Overdrive’s Post

In My View The brokerage and load board landscape is definitely ripe for disruption. But to bring about real change, solutions need to add value, transparency, and efficiency—not layers of complexity. TRAUXIT SaaS does this by providing brokers with a robust, flexible, and straightforward system built for growth and sustainability. You can’t serve two masters, but you can find one solution that meets all your needs. #trauxitsaas #freight #better

Uber Freight is run by a bunch of clowns. So today I get an email from Olivier Causse from Uber Freight offering me $200.00 off my first shipment if I have $500,000 of spend in a year. He has to be taking the p.ss out of me. So I search him on linked in only 1 connection in common. So I figure I better google him to see if he is real, I find an article where he is touting Blue Grace Logistics as their TMS solution from 2021. Funny I just had an hour conversation with Bluegrace on February 6th. So Uber isn't even using its own TMS for LTL. So yeah I want to double broker LTL when we have direct contracts with multiple nation and regional carriers and in house TMS with direct pricing and routing. Now here is a guy who is a graduate of Cal Berkley with a Harvard MBA. According to his linked in profile. I can't believe he is real. So here is a guy with $500,000 education running a Sales Team and an office in San Francisco. Working for a Freight Broker who continually loses money another $13 million dollar loss on sales of 1.3 billion. Their solution is to use another 3PLs software. Just a Clown Show. Being honest I was pretty harsh on Uber in my previous post, so I gave them 45 minutes and they appear to be a big broker that really doesn't do anything special. In reality a broker with 1.3 billion in sales should post at least 52 million in Ebit. losing $$$$ and no growth is a recipe for disaster. Maybe they can buy Coyote. Mid sized LTL shippers visit Freight View or mycarrier and set yourself up as your own 3pl for LTL. Lots of $$$$$ being wasted by Technology companies that just can't figure it out. *** We have enough brokers at this time *** Gotta call schnaaa when you see it!

Is Uber Freight’s New Broker Access Program Just “Controlled” Double Brokering? 🚛💡 In logistics, Uber Freight's Broker Access Program is making waves. It gives brokers access to Uber’s carrier network, promising to streamline operations and improve transparency. But is it really an innovation, or just a tech-savvy version of double brokering? Double brokering is when a broker, after securing a load, passes it to another broker. This leads to: - Lack of transparency for shippers. - Delayed or disputed payments to carriers. - Higher risk of fraud. Uber Freight’s program, however, lets brokers book loads through Uber’s vetted network, acting as a middleman. But here’s the catch: 1. The original broker relies on Uber’s network for carrier selection, similar to handing off loads in double brokering — just under a more controlled system. 2. Uber claims brokers control the shipment, but execution is managed by its platform. If issues arise, shippers face dealing with both the broker and Uber Freight, leading to potential communication breakdowns. 3. Uber’s secure payment system reduces financial risk, but shippers may still struggle with disputes over delays or damages — similar to traditional double brokering issues. While Uber Freight’s program offers benefits like secure payments, it’s essentially double brokering with a tech facelift. Brokers get access to more capacity, but they lose direct control over carriers. Is this really a solution, or just old problems in new packaging? Let’s discuss in the comments! ⬇️ #Logistics #FreightTech #DoubleBrokering #UberFreight #SupplyChain #FreightBrokering #DigitalLogistics

