Privacy Policy – Truck Bharat

Hindustaan Innovations Private Limited (“Truck Bharat”, “Company”, “we”, “us” or “our”), owner and operator of the Truck Bharat website, mobile site and mobile application (together, the “Platform”), has created this Privacy Policy to demonstrate its firm commitment to the privacy of its customers and users. Your privacy is very important to us. This Policy explains how we collect, use, store, communicate, disclose and protect your personal information when you access or use the Platform and the logistics, truck booking, load posting and related services offered through it (the “Services”).

This Policy applies to everyone who uses the Platform, including customers and shippers, transporters, fleet owners, truck operators, brokers, drivers, and visitors who simply browse the Platform (each, “you” or “User”).

This Privacy Policy is incorporated into, and forms part of, our Terms and Conditions. By visiting or using the Platform, creating an account, or providing your information to us, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and agree to this Policy. If you do not agree with this Policy, please do not use or access the Platform.

We follow these principles in handling personal information:

1. Purpose specification: Before or at the time of collecting personal information, we identify the purposes for which it is being collected.
2. Purpose limitation: We collect and use personal information only to fulfil those purposes and other compatible purposes, unless we obtain your consent or are required by law.
3. Fair and lawful collection: We collect personal information by lawful and fair means and, where appropriate, with your knowledge or consent.
4. Data minimisation: We ask only for the information that is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy.
5. Accuracy: Personal data should be relevant to the purposes for which it is used and, to the extent necessary for those purposes, accurate, complete and up to date at the time you give it to us.
6. Retention limitation: We keep personal information only as long as necessary to fulfil those purposes or to meet legal requirements.
7. Security safeguards: We protect personal information with reasonable security safeguards against loss, theft, unauthorised access, disclosure, copying, use or modification, in circumstances within our control.
8. Openness: We make information about our policies and practices for managing personal information readily available to you.
9. Confidentiality: No one except the Company and its authorised representatives, employees, agents and service providers will have access to the personal information gathered through the Platform and our offices, and only as needed for the purposes described in this Policy.

“Personal Information” means any information that relates to, or can be used to identify, an individual (or a representative of a business), such as name, address, phone number, email address, identity documents, financial details and location data, together with any information that is linked to it. Information that has been irreversibly anonymised or aggregated so that it can no longer identify you is not Personal Information.

4.1 Information you provide to us

Account and registration details

• Full name, mobile number, email address, password/PIN and profile photograph
• Business or company name, type of business, registered and operating addresses, GST number, PAN and other business details
• Your role on the Platform (customer, transporter, fleet owner, broker or driver)

KYC and verification information (where applicable)

• Copy of identity and address proof, such as Aadhaar (or Aadhaar-masked copy), PAN card, driving licence, voter ID or passport
• A live photograph or selfie for identity verification
• Vehicle details: registration number, Registration Certificate (RC), permit, fitness certificate, insurance policy, pollution certificate, chassis details, vehicle type and capacity
• Driver details: name, licence number, contact number

Booking and load information

• Pickup and drop locations, contact persons and their phone numbers
• Type, description, weight, quantity, dimensions and declared value of goods
• Vehicle and body type required, loading and unloading requirements, schedule
• Freight rates, bids, quotes and negotiations
• Transaction documents such as invoices, e-way bills, lorry receipts (LR), consignment notes and proof of delivery (POD)

Payment and financial information

• Bank account details, IFSC code, UPI ID and beneficiary information for settlements and refunds
• Transaction history, invoices, TDS and GST details
• Card, net-banking and wallet details are entered on the secure pages of our payment gateway partners. We do not store your full card number, CVV or net-banking credentials.

Communications and content

• Messages, chats, call recordings or call details made through the Platform, emails and support tickets
• Ratings, reviews, feedback, survey and contest responses
• Any content you post, upload or submit on the Platform, including listings, photos and documents

4.2 Information we collect automatically

Device and technical information

• IP address, device type and model, operating system and version, browser type, device identifiers (such as advertising ID), mobile network information, language and time zone
• App version, crash reports, error logs and performance data

Location information

• Approximate location derived from your IP address
• Precise geolocation from your device or from the vehicle's GPS/tracking device when you allow location access, including live tracking of vehicles during an active booking. You can control location permissions through your device settings, but some features may not work without it.

