Situation One: You’re sitting around with your friends and this conversation starts, “What is logistics management?” because we all know that all friendly conversations start this way (we kid). But, in a situation like this, if none of you have a background in transportation of any kind, the common response will be this:
“Google it.”
Situation Two: You want to meet up with your friends in the city but you don’t want to pay the expensive price of city parking. “Get an Uber,” a friend will say.
Just as Google has become a verb in and of itself, so, too, has Uber joined the “world dictionary.”
With the rapid growth of Uber, an international transportation service, other transportation methods, such as taxi cabs, have been struggling. They not only pick up and drop off people worldwide, they also deliver food. So, what’s next for them?
It’s called Uber Freight.
Say Hello to Uber Freight’s Friend, Otto
Uber Freight bought out Otto in July 2016 for $650,000,000. That’s one pretty penny. The buyout was not done in vain, however, because Otto is one of the first in its class, offering the first line of artificial intelligence in freight transportation.
Source: Otto
With the birth of this new smart technology, Uber Freight is looking to make the transportation of goods and materials as easy as, “Getting an Uber,” like your friend in Situation Two recommended above.
Source: Otto
With a covert soft-opening, Uber Freight released its “first product,… [which] is a marketplace to connect a shipper with a truck, much like the Uber app connects drivers and riders,” says Biz Carson of Business Insider.
While Uber’s CEO, Travis Kalanick, has been dreaming big about the future of Uber Freight, there are also those who have tried to capitalize on similar services as Otto without much luck. Cargomatic is one such business that has suffered from trying to actuate these dreams without success.
So, what is to come of Uber Freight? Do you think it will succeed? Do you think it will fall through? Tweet us @SynterResource to continue the conversation!