Uber Freight just announced the launch of Broker Access, "a new capacity-as-a-service solution just for brokers". And if I'm the only one who has the following perspective, I think my doc may have accidentally prescribed me some crazy pills. The lead: Transformation is constant. Evolution is a must. Resilience is essential. "Evolution is a must." We'll come back to this. To put this new "service" into layman's terms, this is what the offering is: Uber, a freight broker, has a network of carriers that haul their freight. They are now offering brokers the chance to tap into that capacity. Brokers pay Uber, and Uber executes the order with a digital booking of one of their carriers. So, shipper tenders load to Broker 1. Broker 1 gives load to Uber platform. Uber gives load to underlying carrier. There's a term for this process, and it is not transformational or evolutionary. The term is double brokering. That's what this is. It's as simple as it sounds. Fancy words won't change that. To take a step back, I believe Uber Freight has an identity crisis. They have poured hundreds of millions into a business that has never sniffed profitability. They bought a profitable powerhouse in Transplace, which I believe was a great business. It certainly helped curb some of the exorbitant losses the brokerage was enduring, but has not had a meaningful enough impact to bring the overarching business to profitability. Now, they are looking to their competitors, brokers, as their next "throw sh*t against the wall and see what sticks" approach to get out of the seemingly never-ending pile of money spent and lost. My take: Uber should kill it's brokerage in it's entirety and be a pure SAAS solution. Keep Broker Access; dump your existing brokerage. As Chadd Olesen told me the other day in a soon-to-be-released interview, "you can only serve one master". No good broker is going to tell their shipper they are just passing the freight to a competitor in Uber, who the shipper could just tender to themselves. What value is the initial broker providing at that point? With all that said, Flexport has a similar offering. However, there is a crucial difference. For context, Flexport took the old Convoy platform, and it's carriers, and is offering it directly to brokers. They are not, however, offering that capacity direct to new shippers. That, to me, is a meaningful difference between what can be a successful program, and what will be another failed product. The load board ecosystem is absolutely ripe for disruption and innovation. Rampant with fraud. Systems that break down frequently. There is opportunity to bring a new approach to load boards, and maybe Uber/Flexport can be those answers. But, you can't do both. Pick a side.

This post by today Andrew Silver about whether Uber Freight's new Broker Access is essentially double brokering is worth a read: https://lnkd.in/eVm7q9wv I wrote about the new product today (https://lnkd.in/e5NcSaBC) but let me be absolutely clear. I am not neither for or against the product. I know some people believe a media outlet merely writing about a subject constitutes advocacy (or tacit advocacy) but I don't see it that way. My job, at its core, is to help readers of our publication do their jobs better. Writing about a development in the market - even if it's untested, or a repackaged idea that's been around for ages, or if it's controversial - is part of that process for me. Andrew has forgotten more about brokerage than I'll ever know, but I will say that it's pretty important we clear up the nomenclature in the industry. Some people in the comments to his post said Uber Freight is offering co-brokering. Andrew insisted it is double brokering. The way I understand it is Uber is essentially opening a door to a house that many brokers will never have the resources to build themselves. Will that house ever belong to those other brokers? No, but without giving their customers access to it, maybe they lose the business to another broker anyway. I do think that, as a broker using this product, you have to know that the data you supply can and will be used in some way - perhaps for you, perhaps against you, perhaps in service of another product. That's really up to Uber and brokers using Broker Access to put in black and white with one another. One other thing I'd address: some on the thread, including Andrew, suggested that Uber should get out of the brokerage game and focus on software for other brokers. The argument against that is that a large diversified company - with brokerage, MTS, and software - is better able to ride out different parts of the freight cycle. There's also the argument that a large 3PL can essentially road-test software better than a standalone software company could. Again, I make no judgments on any of this - that's certainly not my role - but rather am eager to hear from the market their thoughts on this as it lives in the real world.

There were a number of good questions around the launch of our Broker Access product last week, and I thought it might be helpful to share my responses / thoughts on the areas that seemed to drive the most questions. Conflict of Interest. I want to address a concern about potential conflicts of interest. Broker Access is a program developed by a completely separate team within Uber Freight, designed specifically for brokers. Our team operates independently, with clear technical and operational boundaries in place to ensure this separation. I understand that skepticism is natural in a competitive industry like ours. However, I want to assure everyone that we’ve taken deliberate steps to create a solution that genuinely supports brokers. Double Brokering or Co-Brokering. Broker Access is not a brokerage so it can’t be double brokering or co-brokering. It’s a new and separate business that connects a broker's loads with a network of digitally connected carriers. Once a carrier engages with a load, the carrier goes through an onboarding process with each such broker. The broker is the sole broker on the load. This is made clear to all parties involved, both technically and contractually. Data Security and Integrity. A key concern we’ve heard is whether this program was designed to access data from other brokers and use it improperly. Let me be clear: Broker Access was not built to access or leverage other brokers data in any way that compromises trust. We have strict contractual commitments, robust access controls, and operational safeguards in place to ensure data remains secure and is used solely to support the program’s intended purpose. Why We’re Doing This. We launched this business for two primary reasons. First, to provide our digitally connected network of carriers with more quality loads. When we do this, they continue to choose the Uber Freight carrier marketplace as one of their preferred places to source and book loads. Second, to monetize the technology and marketplace building investments we’ve made over the past 8+ years. We charge a booking fee for booked loads that meet the brokers target rate only. Our thesis is that there is a large and growing subset of carriers that prefer to book freight digitally. However, many brokers don’t have access to these carriers, and so this program complements their relationship-based carrier sales team (mostly working with medium to large carriers), and load boards (mostly for last minute loads). This is about helping brokers meet another carrier base “where they are”. In closing, I’ll just say that we appreciated the feedback we received this past week and are committed to doing our very best to provide a great experience and great value for carriers and brokers that choose to try this program out. If you’re interested in learning more, please go to https://lnkd.in/gNAydk9f and we would be happy to give you a demo and see if Broker Access is a good fit for your brokerage.

