KeepTruckin Chief Executive Shoaib Makani laid out the company’s ambitious plans to move beyond its core electronic logging device (ELD) market to becoming an end-to-end provider of truck technology.
The San Francisco-based company has already detailed plans to add in-cab safety cameras and create a load board for drivers. But the six-year old company is also looking to add trailer and asset tracking to its suite of products.
Speaking at Transparency 19, Makani said the company’s start comes out of its survey of the “technology landscape and the solutions that were available and we were shocked.”
Makani continued, “The hardware and software quality we were used to and take for granted was not available to the folks that move freight.”
The move well beyond the ELD market comes in the wake of the $149 million funding round the company announced in April.
KeepTruckin’s ELD device is now in use by over 50,000 carriers, representing just over half of the current market.
“We serve large and small fleets alike and we have a critical amount of data around their operating characteristics,” Makani said
That scale will help KeepTruckin’s new freight matching solution, Makani said. Utilizing the data on hours of service, equipment type, location, lane history and load factors will provide a better way for carriers to find freight.
“Load boards have existed for years, but we have the foundation for better freight matching,” Makani said. “We can take data to try and predict what is the right load for the right truck.”
The freight matching service will be open to shippers that want to access an “incredibly dense network on the small fleet side,” Makani explained.
“Bringing those two parties together will improve utilization, drive efficiency and help carriers drive their business.”
Next week, KeepTruckin will introduce an in-cab coaching platform that will allow drivers to review and understand any mistakes made on the road. The new service comes out of its introduction of in-cab cameras to monitor driver behavior and investments in machine learning to review footage for potential errors on the road.
As insurance costs for trucking companies rise, Makani said in-cab video platforms “are having a major impact on road safety and driving down insurance premiums.”
He added, “That’s putting money back into carrier and driver pockets.”
KeepTruckin also plans to introduce an asset tracking device for trailers. The battery- and solar-powered device will act as a wireless gateway for fleets to add sensors for temperature and door openings. Through its connectivity to a transport management system, the asset tracking device will allow fleet managers to geo-fence their assets and have better visibility into their trailer fleet.
Makani said KeepTruckin’s “vision is for an integrated fleet management platform that spans compliance, asset management, video safety and workflow. No one is bringing it together in an integrated way.”
