Uber Freight says it is trucking into Canada

With a focus on facilitating seamless domestic and cross-border loads,Uber Freight, a subsidiary of the ubiquitous, ride-sharing service Uber, whose proprietary app matches trucking companies with loads to haul, announced today it is expanding into Canada.

This does not mark the company’s first international foray, as it previously announced a European expansion into Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland and continues to make moves to boost its global presence and operations.

“Uber is a global company with a global mindset, and the Freight business is no exception,” said Lior Ron, Head of Uber Freight, in a statement. “Since the beginning, we have been dedicated to scaling our operations to enable opportunity for both Uber Freight and the shippers and carriers that keep our world moving. We are thrilled to expand to Canada, our neighbor and critical trade partner, to together unlock the massive opportunity the North American trucking market represents. With our sophisticated marketplace technology and reliable carrier base, Uber Freight is uniquely positioned to solve industry challenges, such as tight capacity, both in Canada and elsewhere at scale.”

Uber Freight officials provided various data points, highlighting how moving into the Canadian market is a logical fit for Uber Freight’s first North American expansion initiative.

One main driver is that the trucking in Canada is a $68 billion (USD) market and the second-largest goods trading partner in the U.S. at $617.2 billion in total goods trade in 2018. A shortage of truck drivers presents another growth opportunity, they added.

“Canada faces a severe and growing driver shortage, resulting in constrained freight capacity,” said Uber Freight. “These tight market conditions present uniquely complex supply chain challenges ripe for technology solutions. The Uber Freight platform can help increase efficiency in the sector and reduce trucks running empty miles across North America.”

Uber Freight is currently facilitating freight in Ontario and Quebec domestically and across the border to the Midwestern and Northeastern United States, and intends to expand throughout Canada. It said that local carriers and their drivers based in the U.S. and Canada are able to book and move domestic and cross border loads with the Uber Freight app, which is available in both English and French.

“We are thrilled to bring our technology solution to carriers and shippers across the Canadian market, including in cross-border trade,” an Uber Freight spokesman toldLM. “Uber Freight's platform will help shippers and carriers alike unlock the massive opportunity the North American market represents.”

And the spokesman added that Uber Freight is building a freight marketplace that provides both Canadian and U.S. shippers real-time access to price and capacity, enabling them to move freight effortlessly, with transparency and reliability that was previously not possible. What’s more, he explained that Uber Freight is facilitating domestic and cross-border loads to and from the U.S., enabling shippers to move seamlessly between these two massive markets.