Trimble snaps up 10-4 in yet another visibility deal

Colorado-based freight visibility technology provider 10-4 Systems is the second such startup to be acquired in recent weeks after Descartes’ purchase of MacroPoint.    The parent company of transportation management software provider TMW Systems and a host of related trucking solutions has acquired visibility startup 10-4 Systems for an undisclosed amount, Trimble Transportation Enterprise said in a statement Thursday.
   Colorado-based 10-4 Systems is the second freight visibility provider to be snapped up in the last month, after competitor MacroPoint was acquired by logistics software provider Descartes.
   In June 2016, 10-4 was spun-off from the freight brokerage GlobalTranz, where the company had been incubating, as a standalone subsidiary. The software has been integrating with a number of high profile TMSs, including JDA Software, Manhattan Associates, Oracle, McLeod Software, and TMW. 10-4 specializes in providing visibility into small carriers.
   The company is among a trio of companies, along with MacroPoint and FourKites, that has created a great deal of buzz in the domestic transportation market by empowering brokers and shippers to get access to dynamic status updates of loads.
   The basic benefit of such visibility is to eliminate phone or text-based status updates from drivers, but all three companies have been endeavoring to put the visibility data they gather to more strategic uses, including predicting ETAs and other critical load milestones.
   “This acquisition will advance our mission to transform the way the world moves freight by providing innovative transactional, visibility, decision support and optimization solutions that benefit participants at every level of the supply chain,” said David W. Wangler, president of Trimble Transportation Enterprise. “With the addition of 10-4 Systems, Trimble will significantly enhance its ability to help the transportation industry optimize demand and capacity management and improve utilization of long-haul trucking assets.”
   Trimble’s other holdings besides TMW include telematics provider PeopleNet, and navigation software specialist ALK Technologies.
   10-4’s current president Travis Rhyan will remain as executive vice president and general manager.