Business
Looking north Omnitracs plans to place more focus on its efforts in Canada By Derek Clouthier NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE Following last year’s Shaw Tracking acquisition, Omnitracs is focused on increasing its footprint in the Great White North. Speaking during Outlook 2018, Mike Segal, director of product management with Omnitracs, outlined where his company will be focusing
its efforts in Canada, and it all starts with putting in more effort. “We endeavor to bring the Canadian marketplace even closer and the Shaw acquisition will help us do that,” said Segal. “We want Canada to be more closely integrated into what we do in the U.S.” Shaw Tracking had been a partner of Omnitracs in Canada for more than 25 years, distributing a wide
range of products, including GPS and fleet management software. Segal said about 90% of the work Omnitracs does in the U.S. is applicable in Canada as well, and that there are still some areas that are uniquely Canadian. Some of the initial priorities the company is working on in Canada include adding French language options to its products, providing over-the-air firmware updates, new vehicle inspection reporting, which must include requirements for the Canadian marketplace, and continuing hours-of-service development.
“We have our eyes on the Canadian ELD mandate,” said Segal. “It has been our life in the U.S. and it’s going to come back around in Canada.” Segal said 2017 was undoubtedly “the year of the ELD” and now that it has passed, more of the company’s attention can be focused on other efforts. Additional goals for Omnitracs in Canada include enabling C-TPAT (Custom Trade Partnership Against Terrorism), a 17-point electronic form drivers fill out before crossing the border. The company is also looking to have a satellite add-on for intelligent vehicle gateway (IVG) coverage for areas with little or no cellular coverage. TN
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May 2018 • Truck News 17