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Will Lawrence , the Colorado - founder and CTO of Iron Sheepdog , like to say that sometimes building something simple is actually really voiceless . progress simple - to - habit technology for the short - haul hauling industry is Iron Sheepdog ’s goal . That approach is also why the company thinks it has been able-bodied to see a level of adoption from the industriousness its competition have n’t .
The Williamsburg , Virginia - base troupe ’s software looks to make the short - haul hauling outer space , which mostly involves outsource short - haul jobs to truck driver booked through brokers , more unseamed and efficient . Companies can chase their contracted trucks through Iron Sheepdog , giving them more transparency into where truck are , how long a job takes and how much to pay . The truckers get an easy - to - use app that helps them take job and get paid online .
This workweek , Iron Sheepdog announce a $ 10 million Series B round led by SJF Ventures with involvement from Grand Ventures , Supply Chain Ventures and strategic cooperator . Mike Van Sickel , Iron Sheepdog ’s Colorado - founder and CEO , told TechCrunch that the company spent its first few twelvemonth making sure it could get customer acceptance and reach lucrativeness . Now it ’s face to scale .
“ Trust is the most important characteristic ; we have to get the subhauler to actually use the app , ” Van Sickel said . “ All the solvent out there that contractors force [ subhaulers ] to practice , if they are n’t unforced to sweep up it , you are creating more problem . ”
The idea for Iron Sheepdog came out of be experience from the three carbon monoxide gas - founders , Van Sickel said . None of them worked as short - term truckers themselves , but rather for companies that lease them . Van Sickel say that despite software solution existing for every other part of their line of work , there was n’t a great solution for hiring short - haulage truckers . The existing physical process dun both sides .
While not the first company to render to build software package to deal these short - haulage truckers , Iron Sheepdog has been able to see its increase double each year since it was founded . That ’s because it approached building differently than its competitor . Instead of focusing on the contractors to drive adoption , they set out with the short - haul motortruck machine driver themselves .
“ We chose to search at the problem from the bottom up rather of the top down , ” Van Sickel said . “ We made a very simple app for the subhauler and tied it to 24 - hour salary . I call it simple ; it was intentionally simple so that they would adopt it . ”
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arrive the truckers to sign up for the costless app pushes the brokers who supply their Job to sign up and it works up the chain . Contractors need to sign up up , too , knowing the app give them access to a electronic connection of more than 4,000 light - haulage truckers . The company makes money as these contractors pay the underlying trucker through the platform .
Van Sickel say that now that they ’ve got a satisfying number of factor and truck driver on the platform , companies can set out to better utilize them . For example , a ship’s company could hire a truck to do two jobs on the same day or drop off material at two sites , cut back the number of trucks need . This could also aid cut emissions .
“ If you conceive about Uber Eats , the Uber number one wood does n’t leave his house , pick up the sandwich , go to your mansion , and go home . That ’s not how the industry works , ” Van Sickel said . “ Once you get on these trucks you’re able to start to find ways to advantageously use those trucks . ”
Iron Sheepdog ’s stave stand out for a fistful of ground . For one , investment in construction tech startups has develop in late years , but this part of the system has n’t see to it the same attending . What good is software that speeds up line situation preparation if coordinating the trucks to get the line of work done will slacken the process back down ?
Innovation around trucking has largely overlooked this area , too . Companies look to build independent structure vehicles and company looking to fix last - mile freight rate already live , but much less tech is give to dump trucks and equivalent . There are other company look to help fix this , including TruckIT and Loadtraxx , but Iron Sheepdog looks like one of few , if not the only , speculation - backed startups tackle this problem .
Iron Sheepdog ’s focusing on adoption is also renowned . While it seems obvious that companies should build Cartesian product that the organization they are targeting will really use , that does n’t always happen and there are a lot of industries that rest behind technology - wise as a resultant role .
There is nothing good about new technical school if no one is using it .
“ It ’s suffer to be a creeping , take the air , run approach path ; it ca n’t be a creep , run plan of attack , ” Van Sickel tell . “ There is a gulf between some of the software result that are being educate and a willingness by the individuals who will actually use it to embrace them . ”
