uShip Announcements

Changes to uShip Billing System

community@uShip.com — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:44:00 GMT

As part of our continued effort to better serve our members, uShip has upgraded the billing system to make it easier for both shipping customers and Transportation Service Providers to view their shipment transaction history and track their discounts and promotions.

Billing System Upgrades

Monthly Transaction Snapshot - Quickly view your recent transactions and key account details.
Search Transaction History - Search your account by date, transaction or payment types, credits and available promotions.
Print and Download - Easily print or download your transaction history search results to MS Excel.
Sort - Click any column header to sort the column in numerical or alphabetical order.
Itemized Fee Details - Click the maximize button to learn more about the transaction fee break-down.
View Payments & Credits - See posted payments, refunds, discounts, promotional credits and more.

World’s Largest Industrial Auction Selects uShip.com as Official Transportation Solution

community@uShip.com — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:40:00 GMT

uShip.com is the official online transportation solution for the world’s largest-ever industrial auction, held February 16-21 in Orlando, Florida. The event is conducted by Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers and features more than 7,000 items up for bid. The auction facility spans more than 200 acres and is packed full with tractors, cranes, excavators, forklifts, skid steer loaders, rock trucks, boom trucks and other equipment used in the construction, transportation, agricultural, material handling, mining, forestry, petroleum and marine industries.

Every item will be sold to the highest bidder on auction day, with no minimum bids or reserve prices. The event is expected to attract more than 6000 bidders from more than 70 countries and will likely generate some $200 million in proceeds.

"There's no other auction in the world like the Ritchie Bros. February Orlando auction, in terms of its sheer size and the amount and variety of equipment being sold - and there's no better place to find the equipment you need at the price you're willing to pay," said Gary Seybold, Ritchie Bros. Divisional Manager." The first piece of equipment arrived at the site last October and we are still accepting consignments."

The auction will serve as a debut for uShip.com’s Heavy Equipment Category and company representatives will be on-site to meet with specialized heavy haulers and auction buyers to introduce the site and help ensure everything goes smoothly. Auction attendees can get free advance shipping price estimates for equipment they are interested in purchasing. Auction purchases can be listed for transport with just a few clicks and heavy haulers will place competitive bids to win the job, resulting in lower shipping prices and efficient service from high-quality transporters.

The auction is open to the public and registration to bid is free. Attendee information, equipment details and more photos are available online at www.rbauction.com.

Heavy Equipment Category Added to uShip.com

community@uShip.com — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:41:00 GMT

Due to a rapid growth in heavy haul listings, uShip.com has created a new category exclusively for heavy equipment. The new category makes it easier than ever for uShip Transportation Service Providers to find and bid on heavy hauls and helps shipping customers find specialized heavy equipment transporters that are qualified to handle their shipping needs.

The new category will house shipment listings for a large variety of heavy equipment shipments:

Tractors	Backhoes
Trenchers	Excavators
Dozers	Pavers
Skid steers	Scrapers

Shipping customers that need to have their equipment transported can list their equipment in just a few easy steps and the exact specs for most types of equipment are imported automatically, giving Service Providers the key information they need to provide an accurate quote.

Transportation Service Providers can browse through hundreds of listings and find shipments that they are interested in bidding on.

The Heavy Equipment category positions uShip as a leader in heavy equipment transportation and is quickly becoming the preferred online shipping platform for major businesses in the heavy equipment auction and resale industry.

Upgraded Profile Pages for All Members

community@uShip.com — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:36:00 GMT

We’ve introduced a new look and new features for our members’ profile pages. The feedback area has been reorganized for all members and more detailed feedback is now shown on profiles for Service Providers. The layout of Service Provider profiles has been updated to highlight the Company Snapshot information and we’ve added links from US DOT and MC numbers to a page containing information imported from the US FMCSA’s SAFER database (see policy change for TSPs below). These changes will help customers more easily find the information they need to evaluate Service Providers and make an informed decision.

