Vehicle tracking technology is entering a new phase as artificial intelligence reshapes the way vehicles are monitored, maintained and managed. Companies with rich historical data are better positioned to adapt as automation, analytics, and predictive tools take center stage in transportation and logistics.
BNN Bloomberg spoke with Geotab CEO Neil Cawse about the company's move to AI-first, the value of long-term telematics data, and how rapid technological change is impacting fleet operations and the workforce.
Important points
- Artificial intelligence is becoming central to vehicle tracking as fleets seek better safety monitoring, predictive maintenance, and operational insights.
- Long-term telematics data can help identify driving risks, accident patterns, and infrastructure challenges, giving you a competitive advantage.
- AI tools are accelerating productivity, but forcing companies to rethink workflows, roles, and workforce planning.
- The shift to AI-first operations will be more disruptive than previous technology transitions in transportation and logistics.
- Canada's innovation ecosystem could benefit from greater risk-taking and reinvestment as AI lowers the barriers to technical debt.
Read the full story below.
Roger: Geotab counts several major organizations as customers, including the U.S. government, PepsiCo, and New York City. The Oakville, Ont.-based company recently expanded its contracts with Sourcewell and Canoe and now generates more than $1 billion in annual revenue. Joining us to discuss the vehicle tracking technology company is CEO Neil Cawse. Neil, thank you for joining us.
Neil: Thank you for having me.
Roger: It's a billion dollar company, but not very well known. You've been keeping a secret for about 25 years. Why did you choose that path?
Neil: That was never the real intention. We started as a small, family-run business with five employees and now have approximately 3,700 employees. Once you take the reins off, you have to let go. It wasn't planned that way, but I'm very happy with how it turned out.
Roger: Have you been approached for years about seeking investors or going public, and you've just kept saying no?
Neil: I previously made money selling a software business in South Africa, so I funded Geotab myself. The maximum investment amount was approximately $500,000. We never needed anything more, so we remained completely in-house and didn't bring in any outside investors. Sometimes I wonder if investors made Geotab bigger than it is now, but we'll never know. I'm happy with the results.
Dan: Given the track record of telematics and the amount of historical data we have, do you think it's worth it in the self-driving car conversation? Much of the data from companies like Tesla and Waymo is relatively recent, but there is a large amount of backlog.
Neil: Telematics does many things. Even in a world without drivers, there is still a role for telematics, including accident reconstruction using independent data sources. Self-driving cars also require maintenance, so predictive maintenance remains important. Our data is our most valuable asset. Understand origins and destinations, traffic flow, dangerous intersections, driver behavior that leads to accidents, how weather conditions affect driving, and more — in this new AI-powered world, data is everything.
Dan: How do you introduce AI into your existing business, whether it's large-scale language models or predictive systems?
Neil: We are a private company, so we don't have to talk about AI for evaluation purposes. But we've been using AI for over a decade. For us, AI means predictive models that identify which batteries are more likely to fail and which drivers are more likely to be involved in an accident. For large language models, the ability to interact with data is a game-changer. I thought Geotab was primarily about generating insights for fleet operators. I think now AI will be able to pull data from across the organization and do it better than telematics alone could ever do. Our role is shifting to collecting high-quality data. When data is the fuel for AI, quantity and quality matter most.
Roger: It is clear that research and development plays a major role. We spend approximately $150 million annually on research and development. Is your main focus now on AI?
Neil: that's right. This transition to AI was the most difficult period of my career. If we don't embrace AI and become AI-first companies soon, we risk being disinterred. Engineering productivity is doubling, but it's not just about AI, it's about the people who teach it. I'm excited about the future, but it's a difficult transformation.
Roger: How do you bring your employees through that transition?
Neil: It requires constant communication, goal setting, and creating a team to redesign parts of your business with an AI-first mindset. But it's difficult. Although we will do our best to avoid job losses, we cannot guarantee that all roles will remain in place. Even as new jobs are created, some jobs will be replaced. It's a human challenge. You can't ask people to quit their jobs on their own.
Roger: Is this kind of confusion just part of running a company?
Neil: Change is constant, but the magnitude of this change is unprecedented. I've lived through the PC era, the internet, mobile, and the transition to SaaS. This is the most profound and impactful change of them all. Technology companies will be the first to feel it, and we will need to understand it.
Dan: How do you think about technical debt in this context?
Neil: So far, I've focused on eliminating technical debt to build a strong foundation. What has changed is that AI can now help close the gap between companies that have invested heavily in technology and those that have not. This is encouraging for Canada, which has lagged behind U.S. investment levels. AI effectively reduces the cost of eliminating technical debt over time. Waiting can actually make the task cheaper.
Roger: What would you like Canada to do to support innovation?
Neil: The best thing governments can do is keep taxes low and encourage reinvestment into the economy. Entrepreneurs should be free to take risks and build companies. Canada has a great education system and quality of life, but we need to take more risks. That will encourage more entrepreneurship.
Roger: You have to leave it there. Neil, thank you for joining us.
Neil: thank you.
Roger: It was Geota CEO Neil Cawse.
—
This BNN Bloomberg summary and transcript of the December 17, 2025 interview with Neil Cowles is published with the help of AI. The original survey, interview questions, and added context were created by BNN Bloomberg journalists. Editors also reviewed this material prior to publication to ensure its accuracy and compliance with BNN Bloomberg's editorial policies and standards.
