Uber Freight CEO Lior Ron on how the might of Uber technology is helping logistics meet its greatest challenges

Lior Ron is an Israeli-born businessman who served in the Israel defence forces from 1997 to 2004 .

In his commercial life , Ron rose to become Product Lead for Google Maps and then Product Lead for Motorola Mobility , which was acquired by Google in 2011 .

In 2016 he left Google to found Otto , a company that makes selfdriving kits to retrofit big-rig trucks .

Quoted in Wired , Ron said he left Google because he “ felt an obligation to bring this technology to society sooner rather than later ”. In an industry where there ’ s a 30 % chance that a truck next to you on the road is empty , it has always been Ron ’ s mission to change this as soon as possible .

Otto launched in May , 2016 and was acquired by Uber in late July the same year . The Uber partnership allowed Ron and Otto the opportunity to develop a freight marketplace for truck drivers .

The Uber Freight app is designed for vetted and approved drivers who can browse for nearby available loads , see destination info , distance required and payment upfront and then tap to book .

Uber Freight serves shippers of all sizes , from Fortune 500 companies to small independent businesses , and it helps marshalls the estimated 1.7 million truck drivers across North America who are on it .

The platform also opens up a new revenue stream for truck companies , which now have another way to book and process loads .

In an interview as part of McKinsey ’ s Logistics Disruptors series , Ron says

20 September 2023