Other things you’ll notice on Service Provider profiles include multiple thumbnails for photos and the ability to add promotional videos to showcase equipment, introducing staff and explain services. We also added a new feature called “uShip Sales Rank,” which is an automatic ranking of Service Providers based on their uShip sales volume over the preceding 90 days -- overall and in each category that they have activity.

Change to Communication Policy

Because we now link directly to US FMCSA SAFER information, effective December 18, Service Providers will no longer be allowed to direct customers offsite to SAFER in Q&A communications, forums or any other place on the uShip site. Service Providers that would like to share their US FMCSA information should ensure that their ID numbers are included in the proper fields in their profiles so the automatic display will function properly. If you’d like to point your customers and prospective customers to your FMCSA data, please refer them to your uShip profile, where all of this information can be found. Directing customers offsite to SAFER is no longer necessary and will now be a flaggable offense, so please refrain from doing so.

Sweepstakes Offered for TSP Profile Videos

community@uShip.com — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:38:00 GMT

Shipping customers have more confidence in Service Providers they feel they know. With the new functionality added to our Service Provider profiles, it is now possible to add a promotional video to your profile page, which can help you earn your customers’ trust and also earn their business.

As an incentive to help you give it a try, Transportation Service Providers that add a video to their profile between December 17, 2008, and January 31, 2009, will be automatically entered into the uShip Moviemaker Sweepstakes.

What Can I Win?

Red Carpet Prize Package - $500 Value
10 movie passes
Director's Dinner
Digital Camcorder
Moviemaker Award Gift Card

Runner Up Prize Package - $125 Value
4 movie passes
Moviemaker Award Gift Card

Profile videos are easy to make and do not need to be professional quality. Create one (or add a video that you’ve already made) by January 31, 2009, and you could be the big winner. Winners will be selected at random from all eligible videos received. Learn more.

uShip Mobile Site: m.uShip.com (beta)

community@uShip.com — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:31:00 GMT

To help our members that are on-the-go, we have launched the m.uShip.com mobile version of the site. The site lets users access their uShip accounts and communicate about their pending shipments, so they’re never out of touch. Members can access m.uShip.com from Internet-enabled phones and portable devices.

For Service Providers

Stay up-to-date on your bids without leaving your truck. Never miss out on a match because you can’t get back to the shipper in time.
Ask questions about shipments and answer questions about your bids.
Double-check a delivery address and even view it on a map (depending on the phone).
Access contact numbers and other important information for your matches.

For Shipping Customers

Review your active listings and compare your bids while you’re away from the computer.
Correspond with Service Providers and ask or answer questions to make sure you have all the information you need to pick a carrier.
Read your messages and alerts so you always know the status of your shipments.
Check to see what time shipments are scheduled for pickup or delivery and get contact information for your Service Provider.

No download or special registration is required to use m.uShip.com. uShip does not charge for access to the mobile site, but standard data rates from your mobile service provider may apply.

Check it out today or learn more on our m.uShip.com overview. Visit m.uShip.com from any Internet-enabled mobile device and let us know what you think over at Ship Happens.

uShip.com now offers free instant quotes on LTL freight

community@uShip.com — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:33:00 GMT

In response to the needs of our business customers and other frequent freight shippers, we now offer upfront quotes from multiple brokers on LTL freight, available for immediate purchase.

How it works:

List your LTL freight shipments on uShip.com for free and get instant quotes
Compare the upfront quotes and select a carrier for immediate shipment
If no quotes work for you, your listing can be opened for bids from other providers
Choose any auction-style bid or upfront quote you like

The new service addresses the needs of small- to medium-sized businesses that ship frequently and want competitive upfront quotes so they can quickly evaluate their shipping options and select a carrier right away. Shippers receive real-time quotes for their LTL freight shipments from top regional and national carriers, including SAIA, Roadway, Yellow, UPS and FedEx Freight.

