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Moving and transporting large items just got easier with the launch of Buddytruk, a new app that provides moving and delivery service on-demand. The Santa Monica-based “Lyft” of bulky/big item moving and delivery, that recently won the Startup of the Year Award from the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, was launched earlier this year and has become the “go-to” app for moving in Southern California. The app serves two main functions: to provide a service that saves you time, energy and money, and to provide jobs for the community in the areas that they service.

You know the feeling, that panic when you realize you have time constraints, no car and have to find a way to move something from point A to point B. There you go, frantically calling your friends, asking for help on social media and hoping you get lucky. With Buddytruk, the headache is over! The new social moving app connects people who need bulky items moved with truck owners willing to help at lightning speed.

Santa Monica-based Buddytruk was launched by Brian Foley and business partners Russell Tuchman and Tim Kolenut. The app, which works similarly to Lyft or Uber, allows you to request drivers within your area to help transport your bulky items for an algorithm-based fee. The startup takes a 20-percent cut of the fee, while the driver keeps the remaining 80 percent. Buddytruk is available for both the iOS and Android platforms in L.A. neighborhoods.

As opposed to traditional moving companies, Buddytruk drivers are not professional movers. They are truck owners who simply want to help and make some cash at the same time.

“Our goal is to create jobs for people within the community rather than send our business and money to major moving companies,” says Buddytruk’s Chief Marketing Buddy, Kolenut. “When we initially started the company we saw it as students helping students. Now, it’s on a broader spectrum and constantly pivoting. It’s especially exciting because we constantly find new ways that people can use our service.”

All clientele can rest assured because all of their drivers are meticulously hand picked and have undergone a thorough background check.

“We are very meticulous with our selection and rigorous with our background checks because ultimately our drivers are the ambassadors for our brand,” explains Kolenut. “Every potential driver is screened through a full background check and driving record check to ensure he hasn’t racked up speeding tickets, DUIs, felonies or other serious crimes. Each vehicle must pass Buddytruk’s own inspection test before being used for deliveries. The company insures each item being moved for its value, up to $1 million.”

Bottom line is: Everyone needs a little help sometimes. I’ve personally moved three times last year alone; this app provides an amenity that is essential to all Angelenos.

Think about it, when you rent a U-haul truck, it’s usually bigger than you need it to be, there’s a ton of paperwork, lines to wait in and what should have taken 45 minutes now took you a whole day.

“Our service is an ultra-convenient way to get an extra set of hands quickly and efficiently,” says Kolenut confidently of the app whose services recently expanded to Austin, Texas.

The demand for Buddytruk is growing, and retailers and other outlets that are now beginning to use Buddytruk as a delivery source for their furniture and bulky objects have requested fixed rates from the app. The pricing is simple: It’s a dollar a minute and a dollar a mile. The rate was established to make sure that the driver receives fair compensation for their services.

“For example, a couch costs x amount, but what happens when somebody asks us to move a ping-pong table or one of those 10-foot power boards? What they are paying for is time and distance,” says Kolenut. “We made it a super-round number so people can easily calculate it in their head. The main reason we do time and distance is since the driver is helping you load up and everything we want to make sure that they are getting their fair share for work they are doing. And it’s up to you, if you want them to stay a little bit longer to help move the couch, etc., it’s always very clear how much more this is going to cost.”

For more information, visit buddytruk.com.

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