Reducing empty lorry runs in Malaysia — over chat.
Backhaul Connect is a chat-based freight marketplace for West Malaysia. We match empty return legs with backhaul loads through Telegram, WhatsApp, and the web — so a lorry that would drive home empty can find a paying load in one shared marketplace.
Our mission
Every day, thousands of lorries finish a delivery in Penang, JB, or Ipoh and drive 300+ km back to Klang carrying nothing. Diesel is burned, CO2 is emitted, and the transporter eats the cost. Backhaul Connect matches that empty capacity with loads that need moving the other way, so both sides find each other in minutes instead of over group chats and phone calls.
We are not a broker and we don't touch the money. We built the matching layer — post, browse, reveal-on-match — and get out of the way the moment you're connected. Pickup, delivery, and payment are settled directly between the two parties, the same way they always have been.
Malaysian road freight is an RM 38b market growing 5–6% a year. The empty-return slice — loads traded ad-hoc over WhatsApp — is our wedge.
WhatsApp groups, broker phone calls, rate cards from 2019. We're not replacing the relationships — just making it faster to find the other side of the trip.
Telegram and WhatsApp handle verified messaging access, while the web app covers browser-first use after verification. The matching and advice layer is ours and it's AI-driven — a natural-language bot that understands plain English, Malay, or Chinese, an AI matching engine built for the empty leg, plus a fair-rate adviser and load-fit adviser — so we add real intelligence without forcing another standalone app install.
A large, informal market — and a specific wedge inside it.
What Backhaul Connect is — and what it isn't.
What Backhaul Connect is
- A matching layer that surfaces empty legs and loads in one shared marketplace.
- Messaging-account verified — every account is verified through Telegram or WhatsApp.
- Private by default — company and contact details are revealed only after the Post owner accepts an Interest and creates a Match.
What Backhaul Connect isn't
- Not a broker — we don't negotiate rates or take a cut of the freight.
- Not an escrow or payment processor — you settle directly with the other party.
- Not another standalone app to install — use Telegram, WhatsApp, or the web after messaging-account verification.
The team
A small Malaysia-based team working closely with the people who use Backhaul Connect.
Leads product and system architecture, working closely with customers to shape Backhaul Connect.
Shapes how Backhaul Connect shows up and communicates with the market.
Helps the team build, test, and improve the product.
Helps customers get the most out of Backhaul Connect whenever they need a hand.