Truck sharing start-up Fluid Truck raises capital in bid to disrupt rental trade 

A decade after ride-sharing exploded in reputation, a start-up from Denver is betting there’s an untapped marketplace for these trying to share industrial vans in a market dominated by the likes of Penske and Ryder.

Fluid Truck, which began in 2019, has raised $63 million in its first exterior spherical of fundraising.

“For many small and mid-size companies, it is such a ache to lease vans that they’re pressured to purchase or lease autos” mentioned James Eberhard, founder and CEO of Fluid Vehicles. “Our platform permits them to rapidly entry and ebook a car as fast as you possibly can ebook an Uber. It permits them to flex up and flex down to essentially remedy all their wants.”

Fluid Truck is coming into a distinct segment market that has lengthy been dominated by firms starting from U-Haul to Ryder to Enterprise Hire-A-Automotive. All are companies focusing on renting vans or field autos to customers and small firms. Eberhard believes the method is sluggish and cumbersome, the homeowners of small firms will gravitate to an app and repair to provide a industrial car on quick discover. 

“It takes a pair minutes and you are able to do it 24 hours a day seven days per week,” he mentioned.

On paper, Fluid Truck’s marketing strategy is sensible. The problem is profitable over enterprise homeowners who, for years, have turned to ascertain gamers like Penske Truck Leases. Penske has a fleet of greater than 50,000 autos, 10 instances the scale of Fluid Truck’s present fleet.

As Fluid Truck appears to broaden, will probably be leveraging its relationship with Ikea. The furnishings chain’s funding arm is one among a number of firms backing the Collection A funding. In an announcement saying his agency’s funding, Krister Mattsson, managing director of Ingka Investments mentioned, “that is one other step in enabling IKEA retail to supply final mile supply providers to our clients, proceed to enhance on our buyer promise, whereas additionally lowering our environmental footprint.”

Whereas Eberhard may envision Fluid Vehicles sometime being a part of a fleet of autos that might help Ikea clients, the main focus for now could be increasing operations from the present footprint of greater than 25 markets.  

“The complexities of working and managing a fleet are one of many largest complications that almost all companies do not wish to cope with,” mentioned Eberhard. “We are able to make it straightforward by means of our platform.” 

— CNBC’s Meghan Reeder contributed to this report.