Omnitracs is the best known player in the ELD industry, and in early 2016 they announced the Intelligent Vehicle Gateway (IVG) as the future of their telematics product line. The fact that Omnitracs seems to view IVG as their new flagship product is reason enough for most fleets to take a serious look, but they’ve also sweetened the deal with a quicker install, some innovative new features, and a more affordable price tag.
The IVG markets itself as a one device, one cable solution. The standard install still involves removing some dash panels to attach a back-plate for the screen mount, and to connect the device cable to the diagnostic port behind the dash. This is a much simpler and quicker install than the older MCP units, but you can still expect to spend 30 minutes or so. While it’s more time consuming than some of the truly plug-and-play options (like Rand McNally TND), you arguably get a more stable, tamper-resistant connection once it’s done. It’s a nice balance between ease and reliability.
All the standard features you’d expect from an industry leading ELD are available: logs, DVIR, messaging, navigation, engine diagnostics, etc. Users of the top shelf MCP models (110/200) will also recognize the more advanced capabilities that continue to be available with IVG such as in-cab scanning, tire pressure monitoring, dash cams, and so on.
In addition to familiar features, the IVG also brings some new innovations of its own. Drivers can link their own smart phone to the IVG via WiFi or Bluetooth, allowing them to perform certain tasks while away from the truck. A driver could send and receive dispatch messages, update trip progress, and even capture signatures or document images remotely from their phone. Soon the device will even function as a mobile WiFi hotspot, allowing drivers to connect their personal tablet or phone and get internet access through the IVG. The IVG also has a voice command system, somewhat like Apple’s Siri. A driver can simply say “Hello, Omnitracs”, and then speak a wide variety of basic commands to the system. They can do things like go to the home screen, adjust brightness settings, and check on remaining Hours of Service time. This gives drivers the helpful ability to access basic features without touching the device or taking their eyes off the road.
One of the stated goals of the IVG is to provide the advanced capabilities of the higher level MCP models at a lower price point. The up-front cost of the unit is $750-800. This is a little more than the MCP50 base unit, but cheaper than the upper level MCPs and with most of the same advanced features available. Monthly pricing on the IVG is also lower at around $30 for a basic plan. The lower monthly bill adds up over time, and creates a lower total cost than even the MCP50.
All around, the IVG seems to be a great new step in the already excellent line of Omnitracs products. It brings the features and reliability that make Omnitracs an industry leader, and adds new capabilities and an easier install, all for a lower overall price. IVG should be on the short list for any fleet looking for a full telematics solution that goes way beyond ELD basics.
Cost
UP FRONT COST
$799
MONTHLY COST
$30
3-YEAR TOTAL COST
$1879
Pros & Cons
- Easier install. One device, one cable
- New tech features like voice commands and smartphone pairing
- Lower overall cost than the Omnitracs MCP
- Higher up-front cost than the older MCP50
User Reviews
It’s the worst ELD I ever used
Very bad customer service. The cost is higher than similar products on the market. Run away from this vendor!
Complete junk…..forces me to approve logs that I am unable to review. Navigation is useless at best, and completely dangerous in many circumstances—this thing will do its best to send you down power lines and people’s driveways….once tried to send me over an antique bridge that was restricted to 10,000#.
This unit is so awesome!
Was using a competitor’s system that functioned as expected….company then decided to force us to buy omnitracs—very poor design, slow, ….graphics worse than my kid’s toys…. useless navigation, not easy to review logs without emailing them to myself.
I would never willingly buy this system again.
Not driver friendly !
The units treat you like your a drone.
Absolute junk. We are actively working on finding an alternative solution for 100 trucks. This company just isn’t getting any smarter as the years go by.
They do an update on Friday evening and crash the system. No one in to fix it until Monday. No logs, can’t even log off duty. Have to drive at least 500 miles in any direction for a fix. Have drivewyze on it, and it’s completely uselness.
