Will We See the 'Uberization' of Logistics?

The ride-sharing service Uber is threatening to disrupt, if not dismantle, the taxi business. Will it do the same to the package-delivery sector? Uber, Lyft and similar ride-sharing services fully deserve that already overused word, ''disruption.'' Their success is due in large part to their founders' ability to perceive a failure in the way that traditional taxis have operated. Now, there's talk that the Uber model could be similarly applied to freight transportation. In theory, Uber drivers can just as easily carry packages from retailers to the consumer's door. Perhaps they could even skirt many of the regulations that hamper that business. On this episode, we talk to Scott Nelson, vice chairman and founder of Trax Technologies. He explains why an Uber-like service can't necessarily work for logistics. It's all about the need for ''perfect information,'' he says. At the same time, Nelson offers his view on the real transformation that logistics is undergoing today – and how the business can be reshaped to create a ''win-win'' model for buyers and sellers alike.