The mornings are getting colder, which is deadly to car batteries on their last drops of juice, as I found out yesterday morning when I went to start my car.
Click, click, click. Dead.
Luckily, I had nowhere important to go. I put on my AirPods and walked to the gym instead.
If you have an aging battery (mine was just shy of 7 years old, which is like 95 in human years), now is a good time to get it tested. You can also do it yourself if you have a multimeter.
Later in the day, I spent $205.05 on a new battery. Every cent counts, apparently.
But I’m grateful my old battery died at home, in the comfort of my driveway, rather than late at night, in a poorly lit parking lot, in sub-freezing temperatures during a snowstorm.
Although, that sounds like a great beginning to a short story, one that I would title, “Click, click, click. Dead.”
Moving on, here is the supply chain and logistics news that caught my attention this week:
- U.S. Port Labor Talks Resume, and Sail Into Choppy Waters (WSJ – sub. req’d)
- Canada moves to end labor disputes at ports, cites economic damage (Reuters)
- Exclusive: Amazon developing driver eyeglasses to shave seconds off deliveries, sources say (Reuters)
- BMW’s Move to Sustainable Logistics with Electric Trucks (Supply Chain Digital)
- Amazon, IKEA Join Other Ocean Cargo Shippers to Boost Demand for New Green Fuels (Reuters)
- Uber Freight Launches Broker Access to Extend Marketplace Value to the Broader Freight Ecosystem
- C.H. Robinson Unveils New Generation Of Logistics Management
- CDL downgrades for drug, alcohol violations begin Nov. 18 (CCJ)
- Will Trump’s Tariffs Spur U.S. Manufacturing? Executives Are Split (WSJ – sub. req’d)
- Daimler Truck signals production ‘flexibility’ if Trump tariffs require it (Fleet Owner)
- Steven Madden to Cut Sourcing From China on Tariff Worries Under Trump (Reuters)
- TSA announces proposed rule that would require the establishment of pipeline and railroad cyber risk management programs
Uber Freight: Truckload Capacity-as-a-Service
Interesting news from Uber Freight this week. The company announced the launch of Broker Access, “a new program that enables brokers to book and execute loads digitally on Uber Freight’s carrier network while remaining the sole broker on the load.” Here are some details from the press release:
Broker Access helps digitize and automate broker operations by making it easy to book, execute, track, and pay for loads with a user-friendly self-serve portal or via turnkey API, EDI, or TMS integrations. The program unlocks access to Uber Freight’s vast, private network of tens of thousands of tech-enabled carriers, ensuring brokers can service their customers reliably and efficiently, as well as mitigate fraud risks in all market conditions. Along with brokers’ proprietary carrier networks and public load boards, Broker Access helps brokers complete their diversified sourcing strategy to thrive across market conditions.
Key features of Broker Access include:
- Seamless Load Booking and Execution: Brokers can quickly book, manage, and tender loads through an intuitive self-serve platform or through integrations with Uber Freight’s carrier marketplace.
- Complete Control: Brokers can take complete control of load pricing, bid interactions, and carrier selection, or sit back and let the automation features work per their direction.
- End-to-End Visibility: Real-time tracking, automated updates, and a centralized portal for complete transparency across every shipment.
- Fraud Mitigation: Automated carrier monitoring helps reduce risks and ensure reliability in a competitive marketplace. Uber Freight was recently named Best in Cargo Security by CargoNet, recognizing the company’s outstanding fraud prevention efforts in 2023.
Wait, you might be asking yourself, doesn’t Uber Freight offer freight brokerage services too?
Yes, they do, but just like Amazon makes its platform available to other sellers (many of them small and mid-sized businesses), Uber Freight is apparently pursuing a similar strategy. That is, they are enabling other brokers to use their technology and large connected network of carriers to power their business.
I haven’t been briefed by Uber Freight on this new offering, but that is how I’m interpreting it.
In a July 2021 post, I commented that Marc Andreessen’s famous quote (“Software is eating the world”) needs to get updated. Today, it is more accurate to say that “Software and networks are eating the world” — especially in the supply chain and logistics world.
In the transportation realm, it’s the combination of software with connected networks of trusted and verified carriers (and other trading partners) that will drive the most value moving forward. The larger your network, the greater the network effects you can provide to everyone on it.
I’ve been writing about network effects since 2003 (click here for some examples), but the market didn’t really embrace it until relatively recently. This news by Uber Freight follows Alpega’s announcement last month, for example, of its Connecta open network and Transporoen’s announcement in 2023 of its Freight Marketplace solution.
The lines between network providers, software vendors, and logistics service providers continue to blur. I can’t wait to see where it leads.
And with that, I have a short story to write. Have a meaningful weekend!
Song of the Week: “Secret” by OMD
