Traffilog Inc. an Israeli company that allows fleet operators to find ways to be more efficient just set up its North American headquarters in Winnipeg with businessmen Michel Aziza and Hans Peper at its helm.

The Traffilog system provides solutions that improve driving behavior, reduce fleet running costs and increase overall fleet efficiency to trucking firms and other transportation-related companies.

“By mounting a unit and modem in your vehicle, the system provides real-time feedback to the driver and to the fleet operator on driver style and safety, fuel consumption, vehicle performance, and vehicle health,” said Aziza.

“The system monitors events that can impact safety and fuel consumption, such as, excessive braking, speeding, leaving a vehicle idling, and taking sharp turns. This data is recorded, analyzed, and disseminated to both the driver and the fleet operator. It allows the driver to self-correct driving behavior and also enables operators to identify maintenance issues, to better manage fuel, and to develop effective driver training initiatives.”

“For example, the system can alert a fleet operator that a driver is moving too quickly and not using his fuel efficiently. The operator then has the opportunity to take the necessary corrective action.”

“The resulting positive impact on driver's performance has also led to safer roads and highways for all to travel,” said Aziza who has lived in Israel for the last several years.

The company boasts that its technology can provide fleet customers with up to 12% fuel savings and up to a 75% decrease in aggressive driver behavior and safety events.

Aziza and Peper have close to 60 years of combined experience in the transportation industry. They chose Winnipeg because it is a major Canadian transportation hub where a host of national and multinational trucking firms are headquartered. Winnipeg also has a skilled workforce and the cost of operating a business is lower here than in most major North American cities.

Traffilog has pilot projects in a variety of transportation industries at eight locations in Canada, with a ninth about to be launched. Traffilog targets trucking firms; transit and school bus operators; taxi, courier, insurance, and construction companies; and the oil and gas industry.

Traffilog received help from Yes! Winnipeg, a private-sector organization created to help attract new businesses to Winnipeg and to help existing firms expand their operations. Yes! Winnipeg introduced Traffilog to a number of potential customers in Winnipeg.

With a staff of eight full-time employees in the new Winnipeg office, that number is expected to grow to at least 18 by the end of next year as the company continues to roll out its product across Canada and expand into the United States.

Peper is excited about a forthcoming new consumer application. AT&T in the United States wants to offer Traffilog's system to cellphone customers because it enables parents to prevent their children from using their cell phone while driving.

This was first published in the Jewish Tribune.