Omnitracs, LLC, a global fleet management solution provider to transportation and logistics companies, has announced a technology collaboration with Cummins Inc. Together, Omnitracs and Cummins are offering a new solution to use existing hardware to perform Cummins-powered engine calibrations updates remotely. This offering is another step in continuing Omnitracs’ goal of empowering drivers and managers through technology.

With repairs and maintenance now accounting for 10 percent of overall vehicle operating costs, fleets are looking for innovative ways to reduce this overhead. Critical calibration updates can also be challenging to coordinate, and often result in missed updates or unplanned downtime. Cummins over-the-air programming (OTAP) solution, Connected Software Updates, allows drivers to receive engine control unit (ECU) software updates remotely, leveraging their existing Omnitracs hardware. These combined technologies create a competitive differentiator and significant advantage for our joint clients.

“Cummins is committed to developing innovative and dependable solutions for our global customers. Connected Software Updates enables uptime and reliability, with market leading download speeds,” said Todd Mysak, Cummins director of Digital Business Development. “We are excited to be working with Omnitracs to provide our joint customers with the latest in over-the-air solutions.”

With this new offering, customers of Omnitracs and Cummins will benefit from the following:

• Improved maintenance logistics – all drivers across an entire fleet can receive critical ECU software updates over the air instead of having to bring trucks in for updates.
• Reduction in vehicle downtime – customers can avoid approximately 2.3 days of vehicle downtime at an average cost-plus loss of revenue of $1,000 per day.
• Increased compliance – making critical updates when needed will ensure vehicles are healthy and running at peak performance.
• Optimized vehicles – ability to optimize fleet for specific driving conditions will boost fuel efficiency, vehicle performance, and vehicle health.

“Omnitracs is dedicated to building relationships that help us to innovate for our customers – now and in the future,” said Scott Sparr, product manager at Omnitracs. “Our industry is undergoing a fundamental shift, and we need to work together to deliver technologies that aide fleets through this new digital era. Cummins Connected Software Updates combined with Omnitracs fleet management platform will deliver notable improvements on vehicle downtime, increase productivity, and drive down costs.”

Omnitracs will provide over-the-air software updates on Cummins engines that were built in 2017 or later. This turn-key solution is available immediately and will be included for customers through the remainder of 2019. To be eligible for this program, customers must be utilizing the Omnitracs Enterprise Services (ES) platform with an installed Intelligent Vehicle Gateway (IVG) and an Extended Fault Monitoring subscription.

The two companies plan to expand the service over the next few years, with a focus on tailored environmental and route updates.