The Australian start-up, Ofload, has set itself the goal of achieving zero waste in truck transport. Its technology connects carriers and helps companies, on the one hand, to use the vehicle fleet to the full, and on the other hand, to deliver shipments under favourable conditions throughout the country. According to users of the digital platform, Ofload changes logistics and optimizes transport and costs. In November, thanks to external investors, the company increased its capital by 60 million dollars.

As the Financial Review writes, Ofload (formerly Loadsmile) has seen a huge boom this year, thanks to a shortage of truck drivers. According to the founder, it was caused by both covid and the country’s problems with immigration. Accustomed to an influx of labour from abroad, Australia has been virtually “closed” for more than two years.

“It is estimated that we are short of about 200,000 drivers in all types of freight transport in Australia. This means that shipping companies own assets that no one can use. It’s a huge problem,” Geoffroy Henry told insideFMCG.

Rising fuel prices are also having a negative impact on the market, with many transport companies planning to leave the segment. As reported by insideFMCG, a survey conducted earlier this year found that 57 per cent of Australian carriers doubted they could survive until September, unless they made major changes to their business.

The Ofload digital platform currently brings together a fleet of 15,000 trucks, and acquired a number of new clients last year. Its services are used by over 1,600 carriers, and it handles more than 10,000 shipments per month. The dispatch of the shipment can be arranged in a few minutes, its route can be tracked via GPS, and in addition, clear data on transportation costs can be obtained, thanks to which transportation can be continuously optimized. Next year, the company intends to offer new fleet management software.

Structural oversight of Australian truck transport enables maximum efficiency and management of the entire transport ecosystem. Ofload offers a search for all trucks in the network, information about their route, and their load. The system is able to determine the occurrence of trucks with a certain degree of probability, for example based on seasonality or other patterns.

“We have to proactively fill those gaps,” says Henry, “because if nobody really knows where the trucks are, there’s room to waste them. We operationally aggregate the long tail, co-ordinate it, and then assign the most relevant and best partners to manage our clients’ shipments, while the technology layer provides them with integrated visibility and control for collection, delivery tracking, and key milestones.”

He says that the vehicles involved in the Ofload platform are so well co- ordinated that they do not produce excess emissions. Their operation can therefore produce up to 50 percent less carbon pollution. Experts estimate that up to 30 percent of the kilometres travelled by Australian trucks are done so without a load, i.e. unloaded. At the same time, offload reduces transportation costs, making companies more efficient, profitable, and customer-friendly.

Source:

https://www.afr.com/technology/logistics-tech-start-up-raises-60m-in-just- weeks-20221108-p5bwl3

https://www.ofload.com.au/

https://insidefmcg.com.au/2022/10/27/ofload-moves-to-digitise-the-australian- trucking-industry/