Loadmatch

THE PROBLEM

Independent truck drivers in Turkey and Eastern Europe run 20–35% of their kilometers empty — deadhead miles that cost fuel, time, and income. Existing load boards are desktop-only, cluttered, and require broker relationships to access the best loads. Drivers need a mobile-first, self-serve marketplace.

APPROACH

Designing a mobile-first marketplace where shippers post loads and drivers accept them directly — no brokers in the middle. The app uses the driver's current location and route to surface only relevant nearby loads, ranked by profitability per kilometer. Machine learning will eventually predict which return loads are available for a given outbound route.

KEY DECISIONS

• 1

  Started with a driver-centric design — shipper onboarding comes second because drivers are the supply constraint.

• 2

  Built map-first UI over a list view; spatial context is critical for logistics decisions.

• 3

  Chose Turkey as the launch market: large independent trucking sector, high smartphone penetration, and my existing network.

• 4

  Designed the rating system around reliability metrics, not generic stars — on-time pickup rate, cancellation rate.

OUTCOME

Currently in active development. Conducting user interviews with 12 independent truck drivers in Istanbul and Ankara. Core matching algorithm is built; mobile app is in design phase. Targeting a closed beta with 50 drivers and 10 shippers in Q3 2025.