Usage information

• Pages and screens you view, features you use, searches, clicks, time and date of access, the sites or ads from which you came, and how you interact with our content and communications

Cookies and similar technologies

• Information collected through cookies, pixels, tags, SDKs and similar technologies (see Section 8)

Call and contact information

• For calls made or received through the Platform, we may collect call logs and related details (such as time, duration and the number called) that are necessary to facilitate bookings. We do not access your personal contacts unless you give explicit permission.

4.3 Information from other sources

We may receive information about you from:

• Payment gateways, banks and payment service providers
• Identity, KYC, vehicle and licence verification providers and government databases (as permitted by law)
• GPS, telematics and FASTag partners
• Insurance, financing, fuel and other business partners, where you choose to use their offerings
• Other Users (for example, when a customer rates a driver)
• Publicly available sources and social media accounts, if you choose to sign in through them

4.4 Information you are not required to give

You can browse parts of the Platform without telling us who you are. Once you give us your personal information, you are no longer anonymous to us. Where possible, we indicate which fields are mandatory and which are optional. You may choose not to provide information by choosing not to use a particular service or feature, but we may then be unable to provide you with the related Services.

We use your Personal Information for the following purposes:

To provide and manage our Services

• Create, verify and manage your account and profile
• Verify your identity, business, vehicles and drivers
• Post, match and manage loads, quotes, bids and bookings
• Connect customers with transporters, fleet owners and drivers
• Enable vehicle tracking, status updates, delivery confirmation and proof of delivery
• Enable calls and messages between Users for booking coordination

To process payments and transactions

• Collect payments, process refunds and settlements, generate invoices, and deduct or report taxes such as TDS and GST
• Prevent payment fraud and chargebacks

To communicate with you

• Send booking confirmations, OTPs, reminders, alerts and service updates
• Respond to your questions, requests, complaints and support tickets
• Notify you about changes to our Terms, this Policy or our Services
• Inform you about offers, products, services and updates, by SMS, email, WhatsApp, calls and app notifications. Where we use your information for marketing, we give you the ability to opt out.

To improve and personalise the Platform

• Analyse usage, demographics, interests and behaviour to understand and serve users better
• Customise content, recommendations and offers
• Conduct surveys, research, testing and development of new features and services
• Diagnose technical problems and monitor performance using your IP address and device information

For safety, security and legal compliance

• Detect, prevent and investigate fraud, misuse, unauthorised access, identity theft, security incidents and other illegal or harmful activity
• Resolve disputes and troubleshoot problems
• Enforce our Terms and Conditions and other policies
• Protect the rights, property and safety of Truck Bharat, our Users and the public
• Comply with laws, regulations, court orders and requests from government authorities
• Maintain records for audit, accounting and tax purposes

For other purposes

• Any other purpose that we disclose to you at the time we collect your information, or for which you give your consent

We process your Personal Information based on your consent, the need to perform our contract with you (providing the Services you request), compliance with legal obligations, and our legitimate interests in operating, securing and improving the Platform, to the extent permitted by law.

By using the Platform or providing your information, you consent to the collection, use, storage, disclosure and transfer of your information as described in this Policy. Where required by law, we will ask for your specific consent, for example for KYC documents, precise location, access to certain device permissions or marketing communications.

Withdrawing consent: You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us (see Section 18). Withdrawal will not affect processing already carried out, and we may not be able to provide certain Services after you withdraw consent.

The Company is the custodian of the information gathered through the Platform. We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties. We disclose it only in the following circumstances.

7.1 With other Users, as needed to complete a booking

• A customer's name, pickup and drop addresses, contact person details and load details may be shared with the transporter, fleet owner or driver assigned to the booking.
• A transporter's, fleet owner's or driver's name, contact number, vehicle details, verification status, ratings and live location may be shared with the customer during an active booking.
• Users who receive this information must use it only for the booking and must keep it confidential.

