Samsung And Omnitracs Launch Fleet Tracking Solution In Big IoT Transportation Push

Samsung is rolling out a new solution with fleet management technology company Omnitracs, to be sold solely by channel partners, which will let trucking companies meet an approaching federal mandate for using electronic logging devices.

It's the latest push by Samsung to provide IoT offerings in numerous industries, with transportation being a focus thanks to the requirement for long-haul trucks to use an electronic logging device (ELD) starting on Dec. 18.

[Related: Samsung Exec On New IoT Offerings For Transportation And The Big Opportunity For The Channel]

The new ELD solution is also another signal of Omnitracs' widening emphasis on working with channel partners; company channel chief Eric Braswell told CRN that revenue from the channel had increased 600 percent for the company in the past two-and-a-half years.

For the new ELD solution, Samsung devices such as the 8-inch Galaxy Tab E tablet will be outfitted with Omnitracs' XRS fleet management software, which will allow it to connect wirelessly to a logging device in the truck.

The solution will replace the need for drivers to keep paper logs, and will also provide trucking companies with analytics around driver performance, such as fuel usage and driving behavior.

When drivers are off duty, they will be able to access the Samsung device for personal usage, with Samsung's Knox software enabling a secure partition between work and personal usage of the device, according to the companies.

While most customers are expected to request the Tab E tablet due to its 8-inch form factor, the solution can also work with Samsung smartphones such as the Galaxy S8 and Note8, said Dain McCracken, senior manager for the transportation vertical at Samsung.

One value-added reseller that is already working to provide the Samsung-Omnitracs ELD solution to customers is Gilbert, Arizona-based Clutch Solutions.

The company has installed hundreds of electronic logging devices for customers in recent months as the federal mandate looms, but the Samsung- Omnitracs ELD solution will be a big focus in coming months thanks to its flexibility and security, according to Clutch Solutions.

The company will be "very busy" leading up to the Dec. 18 deadline, said Clutch Solutions President Garrette Backie, though the opportunity will continue through the end of 2019 as additional trucking companies fall under the mandate.

"We'll have another two years of being busy as well," Backie said.

The joint solution from Samsung and Omnitracs follows an earlier partnership between Samsung and a fleet management technology company, Magellan, which was announced in April.