Today's Pickup: Canadian Carrier Sees Uber Freight As A "Game-Changer"

Good day,

On October 14 – Canadian Thanksgiving – a small Montreal-based carrier, Transport DSquare, moved its first load with Uber Freight UBER more than a week before its official launch in Canada today.

"It was exciting," said Corey Darbyson, director of Transport DSquare. "It went smoothly and the appointment was spot-on."

The core haul involved a food shipment from the Toronto suburb of Mississauga to Montreal, with a backhaul to Bolton, Ontario. A local haul from nearby Brampton to Mississauga got tacked onto the start.

"Normally you don't see that," Darbyson said of the local move incorporated into the backhaul. 

DSquare was paid about a week later, which is also unusual.

DSquare has about 50 trucks, focusing on the Toronto-Montreal corridor in addition to local moves in the two cities. 

"Uber gives us access to clients that we otherwise couldn't get," Darbyson said. "Now we can compete with the larger carriers on service. That to me is a game-changer."

Did you know?

A dog's nose has an estimated 300 million sensory receptors. It's a key reason why freight-forwarders continue to embrace canines to screen cargo. 

Quotable:

"So bad, it's bad." 

– Deutsche Bank analyst Amit Mehrotra on C.H. Robinson's CHRW third-quarter miss.

In other news:

Trucker in crash that killed 13 released from prison

A trucker who pleaded guilty to a slew of charges from a 2016 crash in California that killed 13 people has been released from prison. (Patch)

Bypass ends "nightmare" on Trans-Canada Highway

A newly opened bypass will improve safety and the flow of goods on the Trans-Canada Highway near Regina, Saskatchewan, ending a "nightmare" for truckers. (CBC)

Grubhub outlook hits food delivery stocks

Grubhub Inc's GRUB dreary outlook for food delivery has hit providers' stocks after its own shares tanked by 40%. (Barron's)

Volocopter unveils heavy-lift cargo drone

German startup Volocopter has unveiled a new heavy-lift cargo drone that can handle up to 440 pounds. (TechCrunch)

Production issues hit Airbus deliveries

Airbus has cut its delivery forecast because of production issues with its A320neo planes. (Bloomberg)

Final thoughts:

Uber Freight's launch in Canada may help the market run more transparently and efficiently. The notoriously unbalanced cross-border routes to the U.S. could be a huge beneficiary. 

Corey Darbyson of Transport DSquare suggested Uber Freight may also threaten larger legacy carriers that operate with an outdated model. 

"These people continue to put fax numbers in their signature," Darbyson said.

Hammer down everyone!

Image Sourced from Pixabay