News / Uber Freight brings facility rating system to its app in Europe

Uber Freight is bringing the rating system, pioneered on its ride-sharing app, to the European road freight industry.

A new feature on the platform could see operators of road freight warehouse and distribution facilities in Europe rated by truck drivers.

Daniel Buczkowski (pictured above), head of shipper operations at Uber Freight Europe and the executive who launched the platform there last year, told delegates at last week’s IRU Logistics Innovation Forum in London, that a central aspect of the feature was the effect it could have on road safety.

“Delays at facility docks are commonplace, but our data has shown that 15 minutes of increased dwell time at a facility actually leads to a 6% increase in road accidents.

“So we have developed a “facility rating” tool, which allows drivers to input what went well and what didn’t, when they deliver to a particular facility.

“For drivers, this is a game changer – it’s incredibly powerful for the community of drivers; if they book a load they want to go know if it is a good destination.

“And as a shipper that information is also gold, because it’s first-person feedback,” he said.

The company, which originally launched in the US, recently released its second report into facilities in that market, and Mr Buczkowski said that one shipper – LG – “had focused on improving its facilities and was able to do that through us because an accountability loop has been created”.

He also disputed claims that road freight operators signed up with Uber Freight would see their already slim profit margins further diminished.

“If the price for a load isn’t good enough, then a carrier doesn’t have to accept the booking, while signing up for the app is free. Our function is how well we serve carriers and shippers, and if we can’t do that then it’s going to be a very short ride for us.

“What we see as an industry is to make the barriers to entry as low as possible – not many trucking companies have an effective way of interacting with the market.

“For example, Heineken was our first customer in Europe and the first shipment booked under the platform was with a company that operates four trucks – this was the first time the trucking company had had a customer of such magnitude,” he said.

He added that the huge number of data points that pass through the Uber Freight system would have other benefits for users, such as helping road freight operators and customers comply with regulations such as cabotage, which has retained a special status is the EC’s mobility package.

“International shipments are 40% of km driven on European roads, so the remainder is cabotage traffic and cabotage laws are difficult to police in Europe when there are six million trucks.

“In our app, we are able to notify carriers and shippers that a shipment might be a cabotage trip and to remind them they need to comply with the laws,” he said.

Uber Freight Europe now operates in the full-truckload segment in Germany, Poland and the Netherlands, and while it has plans to expand in the region, its plans for the UK are currently shelved.

“We have no launch date for the UK market, I’m afraid, because of the uncertainty around Brexit,” he said.