Backhaul Matching Open Call
Open call · Hosted by Atlas Logistics. About a third of tractor movements come home empty, and the loads that could fill them still arrive by phone and email.
About this open call
What this event is about
Return legs run empty because the spot loads that could fill them reach a planning desk too late to use. A match only counts if it clears the driver's remaining hours and the unloading slot already booked.
What we are looking for
Startups with a working matching or planning engine that can take a live spot offer and give a planner an answer in under a minute.
Problem statements
The offer arrives after the truck is committed
A load worth taking is offered while the tractor is already routed home. By the time a planner has checked whether it fits, it has gone to somebody else.
Hours and slots decide the match
A reload that adds forty minutes can push a driver past their remaining hours or miss a booked unloading slot. A suggestion has to arrive with both checks already done, or the desk will not use it.
Empty kilometres are a carbon line now
A match that saves margin while adding distance is not a saving. Entries should show the effect per tonne-kilometre alongside the effect per load.
Evaluation criteria
100% weighted total
Timeline
- Jun 10, 2026
Brief published
The problem statements went out with an anonymised extract of one month of movements.
- Jul 6, 2026
Entries open
Entries are read as they arrive, and the planning desk answers questions on the extract.
- Oct 12, 2026
Shortlist
Scored entries narrow to the teams we sit beside a planner for an afternoon.
- Oct 26, 2026
Pilot decision
One team takes the paid pilot on a named corridor.
Sponsors & partners
Atlas Logistics
Host
TechStars
Sourcing entrants
FAQs
What data do we get before we enter?
An anonymised extract of one month of movements on two corridors. Live planning data comes only with the pilot.
Can we enter if we only plan part of Europe?
Yes. Say which corridors you can plan today — the pilot starts on one corridor, not the whole network.
Who would be using this?
Planners on the night desk, not engineers. If it needs a developer sitting beside it to answer an offer, it will not get used.
Take part
Submit your entry before the deadline. Every entry is scored against the criteria above.