Freelancer acquires Australian digital freight marketplace Loadshift

Freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace Freelancer has announced that its partially owned subsidiary, Freightlancer, has acquired Australia’s largest heavy haulage freight marketplace Loadshift.

Loadshift is responsible for 85.8 million kilometres of freight movement in Australia and has received 68,837 freight requests in the past year.

Freelancer connects over 52,740,608 employers and freelancers globally from over 247 countries, regions and territories, hiring freelancers to do work in areas ranging from software development to accounting and legal services.

Freelancer.com chief executive Matt Barrie said the company is excited to acquire Loadshift.

“As a successful digital freight marketplace that has always looked after its carriers and community, Loadshift aligns with Freelancer’s mission,” Barrie said.

“The acquisition of Loadshift builds on Freightlancer’s momentum and continues to deepen our global pool of liquidity for the freight logistics industry, around the world,” he said.

Tom Cavanagh, an experienced executive in the mining & equipment industries as founder and CEO of EMS group, is also joining Freightlancer as Chief Executive.

Loadshift Founder Phil Callaghan said that the timing is right to see Loadshift’s model brought onto the global stage by Freelancer.

“From the beginning, I have been committed to utilising technology to create a connected community of both carriers and shippers,” Callaghan said.

“When we started, there was little visibility of trucking capacity. We’ve brought that visibility to the freight community, changing the industry,” he said.

Tom Cavanagh, an experienced executive in the mining & equipment industries as founder and CEO of EMS group, is also joining Freightlancer as Chief Executive.