Driver Retention Startup, WorkHound, Wins Nod from Truck Tank at GATS

WorkHound, a Des Moines-based software company came away a rolling winner at the Shark Tank-styled “Truck Tank” at the Great American Trucking Show (GATS) in Dallas.

Led by co-founders Max Farrell and Andrew Kirpalani, WorkHound is a driver retention tool that allows drivers to share feedback about their company. The app aggregates the data and shares insights the companies can use to foster better relationships with the drivers.

WorkHound was selected as one of 10 finalists selected from a number of online submissions to pitch at the event, which occurred in the trucking show attended by more than 50,000 trucking professionals and enthusiasts.

The teams each pitched for six minutes to a panel of judges that included RJ Grimshaw, CEO of Unifi Equipment Finance; Bethany Williams, writer, speaker and entrepreneur advisor; Matt Manero, founder and CEO of CFF; and Don Daseke, chairman, president and CEO of Daseke.

WorkHound was then selected to the final three, ultimately beating the other finalists due to the team’s “focus, passion and commitment to improving the trucking industry,” according to the judges.

Commercial Fleet Financing awarded a $5,000 check to the WorkHound team to continue growing the emerging software company.

“The trucking industry has an annual turnover rate of 97 percent, and a big reason for that is a disconnect between the drivers and the companies,” Max Farrell said. “Winning this competition is huge validation that we’re building something extremely valuable for the trucking industry.”

WorkHound is currently working with a handful of trucking companies across the middle of the US to fine tune the product before a public launch towards the end of 2015.

Category: Featured, Fleet Diagnostics & Software, General Update