San Diego in-cab technology company behind the Virtual Vehicle platform and app marketplace, which took over Trimble's transportation telematics units in 2025, offering ELD, workflow and telematics apps.
Services
Who it serves
Overview
Platform Science is a San Diego company founded in 2015 that builds software for managing the devices and apps used inside commercial trucks. Its main product, Virtual Vehicle, is an open platform where fleets run telematics, compliance, navigation, workflow and safety apps, either through the truck manufacturer's built-in connectivity or through aftermarket hardware for trucks that need it.
In February 2025 Platform Science completed its acquisition of Trimble's global transportation telematics business units, which included the business formerly known as PeopleNet. As part of that deal Trimble became a shareholder and took a seat on Platform Science's board. Trimble kept its other transportation software lines, such as its TMS, maps and routing products.
The company's website says its products are "Designed for Drivers." Large truckload carriers named in its materials and in trade press include Werner Enterprises, Schneider, C.R. England, Covenant Logistics, U.S. Xpress and Mesilla Valley Transportation.
Compare with other Technology providers: Descartes MacroPoint, Highway and Lytx, or see all Technology.
Services
Virtual Vehicle is the core platform and app hub, with a managed driver experience offering on top. The Virtual Vehicle Marketplace lists third-party apps across categories including asset and trailer tracking, bypass and tolling, compliance, document management, driver safety, fuel management, maintenance, navigation and routing, sensors, TMS, training and video safety. The marketplace page advertises more than 100 solutions, with examples such as McLeod's LoadMaster, Mastery's MasterMind TMS, J. J. Keller's IFTA and IRP reporting and Lytx's RAIR compliance services.
Platform Science also sells its own fleet apps. PS Fleet Solutions includes PS HOS, PS DVIR, PS Navigation, PS Workflow, PS Messages and PS Analytics. Instinct Fleet Solutions covers back-office tools such as Fleet Manager, vehicle and asset tracking and log auditing, driver apps such as ConnectedDriver Pro, plus video safety and an oil and gas offering. The homepage presents an ELD bundle with driver apps and back-office tools, and lists Instinct hardware, video hardware and a dash cam.
The site displays SOC 2, ISO 27001 and Canadian ELD accreditations.
Who it is for
Platform Science is aimed mainly at enterprise fleets and larger trucking companies that want to standardize the apps drivers use in the cab and connect them to their back-office systems. Its strategic investors, listed in the 2025 Trimble announcement, include C.R. England, Cummins, Daimler Truck, PACCAR, Prologis, RyderVentures and Schneider.
Former PeopleNet and Trimble telematics customers now fall under Platform Science. Technology vendors can also join the marketplace and earn a "Virtual Vehicle Enabled" badge.
How working with them works
Platform Science does not publish pricing. Fleets contact the company for a quote. The marketplace page does not describe a self-serve signup, so app selection and integration are handled with the company's team.
The Trimble announcement describes the intended approach: fleets choose apps from Platform Science, Trimble and partners through Virtual Vehicle without changing hardware, using either the truck's factory telematics or aftermarket devices. A case study on its site describes Mesilla Valley Transportation onboarding 1,600 trucks in 76 days, which gives a sense of how enterprise rollouts are staged.
Questions to ask before you sign
Will we run Virtual Vehicle on our trucks' factory telematics, on aftermarket hardware, or a mix, and what does each cost per truck? Separate hardware costs from software subscriptions in the quote.
Are marketplace apps billed by Platform Science or by each partner, and what is the total monthly cost per truck for the apps we need?
What is the contract term, and what happens to hardware and data if we leave?
Is the specific ELD product and version we will run listed on FMCSA's registered ELD list? Check the list directly, especially if moving from a legacy PeopleNet setup.
Which TMS and dispatch systems integrate today, and who does the integration work?
If we are a current PeopleNet or Trimble telematics customer, what is the migration plan, timeline and cost, and will our existing contract terms carry over?
Who owns driver and vehicle data collected through third-party apps on the platform?
Company background
Platform Science was founded in San Diego in 2015 by Jack Kennedy, its CEO and a former president of Qualcomm Enterprise Services, and Jake Fields, its co-founder and CTO. Its company story lists a remote platform management product in 2017, a fault diagnostics partnership with Noregon in 2019 and a 2020 partnership with Daimler Trucks North America to develop on-vehicle applications.
Platform Science announced the Trimble telematics deal in September 2024 and completed it on February 10, 2025. Trade press reported that the acquired units had produced about 300 million dollars in revenue over the prior 12 months. The company lists offices at Towne Centre Drive in San Diego.
Sources
Information compiled from public sources. Last verified November 2026. Confirm details directly with the company.
