BigRoad, a Waterloo Region startup whose technology modernized the way truckers log their hours and other data, has been acquired by Fleet Complete, a Toronto-based provider of fleet-tracking services.
Details of the acquisition have not been disclosed, but “this partnership will enable Fleet Complete to offer the industry’s best electronic logging device (ELD) compliance platform in North America,” the Toronto company said in a news release.
BigRoad, founded in 2011 and initially housed in Waterloo’s Accelerator Centre, has helped move the massive trucking industry out of the paper era and into the digital realm with its software applications. Its smartphone app, downloaded more than 300,000 times, enables truckers to easily record data on their hours of service, fuel purchases, maintenance and other key activities, and share it with their fleet administrators.
In an e-mail interview, Jake McGuire, BigRoad's Vice-President of Sales, Marketing and Customer Success said the company will continue to operate in Waterloo Region, where it has grown to a team of 45 and counting. It operates at 180 Columbia St. W., where several high-growth tech companies have occupied space in buildings formerly owned by BlackBerry.
"We've planted our roots in K-W - we built our company here and will continue to operate here," McGuire said, adding that support from the Accelerator Centre and Communitech, and access to a high-quality talent pool, have been "integral to our success."
BigRoad will keep forging ahead, McGuire said, "but now, we will have the support of Fleet Complete to propel us even further and achieve our goals that much faster. We will be looking to integrate parts of our business to create efficiency for both companies."
Fleet Complete, founded in 2000, has more than 8,000 customers worldwide and partnerships with some of North America’s largest mobile carriers. The addition of BigRoad means “we can capture the largest share of the 4 million+ truck driver market” on the continent, said Tony Lourakis, CEO of Fleet Complete.
Photo: Nighttime Truck Stop by Todd Lappin is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
