Uber Freight makes ‘significant, multi-year’ bet on Europe with Krakow hub

The company also declined to say how many employees it expects to add in Europe or at the Krakow operation. Uber Freight said it has more than 4,000 employees across the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Europe but does not break out employment by geography.

San Francisco-based Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER) operates three platforms: Uber (ride-hailing), Uber Freight (logistics), and Uber Eats (food and goods delivery). 

Uber Freight said the expansion is partly being driven by North American customers that also have operations in Europe and want to consolidate their transportation management with fewer logistics providers.

The company sees a substantial market opportunity. Uber Freight said Europe’s road freight market is valued at roughly $520 billion, with trucks transporting 13.3 billion tonnes of goods across the European Union in 2025. The company said the number of new 4PL deals it won in Europe doubled last year.

“Logistics is global by nature, but too often it’s managed through disconnected partners and regional silos,” Uber Freight CEO Rebecca Tinucci said in a news release. “The more of that complexity we can bring together, the simpler and more efficient it becomes for customers to run their global supply chains. That’s the opportunity we see in Europe.”

Uber Freight said its investment includes dedicated product and engineering resources aimed at improving its transportation management system for European shippers. The company is also expanding customer-facing operations.

The European 4PL operation came to Uber Freight through its $2.25 billion acquisition of Transplace, which closed in 2021. The business is separate from the European freight brokerage operation Uber sold in 2020.

OXEA deal connects Europe and North America

Chemicals are among the industries Uber Freight is targeting for European growth because of transportation networks that can encompass cross-border trucking, intermodal rail and short-sea shipping.

Chemical manufacturer OXEA recently selected Uber Freight to manage transportation across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Europe. Uber Freight described the contract as its first 4PL engagement designed from the outset to span both North America and Europe.

“Our supply chain doesn’t stop at a border,” Bret L. Bement, OXEA’s vice president of supply chain management, said in statement. “We wanted one partner across North America and Europe who wouldn’t just manage our transportation, but would also continuously look for ways to improve the network and help us serve our customers more reliably.”

New executive to lead European expansion

Along with the investment, Uber Freight appointed Mike Doucleff as head of Europe. He will report directly to Tinucci and begin the role Sept. 28.

Doucleff most recently led the U.S. market entry of Alpitronic, a European manufacturer of electric vehicle fast-charging systems. He previously spent much of his career at Schneider Electric, where he held commercial and operational leadership positions and ultimately led the company’s global eMobility business. He has spent nearly two decades living and working in Europe.

Why it matters: Uber Freight’s European expansion extends its push beyond North America as global shippers increasingly seek fewer logistics providers to manage transportation across multiple regions.