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Logistics · head to head

McLeod Software vs Uber Freight

McLeod Software logo

McLeod Software

Logistics

The long standing transportation management system for North American asset carriers and brokerages

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: McLeod Software it is a Microsoft SQL Server application that most customers still run on their own servers, so the total cost includes hardware, database administration and a disaster recovery plan that the vendor does not provide.; 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: McLeod Software covers LoadMaster, Uber Freight covers Managed transportation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which McLeod Software and Uber Freight actually diverge.

Attributes where McLeod Software and Uber Freight differ
AttributeMcLeod SoftwareUber Freight
PlatformsWindows, Web, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, API

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), 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 McLeod Software

  • LoadMaster
  • PowerBroker
  • Driver pay and settlements
  • EDI and integration
  • Document Power imaging
  • Business intelligence

Only in Uber Freight

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

What people use each for

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

McLeod Software

  • A truckload carrier above one hundred trucks whose driver pay rules break every simpler system it has triednot Uber Freight
  • A brokerage that needs carrier payables, factoring interfaces and settlement controls rather than a load board with invoicingnot Uber Freight
  • A carrier required by large shippers to exchange EDI tenders, status messages and invoices in specific formatsnot Uber Freight
  • A company running both assets and a brokerage that wants each side on the vendor system built for itnot Uber Freight

Uber Freight

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

Where each one falls short

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

McLeod Software

  • It is a Microsoft SQL Server application that most customers still run on their own servers, so the total cost includes hardware, database administration and a disaster recovery plan that the vendor does not provide.
  • Version upgrades are projects rather than background events, and carriers routinely run releases that are a year or more old because upgrading requires testing every customisation and integration.
  • Licensing is per seat with modules priced separately, so a carrier with part time weekend dispatchers or occasional finance users pays full seats for people who log in a few hours a week.
  • The interface is dense and built for trained operators, and onboarding a new dispatcher takes weeks rather than days, which is expensive in a role with high turnover.
  • Pricing is never published and implementations commonly run six months or more with vendor or partner services, so the first year cost is a multiple of the annual licence and difficult to estimate before a sales process.

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

McLeod Software

On request
  • LoadMaster$undefined/year
    • Asset carrier transportation management
    • Driver pay and settlements
    • Dispatch and equipment management
  • PowerBroker$undefined/year
    • Brokerage operations
    • Carrier procurement and payables
    • Customer billing

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 McLeod Software if

  • You need loadmaster.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want powerbroker.
McLeod Software review

Choose Uber Freight if

  • You need managed transportation.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want network tms.
Uber Freight review

Questions people ask

Is McLeod Software or Uber Freight better?
Neither clearly leads. McLeod Software 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, McLeod Software or Uber Freight?
McLeod Software starts at On request and Uber Freight at On request.
Does McLeod Software or Uber Freight run on more platforms?
McLeod Software runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android. Uber Freight runs on Web, iOS, Android, API.
What is McLeod Software best used for?
McLeod Software is most often used for a truckload carrier above one hundred trucks whose driver pay rules break every simpler system it has tried, a brokerage that needs carrier payables, factoring interfaces and settlement controls rather than a load board with invoicing, a carrier required by large shippers to exchange edi tenders, status messages and invoices in specific formats, a company running both assets and a brokerage that wants each side on the vendor system built for it. Of those, a truckload carrier above one hundred trucks whose driver pay rules break every simpler system it has tried and a brokerage that needs carrier payables, factoring interfaces and settlement controls rather than a load board with invoicing are not what Uber Freight is typically brought in for.
What can McLeod Software do that Uber Freight cannot?
McLeod Software covers LoadMaster, PowerBroker, Driver pay and settlements, EDI and integration. Uber Freight covers Managed transportation, Network TMS, Instant spot pricing, Powerloop trailer pool.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

McLeod Software: Is McLeod available as a hosted service?

Yes, McLeod offers hosting, but a large part of the installed base still runs on premises and budgets accordingly.

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.

McLeod Software: Can a fifty truck carrier use it?

It will run, but the licence and implementation economics rarely make sense below roughly one hundred trucks.

Uber Freight: What did Uber pay for Transplace?

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

McLeod Software: Who owns McLeod Software?

It has remained privately held and independent since it was founded in 1985, which is unusual in this market.

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.

McLeod Software: How long is a typical implementation?

Plan for six months or more once data migration, EDI setup and settlement rule configuration are included.

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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