Descartes acquires UK software company

Nov. 19, 2012

Descartes Systems Group has expanded its European presence with the purchase of Exentra Transport Solutions Limited. Exentra is a UK-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider of driver compliance solutions in the European Union (EU).

The purchase gives Descartes a strong foothold inside the EU, where every vehicle over 3.5 tons is required to have a tachograph. The tachograph records a vehicle’s speed and distance, together with the driver's activity.

Exentra’s cloud-based compliance management platform, Smartanalysis, helps customers leverage the data from a vehicle’s tachograph to comply with EU-wide legislation, Descartes said.

“The EU driver compliance legislation has been in place longer than comparable regulations in North America. In the EU, not only is every vehicle required to have tachograph hardware, but the hardware is standardized and fitted during vehicle production,” said Steve Fisher, CEO of Exentra and director of compliance at Descartes. “Our experience strengthens Descartes’ Routing, Mobile and Telematics suite to address the U.S. regulatory environment, while our combined solutions also have an immediate impact on the quality and safety of route planning for our collective UK customers.”

“Guided by our customers, we continue to invest in our Routing, Mobile and Telematics suite of products,” said Edward Ryan, COO at Descartes. “We’re particularly excited about making this incremental strategic investment in the UK market where we have a long history of route planning success with marquee customers such as John Lewis Partnership and Wolseley.”

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of FleetOwner, create an account today!

Sponsored Recommendations

What challenges are top of mind for fleet professionals in 2025? Get exclusive insights from the 2025 Fleet Trends Survey and discover where the industry is headed next.
The most successful fleets accomplish more than delivering freight. To accomplish this, fleets need a fuel that’s reliable, more economical and more sustainable. That fuel is ...
Are your KPIs driving real fleet improvement? Learn how to set smarter, data-driven benchmarks, track success like top-performing fleets, and apply proven strategies to optimize...
Learn how eets can enhance truck utilization and minimize safety incidents using business intelligence and AI. Delve into innovative practices, technology integration and real...