Very slow in truck, absolutely pitiful. Admin side is crap as well, convoluted and not integrated one bit. Why do I have to go to 3 websites to see HOS/ GPS Location/ DVIR? As a Canadian user we do not have the Vehicle Inspection icon working even though I have emails saying it will be updated in Nov 2018, then no update or response. Then replies saying early 2019 and more lies. Trailer numbers must be manually entered on the POS touch screen, why? I entered them all on Grovesoft, they should be available in a drop down menu…it’s almost 2020 and this is unacceptable. Units that stay in driving and units where workflow doesn’t appear, complete restarts constantly, no response to emails etc. Just a joke of a company Why do we need to waste hours a year waiting for this archaic unit to transition between screens, or wait in ‘workflow’ while trying to do a dam pre-trip??? Why can’t your company understand that professional drivers, simply put, prefer ‘Message’ over use of the word Macro? Just one tiny example of many that show just how out of touch with your target customer base you are. USELESS customer service, slow outdated system ... Read Full Review
Very slow in truck, absolutely pitiful. Admin side is crap as well, convoluted and not integrated one bit. Why do I have to go to 3 websites to see HOS/ GPS Location/ DVIR? As a Canadian user we do not have the Vehicle Inspection icon working even though I have emails saying it will be updated in Nov 2018, then no update or response. Then replies saying early 2019 and more lies.
Trailer numbers must be manually entered on the POS touch screen, why? I entered them all on Grovesoft, they should be available in a drop down menu…it’s almost 2020 and this is unacceptable. Units that stay in driving and units where workflow doesn’t appear, complete restarts constantly, no response to emails etc. Just a joke of a company
Why do we need to waste hours a year waiting for this archaic unit to transition between screens, or wait in ‘workflow’ while trying to do a dam pre-trip??? Why can’t your company understand that professional drivers, simply put, prefer ‘Message’ over use of the word Macro? Just one tiny example of many that show just how out of touch with your target customer base you are.
USELESS customer service, slow outdated system and not worth considering ever again.
Canadian customer with 26 units here.
Omnitracs takes no accountability for bad firmware they released. The support at Omnitracs is slow and shows no scene of urgency.
Terrible. Have had nothing but issues on the LTL application. Constant rebutting.
It’s so slow, it could be slower than a 1990s desktop with windows XP in it. What is in this thing? A Pentium processor. For $2k I’d expect something that’s fast not slow as balls.
NEVER USE THESE PEOPLE
Worst ELD experience my business has ever dealt with. Omnitracs customers are all just test dummies for all their outdated software and “upcoming solutions.”
Have had this system for a year and a half And was fairly happy With it until they updated the firm ware in 7/18
Now it is almost unuseable it has many glitches and calling support Is a joke If i were buying a new system today it would not be this one
Have been using these in our fleet since the mandate Dec 2017
Pros: durable unit, comes with ram mounts
Cons: Painstakingly slow due to the outdated software, navigation is terrible and our drivers opt out of it, more random features than actually needed, touchscreens are horrible and requires repeated tapping to get to engage.
Better then the older MCP series, but eventually the onboarding cache and memory becomes full and like the proprietary windows 2000/ME OS that was used by Qualcomm for these bad products, it becomes agonizingly slow.
Omitracs was met in 2017 by 100s of thousands of potential new customers and competitors, if that never happened we would still be using an even more inferior product like the MCP 50-200 still. Horrible, horrible slow products.
Best messages and HOS in the Trucking Industry.
Really klunky system, navigatio glitches are very common, having to disconnect power then reconnect, takes 5+ minutes to boot, very slow responding GUI
With cellphones as fast as they are and as much storage as they have, you think a much larger unit would be faster, yet its resources are typically 70% taken up. Needs an overhual and is not user friendly as they say, i can come out of SB, turn qualcomm on, go to the restroom and get back in the truck and it may not even be fully fired up yet.
I have to agree with the low ratings – these change status on their own regularly. I had a truck with completely dead battery for 3 weeks and my jumper pack shower 0 volts when I attached it. Stared and logged in – took to have new battery. Logged out – then back in after battery change. Logged out at end of day – came back 18 hours later to find still logged in. On top of that, checking the graph page shoed I had accumulated 48 : 54 hours in a 70 hour duty cycle- after having no power until 24 hours ago over a 3 week period!. This unit will cost you 2+ hours a week in resets and phone calls – as well as possible fines if not triple checked constantly. TOTAL JUNK!!!
This eld is making me nuts very slow,very lazy, have to press buttons more than once to change status, knowing what i know now would never purchase this logging device again.
My favorite part is when you call customer support (numerous times) and they haven’t got a damned clue about why you are having the issue, and don’t bother to try to find out.
