Uber Technologies has launched Powerloop, a trailer leasing business, to transform legacy industry practices and create new opportunities for fleet operators.
Uber Freight Program Manager of Strategic Projects, Max Pike, said a reimagined trailer-pool system will empower small-trucking companies to grow their businesses and help shippers beat the capacity crunch.
“By creating a common pool of trailers, Powerloop is lowering the barrier to entry to trailer-pool programs,” said Pike. “Eligible carriers leveraging the Powerloop program are able to find backhauls more frequently and spend more of their day moving through the network instead of constantly searching for the next load.”
Pike explained that trailer pools are groups of pre-loaded trailers that asset-based carriers can 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,” he said. “Drivers running power-loads through trailer pool programs spend less time waiting around at facilities and more time on the road moving freight.”
Powerloop is currently available in key regions in Texas, US, and is being used by Fortune 500 shipper partners and a network of entrepreneurial carriers.
According to Pike, Powerloop aims to scale the program to help create a singe, interconnected trailer-pool system over the coming years.
“It’s still early says for the program, but we’re excited by the promise of Powerloop and the far-reaching benefits of making power-only loads more accessible to carriers,” he said.