If standardized carrier rates and services don’t meet the customers’ needs, shippers can still list their freight shipment in the uShip.com marketplace and receive custom auction-style bids from other service providers. This latest launch of instant “Ship it Now” quotes in LTL freight adds to uShip.com’s offering of upfront quotes in other categories, including autos and motorcycles.

Ship it Easy, Ship it Fast – Ship it Now
List your LTL freight shipment and get instant quotes

Transportation Service Providers that would like to participate by offering upfront quotes should contact uShip for details.

Changes to the Shipping Price Estimator

community@uShip.com — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:40:00 GMT

Since its launch in 2006, the uShip Shipping Price Estimator (SPE) has been an important contributor to uShip’s growth. Combining actual proprietary match data from thousands of customers and service providers, the SPE allows prospective customers to get a general sense of how much an item will cost to ship on uShip without actually having to create a listing in the uShip marketplace.

In addition, the SPE:

Allows potential purchasers of shippable items to use shipping data to inform the purchase decision.
Allows sellers of shippable items to tell their customers what it might cost to receive the item.
Allows customers in general to compare uShip shipping prices with other external shipping alternatives available to them.
Lowers the number of window-shopping customers who create listings in the marketplace, thereby creating more liquidity for service providers.

The SPE uses a relevancy algorithm to only show users data on completed shipments with characteristics most similar to their own. Factors such as commodity type, distance, region, weight, and others are used in the relevancy determination. We have, however, received a tremendous amount of feedback regarding the SPE’s limitations. Specifically, recent spikes in fuel prices have significantly changed the cost structure for most service providers. Because of the volatility in fuel prices and other costs, effective immediately we have made the following major changes to the SPE:

Eliminated using data from any match prior to January 1, 2007. The SPE will only show prices from matches on or after January 1, 2007.
Added a “recency” variable to our relevancy algorithm. This lowers the relevancy by one point for every calendar month in the past a match took place, effectively putting more recent matches higher on the list so that customers see older ones lower on the list.
Adjusted all match price data with our proprietary Transportation Price Index (TPI) data, which calculates how shipping prices have changed over time. For example, if the average shipping price of a vehicle on uShip in September 2007 was $1000 and in October 2008, it is $1500, that is a 50% shipping price increase. Thus, in the SPE we would now increase all September 2007 vehicle match data by 50% before displaying it to customers to reflect the increase in average costs over that time. Likewise, we will do this individually for all categories and all months.

Overall, these changes are having a profound impact on the quality and accuracy of pricing data that customers are seeing, and the SPE is better shaping customers' expectations of the reality of shipping costs in today’s changing economic environment. We want to thank everyone for their feedback on this product. Feel free to discuss these changes in the SPE Changes forum thread.

User Agreement: Important Change

community@uShip.com — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:06:00 GMT

We have made an important change to the uShip User Agreement. It is now uShip policy that members may not request payment from other members via instant cash transfer services (non-bank, point-to-point cash transfer services such as Western Union and Moneygram). This new term has been added to Section 18 (A).

Services such as these allow you to send money quickly and easily. However, what many people do not know is that when you send money through one of these services, not only can you not confirm who the person receiving the money is, but once you send it, you cannot get it back. Always use common sense guidelines when paying for any online transaction, and never send a cash transfer to someone you do not know.

If another member requests that you use one of these services to pay for your uShip transaction, please notify member support so that we may take appropriate action, which may include suspension of the users account. For more information on how to ship and pay safely, please visit our Fraud Prevention Guidelines.

Find Shipments: More details, sorting options

community@uShip.com — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:55:00 GMT

The Find Shipments console now features more shipment details and sorting options to make it easier to identify jobs you can service.

