TRUCKERS-FRIEND PRIVACY POLICY

Truckers-Friend (“we,” “our,” or “the Platform”) operates a Zero-Trust Emergency Roadside Directory designed to protect over-the-road (OTR) commercial drivers from unverified routing entities. To do this, we must verify the people and businesses in our directory.

We don't hide behind legalese. This policy explains exactly what data we collect, why we need it to protect the supply chain, how we secure it, and your rights regarding it.

1. Data We Collect and How We Classify It

We collect information from commercial drivers seeking help and service providers applying for verification.

• Owner-Operators & Sole Proprietors: We recognize that for sole proprietors, owner-operators, and independent mobile mechanics, your "business" data is intimately tied to you as an individual. We treat W-9s, driver’s licenses, and individual contact information as highly protected Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
• Service Provider Verification Data: To conduct our "Kingpin Standard" audits, we collect business names, phone numbers, addresses, Certificates of Insurance (COI), and photographs of service vehicles/bays.
• Driver Extortion Reports: If you file a report regarding extortion or predatory roadside rates, we collect your contact info, the details of the incident, and any evidence you provide (e.g., invoices, text logs) to build an advocacy case.

2. Geolocation Data (The Ephemeral Rule)

When a driver uses our 90-Second Verifier, we may request precise geolocation data (GPS) to route you to the nearest verified mechanic.

• No Tracking, No Selling: We do not track your historical route. We do not sell your location data to data brokers, advertisers, or third parties.
• Instant Purge: Your location is used strictly to execute the immediate search query and is dumped from our active routing memory immediately after the service connection is made.

3. Biometric Data & Edge Sterilization

To verify service providers, we require photos of trucks, license plates, and service bays.

• Edge Sterilization: We explicitly do not collect or store human facial geometry or biometric identifiers. Any photograph uploaded to our platform undergoes automated "Edge Sterilization" before it is permanently saved. This means faces and license plates are algorithmically blurred at our server edge.
• No Biometric Database: We do not run facial recognition software or maintain a biometric database.

4. Cross-Border Data Transfers (U.S. Storage)

Truckers-Friend is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, but we utilize enterprise-grade global cloud infrastructure (Cloudflare).

U.S. Data Storage: By using this platform, you explicitly consent that your data will be transferred to, processed, and stored securely on servers located in the United States.

• U.S. Law Application: Because data rests in the U.S., it is subject to the laws of the United States and may be accessible to U.S. law enforcement or national security authorities under lawful orders. We protect this transfer through strict Data Processing Addendums (DPAs) with our infrastructure providers to ensure Canadian-equivalent protection.

5. Automated Decision-Making (The Human Failsafe)

We use Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) scripts and algorithms to pre-score service providers and identify high-risk "Virtual Dispatch Entities" (e.g., detecting VoIP phone numbers or virtual office addresses).

Algorithms Suggest, Humans Decide: Our algorithms do not make the final call to issue a Trust Badge or exclude a provider. All final directory exclusions, badge issuances, and audit determinations are reviewed and executed by a human operator in our War Room.

6. The Evidence Vault and Predatory Pricing Records

We maintain an internal "Evidence Vault" to protect drivers from known predatory roadside rates. If a provider fails our Kingpin Standard audit for predatory practices, they are excluded from our directory.

• Omission Protocol: We do not maintain an indefinite, publicly queryable de-platforming directory. Audit logs and associated PII are subject to a rolling purge schedule and are destroyed or anonymized after seven (7) years, once the purpose of protecting the immediate network is fulfilled.
• Dispute Mechanism: Any provider flagged by our system has the right to dispute the findings and submit corrected evidence for human review.

7. Analytics & Performance Monitoring (Google Analytics)

We use Google Analytics (Measurement ID: G-ZSLZRVWM3D), a web analytics service provided by Google LLC, to understand how visitors interact with our Platform. This helps us improve site performance, identify broken pages, and optimize the driver experience.

• What Google Analytics Collects: Page views, session duration, approximate geographic location (city/region level derived from your IP address), device type, browser type, and referral source. Google Analytics uses first-party cookies (named _ga and _ga_*) to distinguish unique visitors.
• IP Anonymization: Google Analytics 4 (GA4) does not log or store full IP addresses. Your IP is used only for geographic approximation and is then discarded by Google's infrastructure.
• No Cross-Site Tracking: We do not use Google Analytics data to build advertising profiles, serve targeted ads, or share your browsing behavior with third-party advertisers. We do not enable Google Signals or Remarketing features.
• Data Retention: Analytics event data is retained for 14 months, after which it is automatically deleted from Google's servers.
• Your Opt-Out Rights: You may opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on, or by configuring your browser to block cookies from googletagmanager.com.

For more information, see Google's Privacy Policy.

8. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction (including Alberta, PIPEDA, Quebec Law 25, and applicable U.S. state laws), you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Request deletion of your data (subject to our legal rights to retain evidence of predatory disputes).

To exercise these rights, or to dispute a verification audit, contact our Privacy Officer at: privacy@truckers-friend.com

9. Security

We protect your data using industry-standard cryptography, including HMAC-signed webhooks, secure edge networks, and encrypted databases. However, no internet transmission is 100% secure. You use the Platform at your own risk.

10. Policy Changes

We may update this policy as laws evolve or our infrastructure changes. Material changes will be communicated clearly on our website or via email.