19 hours ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Evotrux loads up online subscription seeking freight efficiency
Manitoba entrepreneur Daniel Santos has high hopes for the coming months.
Evotrux, the business he co-founded seven years ago, is making its presence known after years of operating in what Santos describes as 'stealth mode.'
'We're essentially launching Evotrux to the world,' he said. 'It's been behind closed doors to the world until now.'
Evotrux offers an on-demand freight marketplace that does away with phone calls, emails and spreadsheets. The name reflects the evolution of trucking Santos believes the company is bringing to the shipping industry.
The online platform connects shippers (businesses that need to transport goods) and carriers (trucking companies and freight brokers). The platform allows carriers to provide more shippers with real-time pricing on available shipments.
Shippers can compare and negotiate rates, review carrier profiles and then select their preferred option with the click of a button. From there, the shipper and carrier are connected through live chat and the shipper receives live tracking updates, including time-stamped pick-up and delivery statuses.
The platform also enables users to collaborate and analyze real-time market insights so they can maximize efficiencies and streamline overall operations.
Santos said while there are other digital solutions for shippers, most use a commission/transaction fee business model 'and they are almost never transparent.' Some services add a 20 per cent markup on the carrier price, he added.
Evotrux doesn't do that, Santos said. Customers pay a monthly subscription fee of $199 to access the network and whatever price they are quoted by the carrier is the actual price they end up paying. There are no hidden fees, markups or commissions.
Evotrux coined the term 'open shipping' to describe the platform.
'(It's) a fair, transparent marketplace where everyone competes on a level playing field,' said Santos, who works from his home in Ste. Anne, some 50 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg.
The 42-year-old has worked in logistics for 25 years. Prior to starting Evotrux, he spent seven years as a freight broker — the middleman between shippers and carriers.
He said he managed roughly 300 emails and 100 phone calls a day trying to get his job done. The idea for Evotrux came to him as he wondered if there might be a way to create better communication across a wider platform.
Santos founded the company with Ross Prentice and Norm Curtis. The company launched in 2018, but supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic 'stopped us in our tracks,' Santos said.
He and his colleagues sensed they could improve on their product, so they spent more than 18 months rebuilding it. They quietly relaunched in 2022.
Logistics and shipping are areas businesses almost never look at when they're trying to optimize costs, Santos said. Now they can.
'Businesses don't need to look at logistics as a necessary evil,' he said. 'Evotrux helps them to unlock and uncover the opportunities.'
The company has a satisfied customer in Mike Friesen, president and CEO of Elmer's Manufacturing Ltd.
The farm equipment manufacturer is based around 100 kilometres south of Winnipeg in Altona and ships its products across North America. It has used Evotrux for around three years. Friesen said he likes the platform because it's an efficient way for the company to explore its options.
'We may know (Manitoba) carriers very well, but we may not know good local carriers in the U.S.,' he said. 'This provides us easier access to that.'
Evotrux has also saved Elmer's money, Friesen said: $95,000 in the first four months of 2025 alone.
'One of my sales managers … figures it increased his productivity by about 75 per cent, just because of the streamlined process that Evotrux offers,' Friesen added.
Evotrux is set to receive $250,000 from an as-yet unannounced Manitoba Innovates loan program. (Manitoba Innovates is the unification of Tech Manitoba and Manitoba Technology Accelerator.)
'They're a company that's been around for a long time (and) they're starting to see good traction,' said Paul Card, CEO of MTA. 'It's an innovative product we haven't seen anywhere else and Manitoba Innovates is in the business of trying to find innovative Manitoba solutions to local and international problems.'
According to Santos, 500 carriers and 15 shippers are subscribed to Evotrux.
The company employs five people and will add three staff members in the coming weeks, he added. Last year, its annual net revenue surpassed $120,000.
'(We're) hoping to grow that this year,' Santos said. 'This is our big breakout year. No one knew we existed before.'
Aaron EppReporter
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. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron.
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