both ends of the logistical chain with real-time tracking of shipments and transparent pricing.
Shippers with Uber Freight can book a carrier through the brokerage platform and track their loads from the moment they leave the warehouse until they arrive at offloading terminals.
Carriers also get access to available loads that suit their preferences, instant booking, and facility ratings, and payments are made swiftly.
You can manage your shipments’ progress and reduce errors and delays via the Uber Freight mobile app.
How Uber Freight Works for Carriers
Uber Freight prides its operations on transparency, speed, and simplicity. You don’t have to spend time making phone calls to potential clients or churning out emails; you can book the loads you want at any time of day.
With Uber Freight’s advanced technologies, you can see reviews and ratings of shipping facilities before you agree to book their loads.
Here’s a breakdown of how it works in detail:
Get Hassle-Free Bookings
Just like it’s easy for Uber drivers to view and accept rides on the app, you get a similar experience when you want to book a supply load.
On the app, you’ll find details about the shippers’ load as well as upfront pricing that helps you decide if the trip is worth it or not.
With just a few taps, you can snag a load order and get on with your day. No hassle!
Receive Customized Load Suggestions
With the power of AI, the Uber Freight app suggests the best shipments that’ll tickle your fancy. You get spoilt for choice by the shipments that are available to you, and you can decide your loads based on your preferences.
For instance, you can choose to haul shipments within your locality or travel across the country for more pay.
To make your search easier, you can filter your options by the type of trailer you own, your location, preferred pickup date, the length of the haul, and even the rate per mile.
For further filtering, you can also sort the loads you pick up by deadhead, price, and weight.
Know Before You Go
Like every product and service online these days, Uber Freight offers reviews and ratings for every shipment facility.
This way, carriers can check out shipment companies before they book shipments from them.
By checking their reviews and ratings from other truckers, you can avoid working with potentially troublesome businesses.
You can also leave feedback about supply chain companies you ship to help other trucking carriers who want to partner with them.
You can rate shippers on a scale of 1 to 5 and leave a written review about your experience if you like.
Get Quick Payouts for Operational Efficiency
Knowing how essential it is to keep cash flowing for smoother business operations, Uber Freight launched a Quick Payout Program for carriers.
This means the platform will process and release your payment within two business days once they receive, review, and approve the required shipment documents.
If you have an Uber Freight Carrier Card, you can receive same-day payments on your truckload if you’re considered eligible. You can find out more about the Quick Payout terms here.
Opt for Power-Only Loads
If you don’t like the hassle of wading through different customers to find a good deal, you can choose to offer your services through a specific shipping program, Powerloop.
With it, you pick up a loaded trailer at the pickup location, deliver the load to the destination, and return to the station for another.
The trailers are pre-loaded so there’s no need to waste time waiting to load. Just hook up a trailer to your truck and get on the road.
Note, however, that this program is only available in California, Oklahoma, and Texas for now.
Think Bigger, Think Autonomous
Uber Freight is continuously evolving and adopting modern-day technology. Loads can now be transported with autonomous trucks without driver supervision.
With this innovative technology, you spend less time on the road, allowing you to have a better quality of life.
You can connect with an expert Uber Freight carrier to get extra support and information when choosing the autonomous vehicle track.
How to Sign Up to Haul for Uber Freight
Signing up as an Uber Freight carrier is straightforward, and you can do it on any device. However, you’ll need to meet the following requirements:
Uber Freight Eligibility Requirements
- You need your truck and trailer [a 53-inch dry van, flatbed, or reefer]
- You don’t have hanging, unsatisfactory safety ratings
- You have state-level motor carrier permits
- You have a valid certificate of insurance with up to $1,000,000 in auto-liability, $100,000 in cargo liability, and reefer breakdown coverage
- You have your own valid USDOT Motor Carrier number
Signing Up to Uber Freight
To sign up for Uber Freight:
- Get your mobile device and download the app from the App Store or Google Play Store
- Open the app and create an Uber Freight account
- Follow the app prompts to enable you to book your first load, or watch these videos for detailed instructions
LTL Shipments with Uber Freight: What to Know
Think of LTL shipments (Less-Than-Truckload shipments) as delivering stacked Uber Eats orders.
As an LTL carrier, you’ll deliver shipments for multiple shippers who don’t have enough goods to fill up a truck. For efficiency, carriers get loads headed in the same direction or along their delivery route.
Before pickup, shippers label their goods according to a freight class, which helps to ensure they estimate load costs accurately.
Knowing the freight class also simplifies communication with LTL carriers and helps the platform optimize for successful outcomes.
As an LTL carrier, you may be required to perform additional services besides shipping. These may include liftgate service, residential service, inside pickup and delivery, and tracking notifications.
Benefits of Using Uber Freight For Your Trucking Business
Uber Freight provides tons of benefits for the trucking industry, ultimately benefiting carriers.
If you’re thinking about becoming a carrier with Uber Freight, here are a few ways you can benefit from the platform:
1. Simplify Your Business Operations
Say goodbye to long hours of phone calls and paperwork. Uber Freight’s automation and advanced technology reduce the cumbersome work you need to do to get loads from shippers to their destinations.
You’ll get back your valuable time when you work with the platform. Generally, you’ll enjoy increased productivity, efficiency, and profits.
2. Upfront Pricing and Transparency
Before you accept a booking, you can see how much money you’ll make from it.
The freight algorithm helps to create prices for shipments in real-time, determined by market conditions, time of day, weather, season, and rates over time.
This may cause prices to fluctuate throughout the day. With Uber Freight, the price you see when booking is the price you get paid—no strings attached.
3. Real-Time Tracking and Control
Carriers have access to real-time tracking, just as shippers do. If you own a fleet of trucks with multiple drivers on the road, you can keep an eye on them as they advance in their journey.
You can even create predefined routes, assign driving speed limits, and track violations if they ever occur.
From the truck driver app, they can log costs accrued during the journey, so it’s easier to monitor your business data.
Wrapping Up
Uber Freight is a top solution for freight transportation in the US. With truck drivers and carriers pairing up to help shippers move their goods, Uber is helping supply chain companies solve the delivery and logistics crisis one shipment at a time.
If you have a fleet of trucks and would like to partner with Uber Freight as a carrier, it’s easy. Create an account and book your first load in minutes.
Payout is swift, pricing is transparent, and bookings are consistent. It sounds like a freight carrier’s dream!
