Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms form a binding contract between you and Truck First Technologies Pvt. Ltd. ("Truck First", "we", "us", "the Company"), a company incorporated under the Companies Act 2013, with its registered office in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

We may update these Terms at any time. Continued use of the platform after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

2. Eligibility

To use Truck First, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be a resident of India or a registered Indian business entity
• Hold a valid commercial driving license (for drivers) or business registration (for owners/shippers)
• Provide accurate, complete, and up-to-date information during registration
• Not be barred from using our services under any applicable law

We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone at any time and for any reason permitted by law.

3. Accounts & KYC

3.1 Account registration

You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account. Keep your password confidential. Notify us immediately at support@truckfirst.in if you suspect unauthorised access.

3.2 KYC verification

All users must complete Know Your Customer (KYC) verification before posting loads, accepting loads, or receiving payments. KYC requires:

• Drivers — Aadhaar, PAN, valid commercial driving license, vehicle RC
• Truck Owners — Aadhaar, PAN, GST registration (if applicable), vehicle RC for each truck
• Shippers — Aadhaar or company PAN, GST registration for businesses

Submitting false or forged documents is a criminal offence under the IPC and IT Act. We will permanently ban and report such accounts to law enforcement.

3.3 One account per user

Each individual or business entity may maintain only one account. Creating duplicate accounts to circumvent bans or ratings is prohibited.

4. User Roles & Obligations

5. Loads & Bookings

5.1 Posting loads

When a shipper posts a load, it constitutes an offer to contract for transport services at the listed rate. Truck First is a marketplace — we are not a party to the transport contract between the shipper and the driver/owner.

5.2 Accepting loads

When a driver or owner accepts a load, a binding transport contract is formed between the driver/owner and the shipper. Cancellation after acceptance is subject to our Cancellation Policy (see below).

5.3 Cancellation policy

• Shipper cancels before driver departs — No penalty. Shipper may be flagged after repeated cancellations.
• Driver cancels after acceptance — Driver receives a cancellation flag. Three flags in 90 days results in a temporary suspension.
• Driver no-show without notice — Driver account reviewed; payment withheld pending investigation.

5.4 Accuracy of load information

Shippers are liable for any additional charges (tolls, penalties, detention) caused by inaccurate load information such as incorrect weight, undisclosed hazmat, or wrong dimensions.

6. Payments & Fees

6.1 Escrow model

Shippers pay the agreed load rate into a secure escrow account managed by Truck First (via Razorpay) at the time of booking confirmation. Funds are held and released to the driver/owner only after the shipper confirms delivery or after a 48-hour no-response window.

6.2 Platform fees

Truck First charges a subscription fee as per the selected plan (Driver ₹100/mo, Owner ₹500/mo, Business ₹1,000/mo). Plans include a 14-day free trial. No subscription commission is deducted from individual load payments.

6.3 Payment timelines

• Escrow release: within 2 working days of delivery confirmation
• Bank transfers: 1–3 working days depending on your bank
• Disputed payments: held until resolution, up to 14 working days

6.4 Taxes

Users are responsible for their own tax obligations (GST, income tax). Truck First issues payment receipts but does not file taxes on behalf of users.

7. Ratings & Reviews

After each completed trip, both parties can rate each other (1–5 stars) and leave a written review. Our rating guidelines:

• Ratings must reflect your genuine experience of the transaction
• Threatening, coercing, or bribing another user to change their rating is prohibited
• Fake reviews — including self-reviews from alternate accounts — result in permanent ban
• We reserve the right to remove reviews that violate these guidelines after investigation

Ratings are a core trust signal on the platform. Manipulation of ratings harms all users and is treated as a serious violation.

8. Prohibited Conduct

The following are strictly prohibited on Truck First:

• Shipping, transporting, or handling illegal goods, controlled substances, or contraband
• Transporting passengers for hire without proper permit
• Harassment, abuse, or discrimination of any user based on religion, caste, gender, or any protected characteristic
• Creating fake accounts, impersonating others, or submitting forged documents
• Attempting to circumvent our fee or escrow system
• Scraping, reverse engineering, or automated access to our platform without permission
• Using our platform to solicit users for competing services
• Any activity that disrupts the platform's technical infrastructure

Violation of any prohibited conduct may result in immediate account suspension, permanent ban, forfeiture of pending payments, and referral to law enforcement where applicable.

9. Intellectual Property

All content on the Truck First platform — including the name, logo, UI design, code, text, graphics, and data — is the property of Truck First Technologies Pvt. Ltd. and is protected under the Copyright Act 1957 and the Trade Marks Act 1999.

You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the platform for its intended purpose. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from any platform content without our prior written consent.

User-generated content (load listings, reviews, photos) remains your property but you grant Truck First a licence to display, reproduce, and use it on the platform.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Truck First shall not be liable for:

• Damage to or loss of goods during transit
• Delays caused by traffic, weather, government action, or force majeure
• Personal injury or property damage caused by any platform user
• Indirect, consequential, incidental, or punitive damages of any kind
• Loss of revenue or profit arising from platform downtime or disputes

Our total aggregate liability for any claim arising from use of the platform shall not exceed the subscription fees you paid us in the 3 months preceding the claim.

Users are encouraged to carry adequate goods-in-transit insurance for all shipments.

11. Dispute Resolution

11.1 Between users

Disputes between shippers, drivers, and owners (e.g., non-delivery, cargo damage, payment disputes) should first be raised via our in-app dispute system within 7 days of the incident. Our team will review evidence and issue a decision within 14 working days.

11.2 Escalation

If you are unsatisfied with our dispute decision, you may escalate to binding arbitration administered by the Indian Council of Arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996. The seat of arbitration shall be Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Proceedings shall be in English.

11.3 Disputes with Truck First

Any dispute with the Company that cannot be resolved amicably shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

12. Termination

12.1 By you

You may close your account at any time from your account settings. Pending transactions and disputes must be resolved before closure. Subscription fees already paid are non-refundable.

12.2 By us

We may suspend or permanently terminate your account, with or without notice, if you:

• Violate any provision of these Terms
• Fail KYC re-verification when required
• Receive a sustained pattern of poor ratings or complaints
• Are subject to a court order or regulatory direction

On termination, your right to use the platform ceases immediately. We may retain your data as required by law.

13. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of India, including but not limited to the Information Technology Act 2000, the Consumer Protection Act 2019, the Indian Contract Act 1872, and the Motor Vehicles Act 1988.

These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Truck First regarding use of the platform and supersede any prior agreements.

14. Contact

For legal matters, account issues, or questions about these Terms:

For consumer grievances, our Grievance Officer under the IT (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules 2021 can be reached at grievance@truckfirst.in. We respond to grievances within 48 hours.