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Logistics · head to head

Loadsmart vs Uber Freight

Loadsmart logo

Loadsmart

Logistics

Digital freight brokerage sold together with the TMS, dock scheduling and gate tools that book the loads

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Uber Freight logo

Uber Freight

Logistics

Managed transportation and brokerage built on the Transplace business Uber bought for about 2.25 billion dollars

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Loadsmart the brokerage and the software share a parent, so quotes shown inside ShipperGuide are Loadsmart capacity offers rather than a neutral market view, and a shipper wanting a benchmark has to source rates elsewhere.; Uber Freight managed transportation puts the carrier relationships, the rate history and the operating knowledge inside the provider, so bringing the function back in house later means rebuilding all three from a standing start.
  • They diverge on capability: Loadsmart covers ShipperGuide TMS, Uber Freight covers Network TMS.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Loadsmart and Uber Freight actually diverge.

Attributes where Loadsmart and Uber Freight differ
AttributeLoadsmartUber Freight

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android, API), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Logistics).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Loadsmart

  • ShipperGuide TMS
  • Instant committed quotes
  • Opendock scheduling
  • NavTrac gate automation
  • Carrier app and load board

Only in Uber Freight

  • Network TMS
  • Instant spot pricing
  • Powerloop trailer pool
  • Carrier app
  • Shipper analytics

Both cover

  • Managed transportation

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Loadsmart

  • A mid market shipper with no TMS that wants tendering, tracking and reporting without funding a licence and an integration project separatelynot Uber Freight
  • A warehouse operator that needs to stop scheduling inbound appointments by phone and email across a fragmented carrier basenot Uber Freight
  • A shipper that wants instant committed truckload capacity on lanes where it does not hold contract ratesnot Uber Freight
  • A distribution centre trying to measure and reduce driver dwell time with automated gate capture rather than clipboard logsnot Uber Freight

Uber Freight

  • A large shipper that wants to outsource the transportation department rather than licence a TMS and staff itnot Loadsmart
  • A shipper needing spot truckload capacity priced instantly without running a bidnot Loadsmart
  • A manufacturer trying to cut detention cost at plants by moving to drop and hook trailer poolsnot Loadsmart
  • A shipper consolidating a fragmented regional carrier base under one operating team and one set of reportsnot Loadsmart

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Loadsmart

  • The brokerage and the software share a parent, so quotes shown inside ShipperGuide are Loadsmart capacity offers rather than a neutral market view, and a shipper wanting a benchmark has to source rates elsewhere.
  • Instant quoting only works where Loadsmart has carrier depth, so a shipper running thin regional or rural lanes finds committed pricing unavailable in exactly the conditions where it would have been most valuable.
  • Opendock depends on carriers and drivers creating accounts and booking their own slots, so a facility with hundreds of small carriers spends months chasing adoption before the appointment data is complete enough to act on.
  • Pricing is not published and is negotiated per shipper, frequently alongside a freight volume expectation, which makes it hard to compare against an independent TMS licence and awkward to unwind if you later move the freight to another provider.
  • The portfolio was assembled by acquisition, with Opendock and NavTrac bought in separately, and the modules still behave as separate applications with their own logins and reporting rather than a single system.

Uber Freight

  • Managed transportation puts the carrier relationships, the rate history and the operating knowledge inside the provider, so bringing the function back in house later means rebuilding all three from a standing start.
  • The business is an assembly of Uber brokerage and Transplace managed services, and shippers report that the technology a managed customer uses is not the same product a spot customer sees, which complicates any evaluation based on demonstrations.
  • Uber Freight has cut staff during freight downturns, and a managed customer feels that directly because service quality depends on the size and tenure of the assigned operating team.
  • Instant pricing is a Uber Freight capacity commitment rather than a market index, so a shipper using it as a benchmark is measuring one provider appetite rather than the spot market.
  • Depth outside North American truckload is uneven, and shippers with substantial ocean, air or European road freight generally keep separate providers and separate systems.

Pricing, plan by plan

Loadsmart

On request
  • ShipperGuide$undefined/year
    • Transportation management for shippers
    • Quoting, tendering and execution
    • Reporting and rate benchmarking
  • Opendock$undefined/year
    • Dock appointment scheduling by facility
    • Carrier self service booking
    • Door and dwell reporting

Uber Freight

On request
  • Managed Transportation$undefined/year
    • Outsourced transportation operations
    • Network TMS access
    • Dedicated operating team and reporting
  • Brokerage$undefined/year
    • Spot and contract truckload capacity
    • Instant priced quotes
    • Tracking and document handling

Which should you pick?

Choose Loadsmart if

  • You need shipperguide tms.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want instant committed quotes.
Loadsmart review

Choose Uber Freight if

  • You need network tms.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want instant spot pricing.
Uber Freight review

Questions people ask

Is Loadsmart or Uber Freight better?
Neither clearly leads. Loadsmart starts at On request and Uber Freight at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Loadsmart or Uber Freight?
Loadsmart starts at On request and Uber Freight at On request.
Does Loadsmart or Uber Freight run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, API, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Loadsmart best used for?
Loadsmart is most often used for a mid market shipper with no tms that wants tendering, tracking and reporting without funding a licence and an integration project separately, a warehouse operator that needs to stop scheduling inbound appointments by phone and email across a fragmented carrier base, a shipper that wants instant committed truckload capacity on lanes where it does not hold contract rates, a distribution centre trying to measure and reduce driver dwell time with automated gate capture rather than clipboard logs. Of those, a mid market shipper with no tms that wants tendering, tracking and reporting without funding a licence and an integration project separately and a warehouse operator that needs to stop scheduling inbound appointments by phone and email across a fragmented carrier base are not what Uber Freight is typically brought in for.
What can Loadsmart do that Uber Freight cannot?
Loadsmart covers ShipperGuide TMS, Instant committed quotes, Opendock scheduling, NavTrac gate automation. Uber Freight covers Network TMS, Instant spot pricing, Powerloop trailer pool, Carrier app. Both handle Managed transportation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Loadsmart: Can I use ShipperGuide with my own contracted carriers and not Loadsmart capacity?

Yes, it will tender to your carrier panel, but the instant quoting and the managed service are where the product invests and where the commercial relationship sits.

Uber Freight: Is Uber Freight just the app?

No. Managed transportation, which came from the Transplace acquisition, is the larger part of the business for enterprise shippers.

Loadsmart: Is Opendock sold separately from the brokerage?

Yes. It is the most commonly standalone purchase, and warehouses buy it without ever tendering freight to Loadsmart.

Uber Freight: What did Uber pay for Transplace?

The 2022 deal was valued at approximately 2.25 billion dollars in cash and stock.

Loadsmart: Does it publish pricing?

No. Every deal is quoted, and software cost is often discussed together with freight volume.

Uber Freight: Is Uber Freight profitable and stable?

It is a division of Uber Technologies and took a 550 million dollar outside investment in 2023 led by Greenbriar Equity Group, which had sold Transplace to it the year before.

Loadsmart: How does it compare to a visibility platform like project44?

It is not a visibility network. Tracking covers freight moving through Loadsmart and connected carriers, not your whole carrier base across every mode.

Uber Freight: Can I licence the TMS on its own?

The platform is sold as part of a managed or brokerage relationship rather than as standalone licensed software.

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