Uber Freight’s latest innovation, released Tuesday, directly addresses the challenges behind truck utilization through advanced tour planning. The new offering expands Uber Freight’s Powerloop drop-and-hook program, providing carriers with access to reliable freight and greater control over their operations with dedicated tours.
Carriers, especially owner-operators, face the persistent challenge of securing consistent or dedicated loads. Fluctuations in load availability and unpredictable rates can lead to instability, particularly in softer markets. While tighter markets might offer improved load availability and rates, carriers express a desire for more consistency and stronger relationships with shippers.
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The Powerloop dedicated tours program moves beyond a simple headhaul and backhaul structure by stringing multiple loads together and suggesting return loads, reducing empty miles and increasing earning potential.
“The big win with tours already is drivers don’t lose all of that productivity, the empty miles and all the other time-consuming tasks that come with chasing spot loads,” Alyssa Correale, vice president of operations for Powerloop, told FreightWaves in an interview.
A key advantage of the program is its use of AI-powered route optimization. In partnership with Optimal Dynamics, Uber Freight utilizes the company’s technology to optimize routes every eight minutes, bringing in real-time adjustments to market fluctuations.
“We started working with [Optimal Dynamics] in May of last year, and we’ve been building out this capability with their true AI expertise because it does take a while for AI to learn the behavior of loads,” said Correale. “Now we’re seeing a ton of success leveraging Optimal Dynamics to build these tour recommendations.”
Carriers participating in the Powerloop dedicated tours program commit to at least a two-week period of hauling freight using Powerloop trailers. The tours combine Powerloop contracted freight, drop trailer locations and Uber Freight’s broader freight network to create optimized routes. But carriers retain the flexibility to select specific loads within a tour or haul their own loads using a Powerloop trailer.
“Carriers have the optionality to select which tour they want. They also have the optionality to say, ‘I want this tour but I have a different load for the third leg of the tour,’ because we’re very aware we’re a small piece of the puzzle for some carriers,” Correale explained.
The pay structure is designed to reward carriers for every mile driven. Carriers receive a minimum weekly percentage of revenue, which increases as they haul more miles, incentivizing them to maximize their mileage. This structure ensures that carriers that cover longer distances are compensated accordingly.
To further enhance the carrier experience, Uber Freight is developing an app integration, expected in mid-to-late April, that will let carriers design and select their own optimized tours directly within the Uber Freight App, streamlining the process.
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