Intelligent Imaging Systems (IIS), and its sister company, Drivewyze, announced a $7.5 million round of funding led by Emergence Capital Partners and iNovia Capital. Under the direction of Brian Heath, IIS and Drivewyze have created a mobile application targeting the transportation industry. The Series A funding will be used for sales and marketing expansion of the Drivewyze PreClear wireless weigh station bypass service, as well as new product development.
Founded in 2003 in Edmonton, Alberta, IIS develops road safety technology. The company launched Drivewyze in 2012 as a standalone division to market a new mobile-based weigh station bypass system for commercial truck operators. Fleets with good safety scores can use Drivewyze PreClear to “bypass” weigh stations up to 98 percent of the time, avoiding costly inspection delays.
“By leveraging our Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS) transponder technology, we have created a game changer for the trucking industry,” said Brian Heath, president and CEO of IIS and Drivewyze. “Fleets can access more sites and higher ROI services without the limitations of traditional roadside hardware. All you need is a web and GPS-enabled device in the cab.”
Drivewyze has integration partnerships with PeopleNet, XRS and Zonar to give fleets an opportunity to instant access the service, he said.
Drivewyze PreClear is available at 223 locations across 16 states. New states continue to adopt Drivewyze. The company says the funding will help achieve its goal of full national coverage in 2014. Fleet customers can also utilize the Drivewyze service on Android, iOS and Blackberry tablets and smartphones.
“At Emergence Capital, we have seen mobile technology allow workers in many large industries to take advantage of the cloud,” said Emergence Capital partner Brian Jacobs. “IIS and Drivewyze are using the cloud to redefine road safety and driver productivity. It is clear that states are embracing Drivewyze PreClear and fleets are seeing a significant financial return.”
Shawn Abbott, iNovia Partner, added, “Drivewyze is a perfect example of our investment thesis at work; that large existing industries — in this case transportation — can derive radical benefit from new services leveraging the now ubiquitous mobile Internet.”