7.2 With our service providers

We engage trusted third parties who help us operate the Platform, for example:

• Cloud hosting and data storage
• Payment gateways, banks and payment processors
• Identity, KYC, and vehicle and driver verification agencies
• GPS, telematics and geolocation/mapping services
• SMS, WhatsApp, email, telephony and notification services
• Analytics, advertising, crash reporting and customer support tools
• Auditors, consultants and professional advisers

These providers may access or process your information only to perform services on our behalf, in accordance with our instructions, and are required to keep it confidential and secure. We do not allow them to use your personal data for their own purposes.

7.3 With business partners

Some services (such as goods insurance, financing, fuel cards, FASTag, GPS devices or similar offerings) may be provided together with our business partners. If you choose to use those services, we may share your information with those partners to provide them, and their own privacy policies will also apply to their use of your information.

7.4 With our affiliates and group companies

We may share information with our parent, subsidiaries and affiliates for internal business and operational purposes, to detect and prevent fraud, identity theft and abuse, to correlate multiple accounts, and to provide joint or co-branded services that you request. They may not market to you as a result of this sharing unless you explicitly agree.

7.5 For legal, regulatory and safety reasons

We may disclose your information to courts, law enforcement agencies, regulators, tax authorities and other government bodies, or to third-party rights holders, where we believe in good faith that disclosure is required or reasonably necessary to:

• Comply with applicable law, regulation, subpoena, court order or legal process, or a lawful government request
• Enforce our Terms and Conditions or this Policy
• Respond to claims that an advertisement, posting or content violates the rights of a third party
• Investigate or prevent fraud, security issues or illegal activity
• Protect the rights, property or personal safety of Truck Bharat, our Users or the public

7.6 In connection with a business transaction

If we merge with, are acquired by, or sell or transfer some or all of our assets to another business, or undergo a reorganisation, amalgamation or restructuring, your information may be shared with or transferred to that entity. The new entity will be required to follow this Privacy Policy with respect to your personal information.

7.7 Aggregated or anonymised information

We may share aggregated, de-identified or statistical information that cannot reasonably be used to identify you, for example with partners, advertisers or researchers.

7.8 With your consent

We may share your information in other ways where you have given us your consent or instructed us to do so.

7.9 Information you disclose yourself

If you post personal information in public areas of the Platform (for example public listings, forums, reviews or searchable directories), or share it directly with other Users or off the Platform, that information may be collected and used by others over whom we have no control. We are not responsible for such use or for any disclosure you choose to make voluntarily.

8.1 What are cookies?

A cookie is a small piece of data stored on your device (computer, phone or tablet) when you visit a website. It contains information about you or your use of the site and helps the site recognise you and remember your preferences.

8.2 How we use them

We use cookies, pixels, web beacons, SDKs and similar technologies to:

• Keep the Platform working: maintain session continuity and keep you logged in
• Protect security: detect fraud and unauthorised access
• Remember your choices: language, location and other preferences
• Analyse usage: understand how the Platform is used and improve it
• Personalise content and offers: and measure the effectiveness of our communications and advertising

Cookies used by us do not contain viruses.

8.3 Types of cookies

• Essential cookies: required for the Platform to function and cannot be switched off
• Performance and analytics cookies: collect information about how visitors use the Platform
• Functionality cookies: remember your settings and choices
• Advertising and targeting cookies: used by us or our partners to show relevant offers and measure campaigns

8.4 IP addresses

We identify and use your IP address to diagnose server problems, administer the Platform, analyse usage, track users' movements within the Platform, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use.

8.5 Your choices

Most browsers let you refuse or delete cookies through their settings. If you reject cookies, you may still use some parts of the Platform, but you may not be able to access some Services or use some features. Some third-party providers may also offer their own opt-out tools.

The Platform may contain links to websites, apps or services operated by third parties, including advertisers, partners and payment providers. These links are provided for convenience only. Truck Bharat has no control over, and no relationship with, those sites, and is not responsible for their content or privacy practices. Once you leave the Platform, this Policy no longer applies. Please read the privacy policy of each site you visit.

