ORAN, Mo. — Finloc 2000 Inc. announced June 1 that Anthony Petitte has been chosen to head the company’s FinPark division as COO, where he will run all truck parking operations in the U.S. and Canada.
FinPark offers a technology application solution to an issue that has plagued the trucking industry for the past three decades — locating and reserving safe, secure parking for big rigs and their drivers, Petitte says.
Petitte is no stranger to the truck-parking arena; he co-founded Chicago-based TruckPark in 2016 and served as the company’s CEO until selling it in 2021. After staying on with the purchasing company for several months, Petitte left to work with friends Mustafa Azizi and Matt Tabatabai, CEO and COO, respectively, of Zuum App. During his year with Zuum, Petitte worked as head of partnerships and marketing, securing new business for the company’s digital freight marketplace and TMS.
Following the expiration of a noncompete agreement in early may, Petitte was asked to join the FinPark division of Finloc to head up truck parking in Canada and expand operations to the U.S.
“FinPark is essentially what I built at TruckPark,” Petitte told The Trucker. “It’s a parking-place application for brokers, carriers, drivers, and shippers to find reserved paid parking in real time, as well as offer their under-utilized spaces to make revenue.”
Using TruckPark as a model, Petitte says he plans to build out FinPark as a next-generation parking and storage marketplace. Currently FinPark has locations in the U.S. and Canada, and the team is actively seeking out new sites to add to the network.
“Truck parking has been an industry issue for years, and finally more people are working to solve the problem, especially since Congress passed legislation saying every state should provide reserved and secure locations, versus just off-the-road parking,” Petitte said.
In addition to helping ensure the safety of drivers and their cargo, providing secure parking can also help motor carriers retain drivers, he noted.
“(Carriers) are focusing on their drivers, which are the companies’ core assets, and saying, ‘How can we support you?’” he said, adding that feedback from drivers points to two top issues — detention and parking.
Petitte was introduced to the trucking industry by his late uncle, who worked as a Teamsters driver in the 1970s. In later years, he owned a parking facility in the Chicago area, and Petitte helped with marketing.
“(Uncle Sammy) opened the door to so many possibilities, friendships, mentorships and opportunities,” he said. “I am eternally grateful and will do all I can to build another company with integrity, focusing on creating the best and most seamless experience for truck drivers.”
During his years of working with the freight industry, Petitte says, he has had many mentors and friends.
“I am blessed to have made such great friends in this industry — friends who have lifted me up and have been a constant support for years,” he continued. “One of those many friends is JD Redmon (chief revenue officer for vHub), who helped me get this job. He is selfless, charismatic and one of the best transportation guys in the game. Furthermore, I am excited to work jointly with JD and his team as we go to market with vHub and FinPark, respectively.”
While Petitte says he has no regrets about selling TruckPark, he is excited about getting back into the arena.
“I look forward to winning past and existing partnerships with all of you within my network and beyond. In this next buildout, I will strive to operate a unified reservation platform,” he said. “This market is large enough for everyone to play in — there are no competitors — only like-minded individuals and companies looking to solve a 30-year headache.”
Finloc President Sebastien Blouin says he is looking forward to having Petitte on the team.
“Finloc feels privileged to add Anthony as a teammate, and also (his) expertise,” Blouin said. “Anthony’s skillset, combined with our team and Finloc’s multi-decade expertise in the transportation industry, (will help to) resolve one of the Top 10 issues … in the trucking industry.”
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