The issue: the unit will”backtrack” a change of duty status for seemingly no reason. For instance, today I finished an 8 hour break for an 8/2 split. Knowing the propensity for the unit to change the time 2 or 3 minutes, I waited until 8 hours and 4 minutes had passed to change to on duty. The damned unit said “I think today I will backtrack your time 6 minutes”, making my 8 hour and 4 minute break into a 7 hour and 58 minute break. Call customer support- completely useless, absolutely clueless. WTF are you being paid for? Don’t know the answer- that would be understandable if your response was “let me look into it and call you back with an answer”. But “duh…I dunno” makes me believe you idiots at support should be working at something more your speed- local McDonald’s perhaps? The lack of competent support for problems is staggering- totally not worth the money.
The screws for the mount are the wrong size otherwise easy install
Best messages and HOS in the Trucking Industry.
The admin side of setting up drivers and vehicles is a nightmare. Nothing works right. IVG unit is activated, HOS is activated yet the last 2 cannot login at all. Everything is setup in QTRACS and HOS but they cannot log in. Horrible. emails back and forth to support is not helping either. Only thing that was easy was the install
I Do not like it. Drivers do not like it. Too much tech and very little tech support. From the admin side in our company it is a nightmare. When the IVG does not work correctly we cannot troubleshoot the problem. Was on hold with omnitrac listening to stupid piano music for 1/2 an hour and still no answer. Will drop omnitrac very shortly fo another company
100% satisfied.
I paid all most $900 for + $45 a month for service. That was a BAD choice!!! Costumer service is tereble!!!!! No help what so ever. Seem like they don’t care! It is not worth it!!!!!
Awful, everything about it is awful, the ivg units, the service, the sub-contracted service providers, all of it. JUNK! Stay away.
I have nothing bad to say about this unit except that the GPS feature is delayed. We switched from Fleetmatics/Verizon to these in all 42 of our trucks. It takes a bit of training on the admin side, but very user friendly to drivers and much more reliable than a “bluetooth” style ELD. Also an impovement I would like to see besides the speed of the real time GPS is I wish they had an app for dispatch to track trucks. Very handy on the Fleetmatics experience.
Omnitracs Has the worst customer service ever , UNITS are Junk and every time we need anything charge $$$$ for other unit when its THEIR own Garbage that fails
This is the WORST company out there, avoid at all costs…be warned, you’ve been advised. Set up was okay, about 2-hours. The back office is good, easy to use however any log corrections must first go through them, then you’re transferred to another company to make the correction. Between being on hold for hours and choosing not to fix the issue, I chose the later. I ordered 2 products and paid in full. They sent me 4 and charged me for those as well. That was in May 2018. It’s now August 2018 and I still haven’t gotten a refund even though I return the 2 items I didn’t purchase. Sounds like a scam and time to get a lawyer. Thanks Omnitracs. Using the eld sucks. It’s slow, not as slow as the MP200 but you get the picture. No keyboard so you’re stuck typing on the screen which never goes as planned. Flipping between screens isn’t fun either. Since I paid in full, I pay $25/month per unit. I wouldn’t buy from them again. HOWEVER, I’m more than happy to sell you the 2 elds I have, just contact me below. Scott ... Read Full Review
This is the WORST company out there, avoid at all costs…be warned, you’ve been advised. Set up was okay, about 2-hours. The back office is good, easy to use however any log corrections must first go through them, then you’re transferred to another company to make the correction. Between being on hold for hours and choosing not to fix the issue, I chose the later.
I ordered 2 products and paid in full. They sent me 4 and charged me for those as well. That was in May 2018. It’s now August 2018 and I still haven’t gotten a refund even though I return the 2 items I didn’t purchase. Sounds like a scam and time to get a lawyer. Thanks Omnitracs.
Using the eld sucks. It’s slow, not as slow as the MP200 but you get the picture. No keyboard so you’re stuck typing on the screen which never goes as planned. Flipping between screens isn’t fun either. Since I paid in full, I pay $25/month per unit. I wouldn’t buy from them again. HOWEVER, I’m more than happy to sell you the 2 elds I have, just contact me below.
Scott
I used Omnitracs back when they were Qualcomm and have used the Omniexpress, MCP50 and IVG. I never had a single issue getting a call back from anyone, my reps were always available to help. my old drivers loved the IVG’s. We had one issue with a speed sensor but that was the trucks issue not the IVG. I am getting ready to replace Peoplenet with IVG’s at my current company.
We have a fleet of these. They are terrible. Slow, unreliable, new problems every day. The portal is not intuitive. There is nothing good about this system.
