Today’s Pickup: Trimble, Kuebix release next-generation community load match platform

Good day,

Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) and Kuebix announced new capabilities for its Community Load Match platform, a service aimed at facilitating collaboration between shippers and carriers. (A private transportation management system company, Kuebix was acquired by Trimble in January.)

More specifically, Community Load Match enables shippers to use advanced matching capabilities to more easily find available carriers for their truckload shipments and leverage improved map visualization through Trimble MAPS. These capabilities give carriers direct access to Kuebix’s community of more than 20,000 shippers for matching shipment requirements with available truckload capacity.

“Just four months post-acquisition, a joint Trimble-Kuebix team is releasing the next-generation capabilities of Community Load Match, powered by our community of shippers and a rapidly growing network of Trimble carriers,” said Dan Clark, Kuebix founder and Trimble vice president of Product Innovation and Strategy, in a statement. “This is an exciting first step as we pursue our vision of a truly connected supply chain.”

Kuebix allows for improved network integration, and connecting Kuebix shippers with Trimble’s carrier network through a single integrated platform brings together two of the largest shipper-carrier ecosystems in North America, the statement said. 

Did you know?

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) plans to distribute 15.6 million cloth masks throughout the freight and passenger sector in a ramp-up of efforts by the Trump Administration to keep the coronavirus pandemic under control among transportation workers.

Via FreightWaves

Quotable:

“Zoox is likely to face a significant decrease in valuation. We believe $1.1 billion would be a fair price for the company, representing a 65.6% haircut from the company’s previous post-money valuation of $3.2  billion.” 

– Asad Hussain, Mobility Analyst at PitchBook, on news that Amazon is reportedly in talks to acquire self-driving tech company Zoox 

In other news

Rivian reopens factory, delays electric pickup/SUV

But production of Amazon delivery vans is still on schedule. (Electrek)

Walmart says its thousands of tech employees will continue remote work – even when pandemic subsides

 Office space “will be used primarily for collaboration, to sync up and strengthen camaraderie.” (CNBC)

Rolls-Royce and Daimler Truck AG cooperate on stationary fuel-cell systems

The companies are to offer emission-free alternatives to diesel engines, which are currently used as emergency power generators or to cover peak loads. (Webwire)

Oklahoma governor shoots down medical marijuana delivery legislation

Oklahoma’s medical cannabis market suffered a setback when Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed a bill that would have allowed home delivery and pre-roll production and sales. (MJBizdaily)

Final thoughts,

Drone delivery of medical supplies hit several milestones ahead of the coronavirus pandemic, among them UPS completing the first  revenue-generating drone delivery of a medical prescription to a consumer’s home.  Now, a new partnership between Novant Health, a nonprofit healthcare provider, and California-based UAV delivery startup Zipline has launched distribution of personal protective gear and medical equipment in North Carolina, TechCrunch reports. Zipline drones will make 32-mile flights on two routes between Novant Health’s emergency drone fulfillment center in Kannapolis to the company’s medical center in Huntersville, North Carolina.

Hammer down, everyone!