The past year has been eventful for Isaac Instruments and the trucking industry alike, said chief executive officer and co-founder Jacques DeLarochelliere during the company’s English User Conference in Dallas, Texas.
It felt like the company was back to its motorsports roots doing hot laps, some of which were all-out fast and others long, twisting and risky, he added.
“We went from normal, to best, to worst and back to normal. A full cycle of trucking in four years,” DeLarochelliere said during his opening remarks. “We have seen trucking companies and technology providers go off track. It was a tough four years, for sure.”
However, he emphasized Isaac Instruments remains healthy and focused on its sole agenda – growing the business at scale and keeping its innovation and services team intact.
“We are going to be here in five years. We are going to be here in 10 years with the same agenda,” DeLarochelliere said.
He added Isaac is positioned to be a leader in artificial intelligence (AI), which will be fueled by the data it collects.
“Data is rocket fuel for AI,” he said. “You need the data, and you need the right data.”
He also cautioned that AI comes with risk, be it privacy, cybersecurity or legal compliance. It’s a responsibility that DeLarochelliere said Isaac takes seriously.
“Your data does not go out of this geography of Canada and the U.S.,” he said. “None of your data is sent to a piece of software or a server that is in an unfriendly country.”
First chief product officer named, Isaac expands U.S. presence amid challenges
One of the strategic changes at Isaac over the past year, was the appointment of co-founder Jean-Sebastien Bouchard as the company’s first chief product officer. As DeLarochelliere drafted up the job requirements for the newly created position and began interviewing tech professionals, he realized the perfect fit was already in-house: It was Bouchard. So, he shifted focus from leading the sales team to product development.
Bouchard has led several product updates since, including an improved scanning tool, featuring better image quality and ease of use.
Celebrating its 25th year in business, Bouchard said the company remains focused on four pillars: making drivers happy; keeping wheels turning; controlling costs; and enhancing safety and compliance.
It is also continuing its push into the U.S. market, where it now has more than 50 fleet customers, most of them sizeable. This, despite the fact the Covid-19 pandemic reared its head shortly after Isaac launched in the U.S., soon followed by a two-year trucking recession which has made growth difficult.
“They’ll kick the can and wait for the budget,” DeLarochelliere said, when asked if fleets are more or less likely to change technology vendors in a downturn. “Most fleets will postpone the project and that’s normal, it’s expected. But those who have the right technology [in place] should invest their time because this is the right time to do it. When it’s booming again, you’re too busy.”
Isaac Instruments will have its French language user conference at its Montreal-area headquarters in early November.
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