You will now notice additional information, including:

Pickup and drop off timeframe
Bid Info which includes the number of bids, number of active bids, and low bid
Weight (or length for boats)
The origin and destination will be marked as a business (B) or residence (R)

Using a new dropdown menu, you will be able to sort results by:

Date updated
Price
Origin
Destination
Number of bids

This will make finding shipments more efficient so you can get on the road faster. Go to Find Shipments now to check out the improvements.

As always, we welcome your feedback and suggestions. Let us know what you think in the New Find Shipments Details Forum!

Bid Form: Faster, easier bidding

community@uShip.com — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:07:00 GMT

uShip's new bid form features a simplified layout and more options to make the bidding process shorter and easier:

Save default settings - Enter your bid amount and details and save your settings to make placing your next bid even faster.

New timeframe options - The new bid form enables you to set a more precise timeframe for pickup and delivery. Now you can enter either the number of days after booking, an exact date, or a specific range of dates when you can pick up a shipment. Likewise, you can enter either the number of days after pickup, an exact date, or a specific range of dates when you can deliver the shipment.

Advanced tools - Advanced bidding options are also available to qualified Service Providers to further streamline the bidding process. Learn more about the requirements and benefits of Bid Valet and Group Bidding.

Notification options - After you submit your bid, you will see a bid confirmation page where you can tell us how you would like to be notified of activity on the shipment you have just bid on. It is easy to stay informed through email, phone, or text alerts.

Recommended shipments - You will also see some other shipments that you may be interested in based on starting location, route, or backhaul.

Watch the video tutorial to learn more or go to Find Shipments now to start bidding!

As always, we welcome your feedback and suggestions. Let us know what you think in the Bid Form Discussion Forum!

Refer-a-Load: Earn money on extra loads

community@uShip.com — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:28:00 GMT

Refer-a-Load, a new tool for uShip Service Providers, helps you earn money on loads found outside of uShip that you are unable to service yourself. Refer customers to uShip and earn 30% of the match fee generated when their shipment is matched!

You may not always have the time or cargo space to accommodate every customer that approaches you for transport services. Instead of turning business away, you can use Refer-a-Load to turn those extra jobs into extra money in your pocket.

Simply enter the details of your customer's shipment into the Refer-a-Load tool found in your My uShip, and uShip will contact the customer to help them list their shipment. When the customer accepts a bid from a uShip Service Provider, you get paid! Create a brand new way to earn money from your reputation and advertising efforts while making sure you help your customers meet all their transportation needs.

Learn more about Refer-a-Load or refer loads now at http://loads.uship.com!

Saved Search emails: Get customized listings

community@uShip.com — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:44:00 GMT

uShip's Saved Search tool makes finding new loads on uShip as easy as getting email. After customizing a search with the Find Shipments tool, you can save it and have all of the results emailed to you, every day. This is a great tool to stay on top of the newest loads so you can bid first and win more!

Now Saved Searches are even more efficient, as you will receive a daily digest that includes all of your Saved Searches in one email. Your new Saved Search email will also keep you up-to-date with your Profile Status, important uShip announcements, and about new products and services aimed at making you more successful.

Saved Searches can be created directly from Find Shipments using the Saved Search Console. Create a Saved Search today! >

uShip Stories: Share on the web

community@uShip.com — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:53:00 GMT

uShip is excited about a great new feature on our uShip Stories pages. Now at the top of every uShip story is an button, which lets you share the story by email on your favorite websites, including:

Facebook
My Space
Digg
Reddit
Google Bookmarks
...and more!

This is a great way to share some of the wonderful uShip stories left by shippers with your friends, family, and the web!

Multi-vehicle listings: Consolidate vehicle shipments

community@uShip.com — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:45:00 GMT

In a great improvement to the way vehicle shipments are handled on the uShip marketplace, customers can now list multiple vehicles on the same shipment listing. Now when customers list their vehicle shipment, they can choose the number of vehicles they are shipping and describe each in detail. This added feature will make it much easier for Service Providers to place accurate bids on multi-vehicle shipments.