Uber Freight expanding to more U.S. markets

The new trucking industry arm of the now-ubiquitous ridesharing application is expanding its focus to major metro areas across California, Arizona, the Chicago-Midwest region, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.    Uber Freight, the three-month-old trucking industry offshoot of the now-ubiquitous ridesharing application, is expanding from its first launch market, Texas, to additional areas of the United States, the company announced Thursday.
   “In the last few months, we’ve heard from drivers that they want more loads in more places,” the company wrote in a post on its official blog. “And we are excited to expand our focus around the country to major metros across California, Arizona, the Chicago-Midwest region, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
   “These regions including Texas cover over a quarter of the country’s drivers and freight. Unlocking this geography allows more carriers and their drivers to grow their businesses with Uber Freight’s instant load booking and quick payment,” Uber Freight explained. “While today we still have most of our loads in Texas, over the coming months drivers can expect to see an ever-increasing number of loads available on the app in these new markets.”
   Under the Uber Freight business model, users download the company’s app and then trucking companies are matched with loads to haul.
   The company books cargo moving in 53-foot dry vans and reefer cargo; all loads listed in the app are exclusive to Uber Freight via contracts with shippers. Shippers can tender cargo in advance or for the same day. The app requires carriers to have active carrier authority and insurance, and not have conditional or unsatisfactory safety ratings.
   Margin and prices quoted to shippers and carriers are non-negotiable.
   In addition to expansion, Uber Freight also said Aug. 3 that it is introducing personalized load matching, under which drivers can choose specific types of freight to haul.
   “We have built a suite of features that make the app a completely personalized experience,” the company explained. “The app will now automatically learn drivers’ preferences based on their past loads, their location, their home base, and more. When a new load is available that matches these preferences, the app will notify the driver so they don’t miss out.”
   Uber Freight declined to state when the expansion to other regions is expected to begin, or if the rollout would occur all at once or more gradually.
   However, the company said that the personalized load matching is expected to be fully implemented within the app over the next few weeks.