𝗜𝗖𝗬𝗠𝗜: Uber Freight has launched Broker Access, a new program that enables brokers to book and execute loads digitally on Uber Freight’s carrier network while remaining the sole #broker on the load! 🚛 Learn more about this capacity-as-a-service solution at the #linkbelow! ⤵️

🚨 The Freight Rollover: Uber Freight's Crash or Revolution? 🚨 #LogisticsReality #FreightTech #IndustryShakeup You’re driving down the highway. A semi just rolled over ahead. What do you do? Most drivers? They keep going. The detour is inconvenient, the slowdown frustrating. But here’s the thing—ignoring the accident doesn’t make it disappear. That’s exactly where we’re at with Uber Freight’s Broker Access tool. They just launched what’s essentially double brokering, wrapped in shiny marketing about “innovation” and “efficiency.” And instead of stopping to assess the wreckage, most of the industry is shrugging and driving by. 🚛 What’s at Stake? For Brokers: Your carriers, your capacity, your network—rerouted through Uber. Where’s the value you bring if it’s all outsourced to a competitor? For Shippers: Transparency evaporates. Double brokering muddies the waters. Who’s actually moving your freight? Does anyone care? For the Industry: Trust, already running on fumes, takes another hit. 💥 The Crash: Uber Freight is essentially telling brokers, “Use our network, but we’ll own the game.” It’s a Trojan horse for small brokers—what looks like a tool for growth is really a tool for dependence. 🔥 My Take: This isn’t innovation. It’s a slow-motion accident for the freight industry. And pretending this doesn’t have massive implications? That’s just another driver looking at the wreck and thinking, “Not my problem.” But it is our problem. If you’re in logistics, this changes everything. 📢 Your Move: Are we going to challenge the narrative, or are we just going to keep driving past the mess? Drop your thoughts below. Let’s call it like it is. 👇 #FreightFuture #SupplyChainTruth #CallItOut

Digital freight networks and private carrier relationships aren't competing forces – they're complementary pillars that create unprecedented value for brokerages. Today marks a significant milestone in this evolution: Parade is partnering with Uber Freight to bridge these worlds further than ever before. This partnership brings my journey full circle. After building driver growth systems during Uber's early ridesharing days, I experienced firsthand how technology could transform fragmented networks into scalable marketplaces. Now at Parade, we're applying these lessons to help brokerages scale their carrier networks while maintaining the relationships they've carefully built. The future of freight isn't about choosing between marketplace efficiency and relationship-driven business – it's about empowering brokerages to leverage both. When brokerages can seamlessly manage their trusted carrier relationships alongside quality marketplace capacity, everyone wins. Immense gratitude to Brooks McMahon, Vivek Ojha, and Sara Blair at Uber Freight for sharing this vision of a more connected freight ecosystem. And to our own Derek Netelenbos for driving this partnership forward. A new chapter in freight is unfolding. Here's to the brokerages leading the way. #FreightTech #Innovation #SupplyChain https://lnkd.in/giAHkzZb

Maybe I just don't understand things right, but it seems like the Math aint Mathin. Someone want to take the time to help me understand how 20B in freight under management is possible with only ~5b of top line revenue? In addition, if they hauled 24M loads in the last 12 months, that equates to an average of $213/load, if every dollar of the 5.1B in revenue was an invoice for shipment.. https://lnkd.in/gjVnNXuS