Trucking tech company BlackBuck waives off commission for truckers

Manufacturers, traders and other shippers can use the Blackbuck platform and gain access to a million trucks

BlackBuck, the trucking technology company, said on Wednesday it had waived off commissions for using its platform to help logistics and supply chains during the national lockdown to contain the coronavirus.

Manufacturers, traders and shippers can access a million trucks to transport products across India, said the firm that has Flipkart and Goldman Sachs among its investors.

BlackBuck said its ‘Move India’ initiative would help truckers with direct money transfers (DMTs) and trip insurance as they work to bring India’s economy back on the road. “With the government restoring the truck movement, the main objective of ‘Move India’ campaign is to bring trucks back on the road, through incentivizing the fleet owners and providing protection to our driver community,” said Rajesh Yabaji, co-founder and CEO, BlackBuck. “After almost 2 months of lockdown, nothing is more important for our economy than the immediate revival of the logistics sector, which will help the country through the harvest season (and) move the needed essentials.”

BlackBuck has over 30,000 clients including SMEs and large corporates such as Asian Paints, Coca Cola, ITC, Tata Steel and Hindustan Unilever. The ‘Move India’ initiative will enable over 5,00,000 fleet owners, with over 10 lakh trucks, to access services like FASTag, GPS and fuel cards. The waving of the commission will lead to an added incentive of Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 for fleet owners on every trip they undertake, the company said.

BlackBuck has also committed to taking responsibility for the health and protection of its driver-partners. It has established a Rs 50 crore relief fund for its driver-partners who may contract Covid-19 in the line of duty. It will offer a relief package of Rs 50,000 in the form of direct Money Transfer (DMTs) to the affected truck drivers. In addition to this, on every trip undertaken, the company said it will offer free trip insurance inclusive of hospitalisation expenses of up to 50,000 for its drivers in case of an accident and a term cover of Rs 3 lakh for drivers' families in case of unfortunate demise or permanent disability.