Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

newsworthy

Uber Freight opens Chicago headquarters

Three years after launching in San Francisco, digital freight brokerage firm keeps foot on the gas with plan to hire 2,000 employees in the next three years.

San Francisco-based Uber Freight said today it had opened a new headquarters in Chicago and plans to invest over $200 million annually in the region through headcount, real estate investment, and other expenses.

Uber Freight, the freight brokerage arm of ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc., said it plans to hire 2,000 new employees in the region over the next three years, dedicating most of them to serving in Uber Freight's first engineering hub outside of San Francisco.


[iframe https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d47533.00871509412!2d-87.67155709139284!3d41.875368667853024!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x880e2d8fd16e9373%3A0x477bc4e4743d996b!2sThe%20Old%20Main%20Post%20Office!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1568050494777!5m2!1sen!2sus height=450 width=600]

The move is intended to support Uber Freight's global growth, which over the last 27 months has included an expansion from the U.S. into Europe, compiling over 400,000 drivers in its carrier network, and listing more than 1,000 shippers as customers, including AB Inbev, Niagara Bottling, and Land O'Lakes, the company said.

Also in recent months, the firm has grown through integrations with software vendors such as transportation management software (TMS) provider MercuryGate Inc. and through launching new features like its "Lane Explorer" real-time freight-quoting tool.

"Trucking represents an enormous opportunity for Uber, and this milestone is a testament to our long-term commitment to our Freight business," Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a release. "Chicago is the heart of America's transportation and logistics industry, and there is no better place to open our dedicated Freight HQ. Uber has long recognized the incredible history, innovation, and talent that Chicago has to offer, and we're excited about the thousands of new jobs our Freight business will help bring as we become one of the city's largest technology employers."

The move will also help the firm pursue a larger share of the $3.8 trillion global freight industry by offering a more efficient and collaborative platform than is now available, Lior Ron, the head of Uber Freight, said in a blog post.

"We've built cutting-edge technology for both sides of the freight marketplace, unlocking opportunity for shippers, carriers, and their drivers so that they can focus on improving their bottom lines, growing their businesses, and keeping their eyes on the road ahead," Ron said. "We've pushed the entire industry towards transparency with features like facility ratings and real-time pricing."

The Latest

More Stories

kion linde tugger truck

Kion Group plans layoffs in cost-cutting plan

The German forklift vendor Kion Group plans to lay off an unspecified number of workers as part of an “efficiency program” it is launching to strengthen the company’s resilience and maintain headroom for future investments, the company said today.

The new structural measures are intended to optimize Kion’s efficiency, executives said in their fourth quarter earnings report.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

map chart of truck freight shipments

U.S. Bank report: the truck freight market reboot is not here yet

The truck freight market continued to contract in the fourth quarter, closing out 2024 with further declines in shipments and spending, according to the latest U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index.

By the numbers, fourth quarter shipment volume was down 4.7% compared to the prior quarter, while spending dropped 2.2%.

Keep ReadingShow less
volvo and waabi self driving truck

Volvo deepens partnership with Waabi for self-driving truck tech

Volvo Autonomous Solutions will form a strategic partnership with autonomous driving technology and generative AI provider Waabi to jointly develop and deploy autonomous trucks, with testing scheduled to begin later this year.

The two companies said they will integrate Waabi's virtual driver system, the Waabi Driver, into the Volvo VNL Autonomous, Volvo’s autonomous truck with redundant systems for enabling safe autonomous operations. The Volvo VNL Autonomous will be produced at Volvo’s New River Valley assembly plant in Dublin, Virginia, and be designed to support diverse operational needs, use cases, and Volvo Group truck brands.

Keep ReadingShow less
chart of women's portion of transport and storage jobs

Women hold only 12% of transportation and storage jobs worldwide

Women are significantly underrepresented in the global transport sector workforce, comprising only 12% of transportation and storage workers worldwide as they face hurdles such as unfavorable workplace policies and significant gender gaps in operational, technical and leadership roles, a study from the World Bank Group shows.

This underrepresentation limits diverse perspectives in service design and decision-making, negatively affects businesses and undermines economic growth, according to the report, “Addressing Barriers to Women’s Participation in Transport.” The paper—which covers global trends and provides in-depth analysis of the women’s role in the transport sector in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA)—was prepared jointly by the World Bank Group, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the International Transport Forum (ITF).

Keep ReadingShow less

How clever is that chatbot?

Oh, you work in logistics, too? Then you’ve probably met my friends Truedi, Lumi, and Roger.

No, you haven’t swapped business cards with those guys or eaten appetizers together at a trade-show social hour. But the chances are good that you’ve had conversations with them. That’s because they’re the online chatbots “employed” by three companies operating in the supply chain arena—TrueCommerce, Blue Yonder, and Truckstop. And there’s more where they came from. A number of other logistics-focused companies—like ChargePoint, Packsize, FedEx, and Inspectorio—have also jumped in the game.

Keep ReadingShow less