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The New uShip: It’s All About That App

Today, uShip is announcing the next generation of its service, rebuilt around our mobile app, specifically use of real-time location, to create an amazing shipping experience for all our customers.

In fact, if uShip started today, this is how we’d do it. But we didn’t start today. Not even close. Over the last 10+ years, we’ve learned a ship ton from our 3+ million shipping customers, 670,000 registered global transporters, and 4.5 million shipment listings. All that knowledge and feedback, all the lessons learned have gone into this re-engineering effort.

 

Sure, we’ve had a mobile app for a few years. So far, it’s been a nice-to-have resource tethered to the web-based uShip.com mothership. Today, the uShip mobile app has now become central to how business gets done on uShip, in conjunction with still being able to book and manage shipments via the web site.

This is a natural progression, not unlike so many of the mobile-based services entering the market today.

The app has been fortified to let transporters share their approximate, city-level location in real time. This location sharing then powers a whole new set of features like nearby shipment alerts, pickup and delivery status updates, location updates for customer communication, and more.

Keep in mind, we respect your privacy, so only your general proximity is shared with your customer and you control when they see your location.

It’s so essential that we’re requiring carriers and drivers to download our mobile app–and turn on Location Sharing–as part of their service on uShip. In other words, as a transporter, your uShip account must show active Location Sharing via the app in order to book shipments on your phone and/or uShip.com.

So, what does the new uShip mean and do for transporters?

Three main things along with solving consistent carrier concerns:

1. Higher quality shipments.  They go by many names. Tirekickers. Window shippers. Deadbeat listers. Low-intent shippers. Whatever you call them, these people just want an estimate and have no intention to ship. Obviously, this is a frustrating time-waster for transporters. To address this, uShip is now giving free, upfront estimates based on past, similar shipments so shippers don’t have to list to get a price. This will result in only serious, ready-to-book shippers with higher-quality shipments.

2. Faster booking. Within uShip’s original pricing format, it can often take 25, even 50 quotes for a transporter to win their first shipment. This is simply too much. The new uShip offers more set-priced, offer-based shipments that no longer require you to submit quotes. Nearby Shipment Alerts actually notify you when a new set-priced uShip shipment is nearby that you might want to claim. All this means less time and less hassle getting cargo into your truck.

3. Easier communication. Customers love being kept in the know about their shipments. In fact, it’s one of the biggest factors in determining feedback and reviews. Location Sharing within the new uShip automatically notifies them of shipment status updates starting at dispatch through to delivery. This means customers get better communication and you take less time phoning or texting them updates.

So, what should you do now?

If you are a transporter, download the uShip mobile app on your iOS or Android phone. It’s how ship gets done on uShip.

If you are a shipping customer, visit our new home page and get a free up front estimate on anything large, bulky or downright eccentric.

If you don’t have an iOS or Android device contact us at [email protected].


Top 5 questions about the new uShip:

1. Can I still use uShip.com?

Yes, uShip.com is still available to book and manage shipments on uShip.

2. What about my privacy?

You only start sharing your location with shipping customers when you indicate you have been dispatched or mark a shipment as Picked Up. You stop sharing your location when you mark a shipment as Delivered. To protect your privacy, we will never share your exact location with shipping customers. We only share city-level data.

3. What if I don’t have a smartphone or am using a Windows phone?

If you don’t have a smartphone, please contact us at [email protected].

4. Are shipping customers required to download the app as well?

No, shipping customers are not required to download the app. If they don’t have it, they will only receive driver location and shipment status updates by email.

5. How do I turn on Location Sharing and how’s it different from location services?

For Location Sharing to work, you must enable location services, the permission for your phone to use your current location, on your mobile device. To begin using Location Sharing on uShip, simply download the uShip app and it you will automatically start sharing your location when you indicate you have been dispatched for a shipment. If you already have the app, simply update to the most current version by visiting the app store on your phone.

uShip is reinventing shipping and logistics through tools, trust and transparency. Through uShip’s transport marketplace, it’s now faster, easier and cheaper for consumers and businesses to connect with thousands of customer-reviewed transporters that often have empty truck space offered at a discounted rate.

Find shipments for free, connecting you directly with shippers.