Although logistics technology has improved dramatically over time, the trucking sector remains mostly untouched. The industry has struggled to overcome significant efficiencies such as reliance on a manual driver, excessive paperwork, operating empty trucks, and more.
It is no secret that logistics remains one of the bottlenecks faced by many players in Europe. Following the German industry’s recent call for action to address logistics bottlenecks and severe driver shortages, Uber Freight will now introduce its on-demand logistics platform after the Netherlands.
Daniel Buczkowski, head of European expansion for Uber Freight, said:
In an increasingly demanding sector, Uber Freight has the potential to unleash efficiencies that drive the entire German industry forward.
The American ride-hailing company is on a mission to capitalize on Europe’s $500 billion trucking industry, the third largest in the world after China and the United States.
According to World Bank estimates, about 40% of German truck drivers will retire in the next ten years, which would create a shortage of up to 150,000 drivers. Moreover, 21% of the total miles driven are also empty. This inefficiency causes shippers to struggle to find available drivers.
It is worth noting that small and medium-sized transport companies in Germany constitute more than 90% of the total transport companies, and face the most difficulties in communicating with larger shipping companies.
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Amid this chaos, Uber Freight aims to unify the industry toward a more efficient and transparent future. Here, Uber Freight plays an intermediary role through structured pricing arrangements.
Uber will compete directly with several local players as shown below. check it out.
Sender (Berlin)
Founders: David Nothacker, Julius Kohler, Nikolaus Stefan, Nikolaus Schiffenacker
Financing: 64.6 million euros
Sennder is one of the leaders in digital road freight in continental Europe, connecting large commercial shippers with small shippers. It brings a new level of automation, transparency and efficiency to the €300 billion European road freight market. The platform digitizes the truckload shipping ecosystem by providing mobile apps for drivers, fleet management tools for carrier managers, and logistics management solutions for shippers.
FreightHub (Berlin)
Founders: Eric Mutterbach, Fabian Hellmann, Ferry Hellmann, Michael Wax
Financing: 48.5 million euros
Founded in 2016, this platform provides real-time insights and provides transparency to customers. This platform displays past, current, and future freight shipments, tracks lost documents, stores files for future use, and provides an overview of the supply chain.
Smart Lane (Munich)
Founders: Matthias Bohr
Financing: 1.5 million euros
This cloud platform delivers a new level of efficiency and reliability, by enabling fully automated transportation planning as well as industry-specific process mining capabilities. The automation plan includes dynamic order planning, route optimization, and real-time information on order status and delivery position to customers.
Insta Freight (Berlin)
Founders: Maximilian Schäfer, Philipp Ortwein
Financing: 8 million euros
InstaFreight is a B2B digital shipping company that acts as a one-stop shop for ground shipping. This platform provides a click-and-buy experience at instant prices to customers.
Seven missionaries (Berlin)
Founders: Johannes Blein, Thomas Hagemann
Financing: 22.5 million euros
Seven Senders connects shippers to all last-mile local carrier networks in Europe. This platform is equipped with a fast and efficient delivery solution that is modified to suit the needs and requirements of the end customers.
Cargo One (Berlin)
Founders: Mike Rutgers, Moritz Claussen, Oliver T. Newman
Funding: 2 million euros
Founded in 2017, it is a digital platform for freight forwarders to search, compare and book air freight capabilities across airlines. This platform provides lower costs and higher operational efficiency.
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