[Onkel Neal]

With Uber Freight, Travis Takes on Trucking

This could be really big, where Uber steps into the arena as a freight agent and drives up competition. Truckers win.

IN ITS QUEST to dominate transportation, Uber dreams of the day when everyone gets around in flying cars and self-driving taxis. But its plan doesn’t hinge entirely on a robo-revolution. Today, the delinquent decacorn of Silicon Valley announced Uber Freight, a bid to bring the ride hailing model to trucking.

The service, which quietly launched in Texas late last year, connects truckers with stuff that needs trucking, much like the app connects drivers with people who need driving. It’s like Uber, but for freight.

And it gives the company a way into an industry that touches 70 percent of American goods. “We’re going for that magical Uber experience,” says Curtis Chambers, one of the company’s highest-ranking engineers. And, of course, that magical Uber revenue.

With the Uber Freight app in hand, drivers can find loads sorted by destination, deadline, and required equipment (a refrigerated trailer, for example). When they find one that suits them, a few finger taps on their phone confirms the job. Uber promises to pay them within a week or so of delivery, so drivers don’t find themselves waiting for customers to cough up cash. To ensure the people hauling all those chickens, or TVs, or whatever, actually know what they’re doing, Uber requires drivers to hold a commercial license, possess a clean record, carry the required insurance, and adhere to federal regulations.