Haul, an employment platform that connects trucking fleets with CDL drivers, recently expanded operations nationwide.

Founded by Tim Henry and Toan Nguyen Le, who first met while working at Uber Freight, the concept first focused on how technology could benefit CDL drivers.

“The idea for Haul was inspired by the thought that we could take all the best parts of the gig economy, like flexibility and transparent pay, and build a new employment model that created stability for the drivers,” said Nguyen Le, CTO at Haul. “Through full-time employment, driver-centric products, and training opportunities, we want to inspire drivers to look at their job as a skilled trade with huge upside.”

The Haul process begins with interested drivers filling out an application, which is followed by a rigorously vetting by the Haul team. After approval, drivers are connected to trucking fleets on the Haul platform and can choose their schedule based on their goals.

“Many truck drivers have a poor quality of life due to long hours and time away from their families,” said Ed Roman, managing director at Hack. “The Haul team is relentlessly focused on improving the quality of life for truck drivers by empowering them to be in business for themselves. They're also helping companies to have a flexible trucking workforce to accommodate unforeseen demand shifts such as what we've had recently with COVID-19.”

Trucking fleets spend considerable time and money to recruit, qualify and train new drivers, and some fleets end up hiring full-time recruiting managers to balance their driver pool with the demands of their business.

“A lot of technology is being focused on optimizing the relationship between shipments and carriers, which is ultimately changing how shipment volumes are being allocated between fleet partners,” said Tim Henry, CEO at Haul. “This in turn is dramatically changing how fleets are looking at their operating costs, and the biggest cost bucket as it relates to operating a truck, is the driver. Haul ultimately is aiming to take a fixed cost and make it more variable.”