We take the security of your information seriously. Our measures include:

• Storing information on secure servers with reputable, industry-standard cloud providers
• Encrypted (SSL/TLS) connections when you access or change your account information
• Role-based access controls so that only authorised personnel and providers with a genuine need can access personal information
• Confidentiality obligations for employees, agents and service providers
• Regular monitoring, assessment and improvement of our security practices

Important: No method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for:

• keeping your password, PIN and OTPs confidential and not sharing them with anyone,
• logging out of shared devices, and
• notifying us promptly if you suspect unauthorised use of your account.

If we become aware of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will take appropriate steps and notify you and the relevant authorities as required by law.

We retain your information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including:

• for as long as your account is active and to provide the Services,
• to comply with legal, tax, accounting, audit and reporting requirements,
• to resolve disputes, enforce our agreements and handle claims,
• to detect and prevent fraud and other misuse, and
• to conclude any activities related to closing your account.

When deciding how long to keep information, we consider its amount, nature and sensitivity, the risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure, the purposes for which we process it, and legal requirements.

After you request deletion or close your account, we will delete or anonymise your personal information within a reasonable period, except that:

• we may retain an archival copy for audit and record purposes for as long as we reasonably consider necessary, which will not be accessible to you or to third parties over the internet;
• we may retain logs, and demographic, statistical or indirect information that may relate to you but does not identify you personally; and
• we cannot delete information or copies of it that other Users or third parties have already accessed through the Platform and hold on their own systems.

Subject to applicable law, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: ask what personal information we hold about you and how it is used.
• Correction and update: review, correct or update your account profile information at any time by logging into your account and going to your profile, or by contacting us.
• Deletion: ask us to delete your personal information or close your account (see below).
• Withdrawal of consent: withdraw your consent to the collection, use, retention or disclosure of your information.
• Objection and restriction: object, for legitimate reasons, to certain processing of your information, or ask us to restrict it where applicable.
• Marketing opt-out: stop receiving promotional messages by using the unsubscribe link, replying STOP, changing app notification settings, or contacting us. We will still send you essential service messages.
• Grievance redressal: raise a complaint or concern about how your information is handled (see Section 18).

How to delete your information: If at any time you do not want us to retain your personal information, send us a written request using the details in Section 18. We will remove your information from our database, subject to Section 11, and confirm to you once this is done. If you wish to use our Services again in future, you will need to provide your information afresh.

Verification and limits: Before providing a copy of your personal information, or correcting, updating or deleting it, we may verify and authenticate your identity and the information involved. We may deny or limit access, correction or deletion where it would violate another person's rights, would compromise security or fraud prevention, or where we are otherwise required or permitted by law to do so. Deleting information may also mean we can no longer provide some Services to you.

By registering on the Platform and giving us your mobile number or email address, you agree that we may contact you by phone calls, SMS, WhatsApp, email and app notifications for service-related purposes and, unless you opt out, for promotional purposes. You agree that such communications will not be treated as unsolicited or spam, including where your number is registered with the National Do Not Call Registry. You can opt out of promotional communications at any time as described in Section 12.

Vehicles registered on or assigned through the Platform may be tracked using mobile technology or GPS devices for security, safety and service-delivery purposes. Live location may be shared with the relevant customer during an active booking. Location tracking is limited to what is needed for bookings and safety, and we do not track you for other purposes without your permission. You can manage location permissions in your device settings, but disabling them may prevent you from using certain features, such as accepting or tracking bookings.

The Platform and Services are intended only for persons aged 18 years or above who are legally capable of entering into a contract under Indian law. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe that a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.

Your information is primarily stored and processed on servers located in India. If we or our service providers transfer or process information outside India, we will take reasonable steps to ensure it receives a level of protection consistent with this Policy and applicable law. By using the Platform, you consent to such transfers.

We may add, revise, amend, modify or delete any part of this Policy from time to time, in our discretion or as required by law. The updated version will be posted on the Platform with a revised “Last updated” date, and where changes are material we may also notify you through the Platform, email or SMS. It is your responsibility to review this Policy periodically. Your continued use of the Platform after changes take effect means you accept the updated Policy. If you do not agree with the changes, you may stop using the Platform and ask us to close your account.

If you have any questions, concerns, complaints or requests about this Privacy Policy, your personal information, or your dealings with the Platform, or if you wish to access, correct or delete your information or withdraw consent, please contact us:

We will respond to your request as soon as reasonably possible.