In a recent announcement, Uber Freight CEO Lior Ron highlighted the company’s efforts to combat freight fraud and reduce detention times. The platform, which boasts an impressive network of over 5,000 shippers and two million truck owners and drivers, has introduced several updates aimed at enhancing efficiency and transparency. These include an “Insights AI” tool that provides decision makers with relevant data, a streamlined procurement platform, and an innovative transportation management software suite.
These game-changing new tech tools were designed specifically for shippers but what does this mean for small fleet owners and individual operators?
It would give carriers access to a “Yelp for shippers” feature that industry experts, including scientists testifying to Congress, have been asking for.
Insights AI, is an intelligent tool designed to empower decision makers at major shipping companies. This technology keeps a watchful eye on every aspect of a load’s journey, alerting shippers of any potential issues or delays.
“Hey, shipper, this one facility is 4.1 stars because you suck, you don’t have a bathroom and the gate takes 15 minutes instead of five minutes,” Lior Ron gave as a somewhat informal summary of what the AI tool might tell a shipper. “This is the kind of analysis and coordination” shippers can’t, or won’t, do on their own, he said.
Any trucker who’s had a bad experience or been detained by a shipper knows the value in being able to get the complaint straight to the top of the organization.
“Once they’re in the ecosystem, once we have GPS tracking on them with the TMS side, we have the ability to connect the TMS with the appointments set with the carrier to track when appointments are consumed, if there’s a late arrival or late pickup, and to expand an appointment window,” said Ron, who called it a “game changer. The pitch is for [carriers] to participate in our digital ecosystem and be able to engage to reduce detention time.”
He added that the system could help “reduce like half” of empty miles with carriers working the system as well.
Ron also expressed that the company’s hope was to help “beloved small and mid-sized fleets” with a number of challenges.
For example, the TMS, which through automation can now open up the bid processes at huge shippers to fleets of any size.
“A mega shipper with a big freight auction, they don’t have the time, effort, money or staff to deal with small fleets and medium-sized fleets'” bids, he said. Now, the automated tool should “democratize procurement” processes on the platform.
In addition, Uber Freight plans to step up their game in the fight against freight fraud, something that fellow brokers Convoy and Transifx are already tackling head-on.
“It’s been top of mind for everyone,” said Ron. “We spend a lot of time talking about fraud and double brokering with the shipper community. We’ve taken steps and made a big investment over the last nine months, since last year when some of the theft rings in SoCal started, to become the safest marketplace for carriers and shippers.”
Uber Freight is stepping up its efforts to combat fraud by revamping their carrier selection process. According to Ron, this includes a thorough examination and curation of their carrier base.
The company has implemented advanced tools that analyze fraud signals within the system. These tools help identify carriers that require closer attention and investigation.
In the past, industry experts like Dale Prax and Matthew Patrick have suggested simple methods to identify bad-actor carriers, such as verifying physical addresses and checking for multiple MC numbers. Uber Freight takes these recommendations seriously, but they also rely on sophisticated technology to enhance the process. Unlike other platforms, Uber Freight actively takes action on flagged accounts.
Although Ron didn’t provide specific numbers, he expressed that Uber Freight’s fraud rate is significantly lower than industry benchmarks, proving that their comprehensive measures have been effective in combating fraud.
Source: Overdrive
