Omnitracs MCP (Qualcomm)

The Omnitracs MCP is the bar by which all other ELDs are measured. Omnitracs enjoys the largest market share in the industry, and one of the great advantages of that is that many drivers are already familiar with using it. Many in the industry still refer to this device as a “Qualcomm” though Qualcomm rebranded the product as Omnitracs and sold it to an outside investing firm in 2013. The continued prevalence of the old name just shows how wide-spread and popular this product has been since the early days of trucking telematics.

The MCP product line comes in three varieties: the MCP50, MCP110, and MCP200. The basic ELD experience for the driver is the same between the three systems, but the higher models include additional bells and whistles. For example, a slide-out keyboard, in-cab video training, web browsing, etc. While these extra features may be great for some fleets, the basic MCP50 already contains everything you need for a top-notch electronic log, messaging, and navigation system. The 50 even supports the optional addition of many advanced features, such as in-cab scanning and tire pressure monitoring. The MCP50 starts at around $600, making it a very affordable solution even compared to many others with fewer features.

As you would expect from the industry leader, the hardware is reliable and durable. The driver experience is well thought out, and easy to understand. There are many useful features on the tablet, but the basics are kept simple and straightforward. The touchscreen itself is of good quality compared to many competitors. The back office tools are easy to use, and numerous. There is more available than most fleets will ever make use of, but many of the tools provide a lot of value to everyone from executives to dispatchers to safety managers.

There are only a few minor downsides to discuss. Customer service and customization requests can be slow in a larger company like this. There have been some complaints of weaker tech support since the buyout. But that trend seems to be reversing, and our personal experiences with support have been mostly good. As a fully wired system, the install time is on the longer side (about 60 minutes), but still perfectly reasonable.

All around, Omnitracs MCP is the most popular ELD in the business for a good reason. The hardware is solid, the software is mature and stable, and the price for all that you get is very reasonable. If you want to make a safe, reliable choice that has stood the test of time for thousands of fleets, you can’t go wrong with Omnitracs.

Cost

UP FRONT COST

$600

MONTHLY COST

$55

3-YEAR TOTAL COST

$2580

Pros & Cons

• The industry standard for many years
• Very mature e-log product
• Many drivers are already familiar

• Some complaints of slow support
• Fairly time-consuming to install

Technical Specs