The groundbreaking app Road Ninja is reshaping the trucking industry, connecting businesses and skilled drivers. Video / Carson Bluck
A new app connecting businesses and truckies is seen as a valuable tool for the transport industry.
Road Ninja is the country’s first-ever subscription-based labour-hire and recruitment platform, set to launch nationally next week after being trialled in Auckland, Waikato, and the Bay of Plenty.
“It’s kind of like the love child of Tinder and Uber,” founder Bodhi Vette told Focus. “But I think the Uber for truck drivers sounds much more professional.”
Like Uber, the app works by connecting a company with a job request to a skilled driver in their area.
Profiles display a driver’s rates, available hours, and qualifications. Drivers can upload pictures and videos to elevate their profile.
“It’s like a marketplace,” Vette said. “They’re all fully vetted and you can rate and review them. Whether it’s contracting for a gig or you want to recruit somebody, you can do that.
“It’s going to be a real game-changer for the whole industry.”
The Road Ninja app promises to reshape the New Zealand transport industry. Photo / Carson Bluck
Luka Volante, a barber-turned truck driver who has regularly used the app, said Road Ninja “fills a void” in the industry.
“It’s kinda like a no-brainer,” Volante said.
“There’s something empowering about being asked what you wanna do and saying yay or nay … and you actually get what you’re wanting to get paid, which is a game-changer.”
The National Road Carriers Association said it couldn’t come at a better time for the industry.
Despite there being about 900 truckies currently without work, general manager of policy and advocacy James Smith said the association is already anticipating another driver shortage.
“It’s not gonna take very much of an economic lift, say an infrastructure project kicking off or a small lift in GDP, and those 900 drivers are just gonna be gone,” Smith said.
“What Road Ninja does is it opens up yet another channel … It’s another key point of difference versus the traditional approach.”
Smith hoped the app would also address the ageing industry’s challenges of recruiting young drivers.
Road Ninja founder Bodhi Vette and truckie Luka Volante. Photo / Carson Bluck
“The average age of a truck driver at the moment is around 59 and every year that goes by, that creeps up. It opens up yet another channel for someone that is out there, that is thinking, ‘okay, I might try driving’.“
“I reckon that’s gonna help moving forward,” Volante added.
“With the ever-changing landscape and how people actually view work. We just need to get more people on board and they’ll see exactly what I see, life through the windscreen.”
