Maersk Growth, the corporate venture arm of the Danish shipping giant Maersk, has invested 2.8 million (approx 1,7 million euros) Australian dollars in seed funding into Australian road freight platform Ofload.
The company, formerly called Loadsmile, connects small and medium-sized carriers with shippers, enabling shipments to be delivered more quickly and affordably by taking up what would have been empty space in delivery vehicles. Their service is currently used by approximately 800 carriers with a fleet of 15,000 trucks throughout Australia. Ofload’s vision is “to achieve zero waste in trucking by empowering the long tail of small-medium sized carriers through technology.”
According to the Financial Review, venture partner at Maersk Growth Jeppe Høier said the investment fitted with its container logistics integrator strategy. He added that Maersk Growth had monitored digital freight forwarding innovations for years and invested in teams around the world, succeeding in bringing shippers and carriers into the digital world.
This is how Ofload works
Shippers specify their freight on the online platform and hauliers can send them their quotes. One of the most important benefits of using such online freight forwarding platforms is that offers can arrive from various sources in a very short time. The system highlights the best matching offers and shippers can choose the haulier they find the most suitable for them. Drivers of the carriers taking part in the system use the Ofload application to provide real-time information about their route which ensures visibility and helps them to be notified about deviations from the schedule.
The platform is free of charge for carriers and guarantees payment with the option of getting paid within 1 week of delivery (proved by POD).
Photo: Maersk