The vHub trailer repositioning and sharing marketplace will be available in the U.S. on Feb. 26, the company announced.
Designed for private fleets, for-hire carriers, trailer rental companies and OEMs, vHub says that its aim is to cut down on trailer repositioning costs and turn unused trailers into revenue-generating equipment by making them available to short-term renters in a secure, trusted, digital community. Up until now, the service has been available in Canada.
“Like many online marketplaces arranging or offering lodging, we are using digital technologies to create a trailer sharing community that brings value to all stakeholders on the platform,” said Francis Roy, vice president of vHub.
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Trucking companies can operate as much as 25% annually with completely empty trailers. Combined with an industry average of a roughly 3:1 trailer-to-tractor ratio, that leaves a significant amount of trailer capacity unused and available. vHub, launched in Canada in April 2019, has already registered over 4,000 trailers and has booked more than 20,000 rental days of trailer usage on the vHub digital marketplace.
Matches can be sorted by location, routes and destinations, and the number of rental days that a trailer is needed or available. The collaborative trailer repositioning and sharing platform showcases all trailers that are available for one-way and round-trip rentals. Users can offer or rent dry van, refrigerated, flatbed or specialty trailers in fewer than five minutes.
Each trailer owner sets its own rates and manages details on trailer availability. vHub handles invoicing and payments and transfers rental funds to the trailer owner. vHub can also integrate with telematics solutions in order to calculate distances traveled and automate billing. The confidentiality of all information and transactions on the platform is protected using the SSL encryption protocol.
The vHub marketplace can be used by drivers to document trailer condition, including taking photos of any trailer damage prior to departure, and to record pick up and drop off locations and times. The application can also function without an Internet connection, storing data for later retrieval, the company says.
