Blockchain has a lot of uses — cryptocurrency, smart contracts, real estate, sharing scientific data, and the list goes on. Due to blockchain’s transparent nature, it’s easy to understand why it’s so desirable for many industries. But there’s another industry blockchain has the potential to revolutionize: supply.

Think trucks. This isn’t a digital-speak metaphor for something you haven’t heard about, but actual, physical trucking. A company called Fr8 Network is at the forefront of this brilliant revolution (and yes, their name is punny. Confess that you love it!).

According to Fr8 Network, “Trucking is riddled with inefficiency. Every year, trucks drive almost thirty billion miles partially loaded or empty. This wastes one-third of capacity, as businesses struggle with a shortage of drivers. Middleman brokers match orders, hold back valuable data on performance and pricing and exact fees of $66 billion a year—a rich target for disruption.”

Yikes. Not only is that a lot of money, but that’s also a lot of gas. Isn’t it frustrating to know that the truck whose shadow you so carefully avoid when driving on the highway is possibly empty, especially when demand is currently surpassing supply?

Trucking hasn’t been around forever, obviously. Trains used to be the primary method of shipping in the United States. Because railroads are fixed and trains could carry large loads, it was easier to track when they were leaving and where they were going. That’s a lot harder to do with trucks, which drive on many more paved roads than there are railroads. The inefficient technology to manage the truck system allows opportunities for fraud, lost goods, excessive costs, price manipulation, and more.

John Fox, Fr8 Network’s CEO, used to be in the food business. He was dependent on punctual arrivals, so he was well aware of the dangers bad shipping presents. Faulty deliveries could deal a substantial hit. As someone directly affected by the trucking industry, he set out to fix it for everyone by turning to the blockchain. Blockchain’s transparent ledger allows for peer-to-peer monitoring, which means that not only can users find the most reputable drivers, they can reap more profits when the shipping process is updated for the Internet.

The trucking industry is arguably the spine of American commerce. Stuff needs to move around, after all—most of your stuff is not locally sourced. Trucks transport 80 percent of all overland cargo, but manufacturers struggle to find enough available capacity to move their goods. So how does Fr8 plan on using blockchain technology to address all the things that can go wrong?

Fr8 is creating Fr8 Network, which is a “platform for shippers, carriers, and brokers to place and track orders, compare prices, assess performance, buy insurance, and set payment and credit. Add decentralized apps, blockchain encryption, and a new ‘utility token,’ and you can wipe out billions of unnecessary costs.” Basically, the network is a set of decentralized applications for connecting the freight industry’s “fractured value chain” by connecting key stakeholders to make everything cheaper and more efficient.

Think of it like Uber. Shippers are able to select from a number of nearby truck drivers to relocate their wares, and those drivers are also able to search for potential customers in the area around their final drop-offs who need something moved to the driver’s home destination.

You may have noticed the term “utility token,” which is one of the ways the platform operates. Fr8 Token, as the currency is called, is built on Ethereum’s ERC-20 protocol. Fr8 plans on generating one billion tokens for 15 cents each. These tokens power all transactions and act as credit escrow for instantaneous settlement. The reason for tokenization is because one of blockchain’s key features is decentralization—this way, no one gains absolute control over the whole process.

As Fr8 Network’s whitepaper says, “It’s very challenging with today’s tools to efficiently match a shipment to an appropriate carrier. For shippers, once a match has been made, they are usually still in the dark about the quality of service for the selected carrier. For carriers operating for-hire, optimizing capacity and finding desirable lanes is often impossible. Carriers inevitably get stuck with dead-head routes (returning to their point of origin with an empty truck), rate reductions, and excess capacity.”

So what you do is pay an Fr8 Token amount to access the Fr8 Board (the currency does have other uses, though). The Fr8 Board Interface then presents users with a customized dashboard where they can see all sorts of pertinent information to help them find the best shippers and carriers, find driving jobs, look at practical routes, track active vehicles, and utilize a detailed rating system for other users to keep in mind. This is game-changing matching technology, which has the potential to greatly improve the supply chain’s efficiency.

Imagine a world where trucking effectiveness is maximized. It would be cheaper, more timely, and less environmentally detrimental. Fr8 is well on their way to bringing that imagination into reality.

How do you think Fr8 Network will influence the supply chain?