The “Uberization” of freight has been a topic of some discussion following the rise of the Uber taxi service. If you’re not familiar with it, Uber allows a customer to click within a smartphone app and, usually within a few minutes, an independent contractor arrives in his or her car. Prices are standardized and in part demand-based, and automatically charged to the user’s credit card, usually at noticeably lower rates than traditional taxis.

Mainstream media use the “sharing economy” phrase to describe such phenomena where startups enabled by mobile communications technology disrupt not only the traditional cab business but also the hotel and small parcel delivery industries, among others.

Read more here.