Introducing Broker Access, a new capacity-as-a-service solution just for brokers

This article was originally posted on LinkedIn by Uber Freight VP of Emerging Products Brooks McMahon.

If you’re in logistics, you know: Transformation is constant. Evolution is a must. Resilience is essential.

This is an especially challenging time for brokers. As of September, the number of freight brokerages dropped by 16.7% compared to 2022.

As the intermediary between shippers and carriers, brokers especially face unprecedented pressure to do more with less. Regardless of brokerage size, the average broker is on the hook for an average $1.2 million in gross revenue per employee—all while navigating complex market conditions, managing tight margins, and keeping up with the rising demands of customers. With freight volumes fluctuating and operational complexity increasing, traditional ways of sourcing capacity no longer suffice on their own. To thrive, brokers need to incorporate new approaches that offer speed, flexibility, and efficiency at scale.

Enter Broker Access, a program uniquely built for brokers

Launched today, Broker Access provides direct, 24/7 access to one of the market’s largest digitally connected carrier networks. With tens of thousands of active, approved, tech-enabled carriers, our private marketplace offers a significant advantage that few can match at this scale.

Brokers can tap into this network via API or EDI integrations or an intuitive portal designed to digitize and automate load execution and eliminate manual processes. Through Broker Access, 100% of the loads are booked digitally, reducing operational costs and increasing tracking fidelity. Flexible pricing options, such as leveraging dynamic rates or setting custom rates, and real-time carrier performance insights also help brokers make informed tendering decisions.

As Uber Freight’s first tech-enabled capacity-as-a-service solution, Broker Access helps brokers of all sizes supercharge team productivity, elevate service levels, and accelerate business growth.

Reducing fraud exposure to keep supply chains moving is also a top priority: From onboarding and compliance checks, account security, fraud prevention guardrails and safeguards for detection and mitigation using machine learning and direct partnerships with law enforcement, Uber Freight is committed to ensuring that our platform is secure and resistant to fraud and bad actors. Uber Freight has a multi-layered strategy to prevent fraud, allowing us to receive the Best in Cargo Security Award from CargoNet for our outstanding fraud prevention efforts in 2023.

Diversification is critical to broker success

As VP of Emerging Products at Uber Freight, I’m fortunate to be part of the team that built and launched Broker Access. Prior to joining Uber Freight, I spent seven years at Convoy, an early freight tech company focused on building a digital network of small carriers and owner-operators. I helped build the company’s go-to-market function in the early years, stood up and scaled a partnerships and new programs team, and ultimately launched a program like Broker Access, called Convoy for Brokers.

Having worked on both programs, I learned valuable lessons that shaped our approach to Broker Access. One key takeaway: A successful broker program must thoughtfully integrate into a brokerage’s existing sourcing strategy – both technically and operationally.

In this pursuit, we conducted extensive product research, speaking with more than 100 brokers and collaborating with design partners to ensure Broker Access meets real-world needs. Our insights reaffirmed that brokers benefit most from a diversified carrier sourcing strategy.

If you have a high-performing carrier sales team building strong relationships with medium and large carriers, keep them focused on those efforts. Also continue leveraging your public load boards, which enable you to cast a wide net and cover many more types of freight, including last minute freight. But adding Broker Access to your toolkit can help cover additional loads and lower your total costs—especially in areas where Uber Freight’s marketplace is best positioned to support.

Broker Access: Designed to complement, not compete 

Broker Access isn’t designed to compete with your carrier sales team or load boards—rather, it complements them. Broker Access augments the people, processes, and systems you already have by giving you more tools to cover more loads and reduce your total costs.

For example, Broker Access can help cover many of your short- to regional-haul dry van, reefer, and flatbed shipments more cost-effectively and efficiently. Broker Access can also help cover loads after-hours as the marketplace is always working for you 24/7.

Broker Access gives you access to a high-quality, digitally connected network of small carriers and owner-operators—a network that is hard to build and maintain—so your carrier sales team can focus on managing their relationships with your medium to larger carriers, where they can realize a positive ROI on such efforts.

Across various market conditions, creativity requires diversification. We rolled out Broker Access to our design partners earlier this year, and their feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. They appreciate the value this third vein of capacity gives them. We’ve also talked to many carriers that have hauled Broker Access loads, and they’re appreciating the additional freight opportunities and consistent booking and load execution experience.

When we work together, the industry wins

Technology and new solutions like Broker Access present more opportunities to collaborate across the industry. Our focus is on providing great products and services to brokers: When we align ourselves to help brokers be more effective and efficient, the industry wins.

Carriers get access to even more high-quality loads, from our high-quality broker-partners, in one place. Our Broker Access technology and integration partners including the likes of Alvys, Metafora, Parade, and Tai can enhance their offerings and enrich their relationships with those same broker-partners. In partnership with the broader broker technology, capacity, and services ecosystem, we equip brokers with the tools they need to automate what they can, focus where they need to, and drive enduring impact for their customers and their business.

Now is the time to act

Every player in logistics recognizes that the market is tough and may stay tough for a while longer. Leveling up teams and tools are a must to stay in the game. Now is the time to tap into new technologies such as Broker Access to become more resilient and efficient, and ultimately grow together. Get started today or sign up for our webinar on December 10th if you’re curious to learn more.