The Innovation Project: Jim Ruiz

Jim Ruiz is Founder and CEO of CDL Warrior.

Jim Ruiz, Founder and CEO
CDL Warrior All-In-One Trucking App

As a veteran of the trucking industry, Jim Ruiz is all too aware of the struggles that hinder drivers. Determined to solve the many problems that stem from a lack of automation and poor visibility, Ruiz founded CDL Warrior in 2014 with funding from the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, the economic development agency for the city of Pittsburgh, and support from Innovation Works’ AlphaLab.

A mobile app that connects drivers to the modern supply chain, CDL Warrior helps truck drivers save time, earn more and stay compliant with federal regulations.

The app allows drivers to automate logbooks, see real-time traffic, find parking spots at more than 28,000 locations in the United States and Canada, track and verify payments and review profiles on over 265,000 shipping locations. CDL drivers can even enjoy discounted rates at hotels and find the lowest fuel prices around them.

“By using the technology most drivers already own (the smart phone) and focusing on the individual driver’s needs, we have created a unique set of features and interactions for drivers across North America,” says Ruiz, CEO.

In addition, trucking fleets, logistics companies and shippers can use the web-based platform to connect with CDL’s driver base, track shipments and automate manual, paper-based processes.

Ruiz takes pride in the company’s “focus on meeting the needs of the individual truck driver and making life easier on the road.”

He aims to “develop CDL Warrior into the operating system for the trucking and logistics industry.” Though the company was founded just two years ago, Ruiz has already made impressive strides toward this goal with 25,000 truck drivers on the platform.

With such significant accomplishments so early in the company’s history, there’s no question Ruiz abides by his maxim, “do more faster.”
 

Sponsor

Thomas Link
URA

As the economic development agency for the city of Pittsburgh, the Urban Redevelopment Authority is charged with improving the city through affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization, business expansion and more.

To do so, “the URA must utilize creativity and innovation at nearly every turn,” says Thomas Link, director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the URA. 

The URA supports innovation throughout the region by providing access to business startup and expansion capital, financing buildings and infrastructure for growing firms and staying at the forefront of creative policymaking to support Pittsburgh’s best and brightest entrepreneurs.

“We believe innovative companies — those companies that are literally changing the world, attracting and incubating talent, and building value — are the companies we need to support to ensure Pittsburgh’s economy is vibrant, sustainable and growing,” he says.