Not a fan of it had a different system before this ivg is slow and have to go all over the place to do things other system I was using did all in basically 2 spots and not chase over 5or 6 tabs to see hours not like to slow and I absolutely hate wires hanging this is extra mess in the cab
Worst computer i have ever used since 1994. Slower than old AOL dial up service. Touchscreen sucks too… Once you do get it to work, the log book system does work well…
Install in December of 2017 replace in January of 2018 glitches every month at least twice poj.
I’d like to know why ,when you’re logged off duty for 15 minutes or on duty 3-5 minutes. It still puts everything in driving. I need to make a living. I shouldn’t have to worry about fighting the clock.
The system is flawed Qualcomm is much better
Your ivg system lags and and doesn’t allow you to check hours with switching to on duty and that takes ins to switch. The mcp200 is far superior but yet you are doing a way with it.
The devices work OK, but the customer support is nonexistent. Countless calls, messages, e-mails. Nobody ever picks up the phone, returns messages or answers e-mails. For four months now I pay for 5, but use only 4, and there is no one to talk to. Everyone is always away from the desk. 3 weeks ago I replaced one MCP50 with IVG that is not activated and does not count the Hours of Service. Dealing with Omnitracs has been a nightmare for me.
I’ve noticed the frustration that many of you are expressing but let’s take some of the emotion out and get down to some basics:
– The IVG is not a tablet-based device, if you’re having issues with an Omnitracs tablet system it may be the XRS, a completely different platform – there is a different area for reviewing the XRS.
– If you have doubts about the comments reflected here please reach out to the provider directly to get the facts and ask for testimonials from customers
– On-Duty status, both driving and non-driving, have rules that govern automatic changes in operation, largely to protect the driver
– There are no hidden costs on an IVG unit, one single monthly price unless you choose to add on applications, all your choice – all a la carte and can be stopped at any time with no penalty
Lastly, be aware that – just like with this entry – any comments can be added to influence your decision, so take them with a grain of salt and get the facts.
I’m up in Canada and looked into getting the IVG installed. I was quoted:
$ 960 for the IVG unit
$ 30.75 per month for the service
and finally…
$ 1,309 for a “one time connection fee” which seems absolutely ridiculous to me.
This unit is slow as if powered by turtles…very frustrating and the hidden costs disguised as monthly fees are preposterous…Far better units out there…buyer beware…
Is there any place to get a tutorial on the operation of this? My company installed it a few weeks ago and gave me zero information on how to use it.Also why does it auto change from off duty to not driving when you go from home screen to change mode ,yet I am not moving or manually change status?I have other questions,but a tutorial or some literature might be more helpful.
Why does mine go dead the moment I shut my key real pain in the you know where.
Does it come with some sort of mount or is that sold separately?
Worst device I’ve used. This Omnitracs has so many bugs in it you need to hire a pest control expert! Our fleet drivers and dispatchers are pulling their hair out. The system just doesn’t work, tech department is trying to solve Omnitracs problems 24/7. Go else where if you want an easy to operate and dependable E.L.D.. Good Luck Out There!
Not sure why the description says this is “relatively new to the market” since I put these in a year and a half ago along with my older equipment, all works together and now my drivers are screaming for the new Qualcoms. We tried two other products and neither one stood up to reliability of these. I’ve used Qualcom for over 15 years and they continue to work great in truck after new truck. My owner operators put them in themselves too. Why would you take a chance on something that really is new to the market when you can go with a product that is a sure thing.
Omnitracs definitely has the market knowledge and experience.
Not a fan of the system.
We started to put these in a year and a half ago. Installation is fast and easy (its a plug and play) once you get cable tucked safely behind dash. My drivers love them, they respond faster than anything to date. We’ve used Qualcom for over 10 years, and because its a Qualcomm (or Omnitracs) device we know they’ll last for years. We turned our hours of service around with this system. Very good company with great people.
Fast, easy, and highly reliable. 100% satisfied.
I think it’s great when it’s working properly. We keep getting faults such as;
1.engine synchronization compliance malfunction
2. engine synchronization diagnostic event
This changes all of your time readouts to N/A.
This seems to happen for the most part when the APU is running.
Also 2 won’t switch to DRIVE mode from ON DUTY, and 1 won’t switch to ON DUTY from DRIVE mode.
I would appreciate any solutions to these problems. Tech support hasn’t been able to help.