Today Uber Freight announced a partnership with a new trailer rental service that they say will cut down on wait times for both drivers and shippers.
The new rental service is called Powerloop and will be an affiliate of Uber Freight, according to Medium.
Uber Freight describes Powerloop as “an innovative reimagination of the trailer pool system” that allows carriers to access a common pool of trailers no matter how many trucks they operate, so long as they meet eligibility requirements.
Sarah Abboud, Senior Communications Associate at Uber Freight, explains, “Trailer pools are groups of pre-loaded trailers that carriers can both pick up and drop off at shipper facilities. Decoupling the power unit from the trailer allows for loading and unloading to happen without the driver present, which in turn lowers costs and limits waiting time for shippers and drivers alike. Drivers running power-loads through trailer pool programs are able to spend less time waiting around at a facility and more time on the road moving freight. Unfortunately, the majority of trucking companies can’t participate in these programs because they don’t have the resources to purchase multiple trailer assets and instead rely on live loads to build their businesses.”
Uber Freight promises that Powerloop will help carriers to “see lower asset costs and more time on the road while shippers will have more flexibility than ever before.”
“By renting trailers, Powerloop is lowering the barrier to entry to trailer pool programs and unlocking access to drop freight for trucking companies of all sizes. Carriers leveraging the Powerloop program are able to find backhauls more frequently and spend the majority of their day seamlessly moving through the network instead of constantly searching for their next load,” said Abboud.
Currently, Powerloop is only available in Texas, but there are plans in place to expand the network.
Beer giant Anheuser-Busch is already a Powerloop client.
You can click here to access the Powerloop signup form.