Collecting Truck Wreck Data Will Get Tougher as Verizon Consolidates the Fleet Telematics Business

n 2012, Verizon acquired Hughes Telematics for $612 million. This June, it acquired Telogis, which makes logistics software mostly for fleet operators, for an undisclosed price. Now, it has paid $2.4 billion for the Fleetmatics Group, which is based in Dublin. Verizon, Omnitracs, and TRW are moving aggressively to acquire smaller companies in the dawn of the Electric On Board Recorder (EOBR) mandate era, set in motion by the FMCSA to cut down on safety violations and prevent truck collisions.

PDA or iPhone service will allow Verizon and other similarly situated companies to dominate the market in the EOBR era, and they are positioning themselves for that point. Qualcomm, under pressure from the major phone providers, jettisoned Omnitracs to focus on its core chip business. But, don’t be surprised to see it head back into the telematics business through its Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile partnerships to deliver fleet telematics hardware and software solutions.

Verizon has existing telematics and fleet relationships with Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen, while Telogis works with Ford and GM. The acquisition of Fleetmatics will enhance its worldwide footprint in the telematics space. One source for anything is never a good idea.

Contact a Georgia truck accident lawyer at Terry D. Jackson, P.C. to learn how these billion-dollar mergers will affect you and your truck accident case.