Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Rand McNally makes acquisition to boost “connected vehicle” products

Private equity ownership buys Australia’s Fleetsu startup for its data collection and analytics tools.

fleetsu Screen Shot 2022-04-12 at 12.42.00 PM.png

Fleet management and asset tracking solution provider Rand McNally is leveraging its private equity backing to acquire an Australian vehicle data monitoring firm, saying the deal will allow it to offer a “connected vehicle” solution across the full fleet supply chain.

Chicago-based Rand McNally acquired Perth, Australia-based Fleetsu for an undisclosed amount. Teleo Capital, the investment firm which purchased Rand McNally in 2020, said that combining the two fleet organizations was part of its pledge to “significantly increase its investment in best-in-class solutions for the transportation market.”


"The acquisition of Fleetsu is an exciting step in Rand McNally's transformation of its fleet and navigation product offerings," Joseph Roark, Teleo Capital’s operating partner and Rand McNally’s chairman, said in a release. "Fleetsu's cutting edge platform, analytics and data capabilities will allow Rand McNally to offer a connected vehicle solution across the full fleet supply chain. The acquisition further expands Rand McNally's footprint as a global provider to long-haul and local fleets, field service companies, government, auto and truck OEMs (both fuel and EV platforms) and vehicle rental fleets."

Specifically, the transaction brings together Rand McNally's fleet business with Fleetsu's platform, data, and analytics capabilities. According to the firms, that combination will help fleet operators to maximize business productivity through access to real-time, on-the-road data, providing insights into issues like driver location and safety, engine performance, and vehicle efficiency (both fossil and electric).

Jakub Felinski, the founder of seven-year-old Fleetsu, will now take on the title of chief innovation officer at Rand McNally. "With Rand McNally's strong navigation and transportation expertise and our already deep bench of leading engineers focused on creating technology data solutions, we are confident that we will be moving the industry forward," Felinski said in a statement. "We look forward to expanding our combined global business that writes a new chapter for connected transportation, led by technology." 

The Latest

More Stories

Trucking industry experiences record-high congestion costs

Trucking industry experiences record-high congestion costs

Congestion on U.S. highways is costing the trucking industry big, according to research from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), released today.

The group found that traffic congestion on U.S. highways added $108.8 billion in costs to the trucking industry in 2022, a record high. The information comes from ATRI’s Cost of Congestion study, which is part of the organization’s ongoing highway performance measurement research.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

From pingpong diplomacy to supply chain diplomacy?

There’s a photo from 1971 that John Kent, professor of supply chain management at the University of Arkansas, likes to show. It’s of a shaggy-haired 18-year-old named Glenn Cowan grinning at three-time world table tennis champion Zhuang Zedong, while holding a silk tapestry Zhuang had just given him. Cowan was a member of the U.S. table tennis team who participated in the 1971 World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya, Japan. Story has it that one morning, he overslept and missed his bus to the tournament and had to hitch a ride with the Chinese national team and met and connected with Zhuang.

Cowan and Zhuang’s interaction led to an invitation for the U.S. team to visit China. At the time, the two countries were just beginning to emerge from a 20-year period of decidedly frosty relations, strict travel bans, and trade restrictions. The highly publicized trip signaled a willingness on both sides to renew relations and launched the term “pingpong diplomacy.”

Keep ReadingShow less
forklift driving through warehouse

Hyster-Yale to expand domestic manufacturing

Hyster-Yale Materials Handling today announced its plans to fulfill the domestic manufacturing requirements of the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act for certain portions of its lineup of forklift trucks and container handling equipment.

That means the Greenville, North Carolina-based company now plans to expand its existing American manufacturing with a targeted set of high-capacity models, including electric options, that align with the needs of infrastructure projects subject to BABA requirements. The company’s plans include determining the optimal production location in the United States, strategically expanding sourcing agreements to meet local material requirements, and further developing electric power options for high-capacity equipment.

Keep ReadingShow less
map of truck routes in US

California moves a step closer to requiring EV sales only by 2035

Federal regulators today gave California a green light to tackle the remaining steps to finalize its plan to gradually shift new car sales in the state by 2035 to only zero-emissions models — meaning battery-electric, hydrogen fuel cell, and plug-in hybrid cars — known as the Advanced Clean Cars II Rule.

In a separate move, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also gave its approval for the state to advance its Heavy-Duty Omnibus Rule, which is crafted to significantly reduce smog-forming nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from new heavy-duty, diesel-powered trucks.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshots for starboard trade software

Canadian startup gains $5.5 million for AI-based global trade platform

A Canadian startup that provides AI-powered logistics solutions has gained $5.5 million in seed funding to support its concept of creating a digital platform for global trade, according to Toronto-based Starboard.

The round was led by Eclipse, with participation from previous backers Garuda Ventures and Everywhere Ventures. The firm says it will use its new backing to expand its engineering team in Toronto and accelerate its AI-driven product development to simplify supply chain complexities.

Keep ReadingShow less