Uber officially gets into trucking business with Uber Freight

After launching a pilot in Texas last year, Uber is now finally ready for its new trucking business. The cab-aggregator has launched a new app- Uber Freight that connects professional truck drivers with shippers looking to transport big loads over long distances.

"We've been in stealth since late last year, moving loads in Texas and a few other places," says Eric Berdinis, senior product manager for Uber Freight. "Uber pioneered the notion of 'press a button, get a car,' and now we want to create 'press a button, get a load.'

The app which looks and works very much like the main Uber app streamlines an otherwise cumbersome process involving hours of negotiations and a lot of hassles for truck drivers. Notably, the price under Uber Freight is predetermined and guaranteed. Once a driver gets a shipment to its destination, the payment begins processing and a driver will be paid within seven days.

And if that doesn't happen, then the company will pay ‘accessorial charges’ to drivers in such instances as well. "We want our carriers to know Uber Freight has their back when it comes to accessorial charges too. We are publishing our accessorial rates so that our users know what they can expect when they take an Uber Freight load."

The company is mostly doing shipments out of Texas right now, according to the site. “You can filter loads by location and date to find the best load for you,” the site reads. “We’re continuing to add freight to our app every day, so if you don’t see one that fits, check back soon!”

Uber says it has exclusive contracts with the shippers it works with. But as of now, there is no information on how many shippers and drivers the company has already signed up.