Rapid-fire pitch: Jackfruit Systems aims to beat the driver drought

Driver shortages are a perennial problem for the trucking trade and this problem is expected to get worse over the next 10 years with the industry requiring close to a million new drivers, over and above those that exist today.

According to Sharan Savadattimath chief information officer and co-founder of Jackfruit Systems based in Winnipeg, Canada who says that driving is no longer seen by young people as “sexy”, neither does it pay well and the long periods away from home and family adds to the unattractiveness of the industry.

Savadattimath says that the solution for trucking companies and truckers alike is to match drivers to shippers via Fleet Operate with its extensive, verified driver pool. The system will show available drivers with driver profiles, including their licence, criminal background and a verified claims history. Such a system creates an “ecosystem of trust, traceability, accountability and transparency,” he said.

At the core of the solution, according to Jackfruit Systems, is the caring and sharing element of the system. Driver profiles offer shippers an insight into the driver that will be responsible for their freight while life and injury insurance, including health and dental insurance is an added incentive for those entering the industry.