Truckbud offers transport solutions Ridesharing platform lets people connect with local drivers with trucks, cargo vans
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Want to transport something big but you don’t have a buddy with a truck? Log on to Truckbud.
Winnipeg entrepreneur Praise Odutayo launched the ridesharing platform in November. People who need to move large items can connect with vetted local drivers who have trucks or cargo vans for same-day delivery. Requesting a driver takes about 60 seconds, and users get real-time updates from pickup to drop-off.
Odutayo says he built Truckbud to solve a simple but common challenge: many people don’t own a truck or van, yet regularly need to move items that won’t fit in a car.
ROBERT LEE / FREE PRESS
Praise Odutayo, founder and CEO of Truckbud, a ride sharing platform that connects people who need large items delivered to local drivers who have pickup trucks and cargo vans.
“Truckbud is making large-item transportation more accessible, affordable and convenient, while creating flexible earning opportunities within the community,” said Odutayo, 24.
Traditional movers aren’t built for single items, he added. Truckbud delivers furniture and appliances across Winnipeg — on demand for an upfront price. If a customer needs the driver to help them move the item on arrival, or if they want the driver to move it by themselves, they can request that service.
Truckbud takes a 20 per cent commission on each job, and the driver takes home the rest, Odutayo said.
Since launching nine months ago, Truckbud has helped more than 600 Winnipeggers and local businesses transport large and bulky items. The platform assists an average of five to six customers every day. Odutayo describes it as “neighbours helping neighbours.”
“We are a community platform,” he said. “We’re helping people move stuff from point A to point B, hassle-free.”
“We are a community platform. We’re helping people move stuff from point A to point B, hassle-free.”
Born and raised in Ibadan, Nigeria, Odutayo completed high school in Winnipeg after moving to Manitoba with his family in 2019. He then studied business at the University of Manitoba, majoring in international business and marketing.
It was during his studies that Odutayo came up with the idea for Truckbud. While furnishing a new apartment in 2022, he and his roommate purchased a couch on Facebook Marketplace. Then they had to figure out how to pick it up from the seller. Neither owned a truck, and renting a truck or a U-Haul didn’t seem economical.
“It was a pain for me,” Odutayo recalled. “I thought, why isn’t someone (offering) this?”
While taking a class on marketing research, Odutayo surveyed his peers to test the idea. Eventually, he received a $10,000 stipend through the university’s Lab2Market program, which supported further market research.
Odutayo began working on Truckbud in earnest in 2024, bootstrapping the business along the way.
“It was a pain for me. I thought, why isn’t someone (offering) this?”
“I got really scrappy with it,” he said. “I wasn’t really sitting down and pitching and expecting people to invest right off the bat. I wanted to prove something. I had to prove there was enough of a demand and that people were willing to pay for (this service).”
Truckbud has been a boon for the staff at local furniture company Urban Lumber, who have been using the platform for the last few months.
“We were finding it hard to find affordable delivery options,” said Carlee Farmer, co-owner and retail manager. “This kind of bridged the gap where if there’s a few boxes of shelves or a wrapped countertop, someone could come pick that up and we wouldn’t have to pay the rates a moving company would charge… It’s considerable savings for our customers.”
Kiran Pedada, a University of Manitoba professor who served as Odutayo’s Lab2Market advisor, isn’t surprised that people are responding to Truckbud.
“It’s a great idea,” Pedada said. “It’s very similar to Uber: you have drivers coming to you and you can also get a helper to help move the furniture, so you don’t necessarily have to do the heavy lifting yourself. I think that’s the biggest advantage.”
ROBERT LEE / FREE PRESS
Odutayo began working on Truckbud in earnest in 2024, bootstrapping the business along the way.
Truckbud is currently available only in Winnipeg, but the service will expand to Calgary before the end of the year. Brandon, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Kelowna will follow next year, Odutayo said. He’s currently hiring his first full-time employee in anticipation of the expansion.
aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca
Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. Read more about Aaron.
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