Semiconductor surge brings Taiwan logistics startup to SEA

BBTruck CEO Steven Chou is betting on a newly-signed partnership with Haulio to enter Southeast Asia and serve a growing number of clients looking to diversify their manufacturing plants. It comes right on the heels of BBTruck’s US$6.1 million seed funding round in August.

“We noticed that the supply chain is moving to Southeast Asia, especially for semiconductor companies, due to geopolitical tensions,” Chou said in an interview with Tech in Asia. 

(From left) BBTruck COO and co-founder Kai Chuang, Haulio CEO and co-founder Alvin Ea, and BBTruck CEO and co-founder Steven Chou / Photo credit: BBTruck

Founded in 2019, Taiwan-based BBTruck connects trucking companies to its SaaS platform, which lets them ensure that each of their four-wheeler trucks is filled to the brim, increasing delivery efficiency.

Meanwhile, Haulio helps shipping companies in Singapore and Thailand transport their containers once they dock in ports. The startup connects these firms with local hauling companies through its digital platform.

The two startups believe their combined services will help clients save costs as clients will only need to work with one partner—either BBTruck or Haulio—to access the full suite of services.

“Co-opetition”

According to Chou, the partnership with Haulio, a Singapore-based container haulage service backed by Temasek’s Heliconia Capital, will help BBTruck build relationships with local transportation fleets in Southeast Asia.

He adds that Alvin Ea, CEO and co-founder of Haulio, also wanted to expand his company’s services to Taiwan and North America, markets that BBTruck are already present in.

As a result, the offices of both BBTruck and Haulio can now be considered as “satellites” of the other in their respective home markets.

Both startups also offer complementary services for suppliers that transport goods from sea to land. According to Chou, BBTruck has helped cargo trucking companies in Taiwan and the US reduce empty truck rates by 40%.

Haulio offers a similar SaaS platform to BBTruck’s, designed to maximize haul capacity. Hauling companies usually have larger trucks that can carry up to 120,000 kilograms, with sizes ranging from six to 12-wheelers. However, Ea acknowledges BBTruck’s platform as an “enhancement” over Haulio’s current offering.

“We’re now living in a world where cost efficiency is very important,” he says, adding that BBTruck’s API “could be plugged in nicely” to Haulio’s existing program.

Photo credit: Haulio