Uber Freight app connects truck drivers with available loads to haul
Uber on Thursday launched Uber Freight, its app to connect truck drivers with available shipments for long-haul commercial trucking jobs.
The Uber Freight app looks similar to the consumer version of Uber, allowing truck drivers to tap a button and book loads near them they'd like to haul. Uber claims this allows truck drivers to skip brokers and sort through jobs quicker. The app shows independent owner-operators pricing for loads upfront.
The app is available for iOS and Android and can be used by drivers vetted by Uber. The company says it will pay drivers within seven days and loads will be available to pickup instantly -- no more waiting around. If Uber fails to issue a payment within seven days it will provide "accessorial" charges.
"We fundamentally believe that by focusing on drivers' pain points we can solve the industry's biggest challenges," Uber wrote in a blog post. "Happy drivers means happy shippers, and ultimately everyone benefits, including the end consumers of the goods."
Uber shadowed its move into trucking with its acquisition of Otto in August 2016. Otto's focus on automated trucks could hint at Uber's self-driving future. Trucks are critical to the economy and there's a real safety argument for more automated rigs.