Uber Freight and SAP announce partnership with a focus on clear supply chain visibility

Uber Freight, the app hosted by ubiquitous ridesharing company Uber, that matches trucking companies with loads to haul, and SAP, the global leader in enterprise application management software, announced today they are partnering up, with an objective to “modernize the freight industry through intelligent process automation and better access to a network of connected and reliable drivers.

The companies explained this will be done through the integration of Uber Freight into the SAP Logistics Business Network, which enables shippers to manage real-time digital supply chains. This network is built on the SAP Cloud Platform and the HANA business data platform, expands transportation management to enable shippers, freight forwarders, carriers and other logistics partners to easily onboard, collaborate, exchange logistics information and share insights.  

And they added that this integration will allow shippers to access rates from Uber’s digitally activated carrier network and also access real time quotes and guaranteed freight capacity that simplifies load management and execution. Another key benefit, the companies cited, is that can work together using innovative tools that bypass traditional roadblocks, enabling shippers to select from a much broader carrier base and perform real-time pricing of shipments, while gaining improved utilization and efficiency.

“Finding and booking freight can be the most expensive and often the most complex piece of the supply chain,” said Hala Zeine, president, SAP Digital Supply Chain, in a statement. “This combined solution will remove roadblocks and offers a simpler, more automated approach that streamlines operations, delivers tangible cost savings and ultimately creates a better customer experience. Adding Uber Freight to our SAP Logistics Business Network will help our customers optimize their logistics and put their customers at the heart of their digital supply chain.”

Uber Freight Head of Operations and Co-Founder Bill Dreigert wrote in a blog post that through an Uber Freight API integration, Uber Freight and SAPs mutual customers will be able to tap into instant, real-time pricing data and a national network of freight capacity, transforming freight-booking into an intelligent process.

“Last year, we introduced Uber Freight platform for shippers and since then, hundreds of shippers across the US have used the streamlined interface to tap into our nationwide carrier network,” he wrote. “But shippers work in a multitude of ways, and helping them access better solutions through their own tools is critical to support varied and complex shipping operations at every level of the market. Now, our partnership through the SAP Logistics Business Network delivers another access point for enterprise shippers to leverage two of Uber Freight’s crucial benefits through their own TMS: [reliable real-time data and sought-after freight capacity].”