Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/661432
Tools Trucking L ast August, John Graham sat down for coff ee with Dr. Irwin Jacobs, co-founder of Qualcomm and the pioneer of satellite tracking and mobile communica ons in the trucking industry. The conversation lasted for three hours in Dr. Jacobs' home. "He wanted to hear what is going on with Omnitracs," Graham said during a morning keynote address at Omni- tracs' user conference, Feb. 1, in Dal- las. When Dr. Jacobs learned of the strategy and investments being made, he told Graham "this is exactly what we needed to be doing years ago." In November, 2013, Graham became chief executive offi cer of Om- nitracs following the purchase of the entity from Qualcomm by Vista Equity Partners. In short order, Omnitracs ac- quired complimentary mobile provid- ers Roadnet Technologies and XRS, moved its headquarters to Dallas, and doubled its headcount from 550 to nearly 1,100, among other large feats. In terms of headcount, "we are probably at the size we are going to be," Graham said. Since last year's inaugural user conference, Omnitracs invested $50 million in research and development and its 2016 plans call for $70 million. Graham said the company has met all of its commitments to customers for the delivery of new products that were planned for 2015. "We can always get better. We are not always perfect and we have our challenges, but when we say we are going to do something we want to come through with that," he said. A new gateway The highlight of the Omnitracs Outlook conference, held at the Hilton Anatole Jan. 31-Feb. 2, was a new Intelligent Vehicle Gateway (IVG). This new Windows mobile platform expands on the capabilities of the Mobile Computing Platform line that Omnitracs inherited from Qualcomm. It also represents a single, and uni- By Aaron Huff Omnitracs, Cummins gearing up for 'over the air' engine updates March '16 www.studentdriverplacement.com 9 The Intelligent vehicle Gateway (IVG) from Omni- tracs has a new voice command feature