Startup News: Daimler Trucks North America Partners with Platform Science

Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) today announced its partnership with Platform Science, the developer of a leading platform for on-vehicle mobile applications offering advanced fleet management software solutions. Platform Science will be the primary on-vehicle fleet management software development and distribution partner, enabling customers to purchase and utilize third party telematics solutions and connectivity services directly from their trucks without aftermarket hardware installation. Also announced today, Daimler Truck AG has made an investment in Platform Science via the company’s Series B funding round.

“The inclusion of Platform Science in our connected telematics platform represents a leap forward for the industry, and more importantly, our customers,” said Roger Nielsen, president and CEO, DTNA. “The demand and the need for efficiency, safety, and uptime has never been greater than it is today. With Platform Science, we will help customers avoid pre-installations delays, improve the fleet manager and driver experience once their assets are on the road, and help keep them moving forward as they keep the world moving.”

Built-in telematics hardware from DTNA will be available from the factory with Platform Science’s software, eliminating the delays, costs, and inconveniences of installing after-market devices, cabling, and antennas. The integration of Platform Science’s technology will provide a seamless customer experience by including an end-to-end solution and maximum visibility with minimal complexity. Drivers will simply need to bring an authorized mobile device and log into their new vehicles’ DTNA onboard telematics system.

“Our partnership with Platform Science will bring a groundbreaking connectivity experience to our customers. By leveraging Platform Science’s transportation specific Mobile Device Management, customers will be able to choose the solutions to fit their mixed fleet needs and seamlessly integrate those solutions into their trucks. Platform Science’s edge computing IoT platform for transportation solves for enterprise and large fleet compliance, productivity, and safety needs,” said Sanjiv Khurana, General Manager, Digital Vehicle Solutions at DTNA.

This partnership will initially provide key fleet management solutions including electronic logging system, workflow, driver inspection, navigation options, and additional fleet-specific apps, offering customers choice and control of all of their on-vehicle mobile technologies. Ultimately, the service aims to deliver apps from a wide range of software providers, all available on a single telematics enabled platform.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with DTNA on this effort to transform the customer experience. This is particularly rewarding now more than ever, as we’ve all come to appreciate truck drivers and the day-to-day challenges they face more than ever,” said Jack Kennedy, Founder & CEO of Platform Science. “Additionally, the investment by Daimler Truck AG in our Series B funding round is a great indication of our common belief that we have reached an inflection point for transportation technology; the in-cab experience will now have the opportunity to keep pace with the ‘in-pocket’ experience that smartphones have taught us to expect. We’re very excited to have this opportunity to expand upon the user-friendly application ecosystem that Platform Science has created to serve both fleet end-users and those application, technology, and service providers seeking to serve them.”

Co-creation is a central tenet of DTNA’s approach to bringing purposeful innovations to market. In order to deliver a robust and user-friendly solution to improve customer experience, DTNA and Platform Science are currently collaborating with some of the nation’s leading enterprise fleets to provide feedback during the development and testing phase.

DTNA vehicles installed with Platform Science will begin rolling out in the nation’s leading enterprise fleets in 2021.