Sean Maher, global sales director at Quartix, outlines some of the changes the telematics sector has witnessed during the company’s quarter century.

In 2026, Quartix will reach its 25th anniversary. In a sector that has seen repeated consolidation, mergers and acquisitions, that milestone feels particularly significant. Quartix remains independent, having grown organically since its founding in 2001, and that independence has shaped both how we operate and how we think about our role in fleet management.

I joined the business in 2007, at a time when vehicle tracking was still widely regarded as a ‘Big Brother’ technology. Driver resistance was common and fleet managers often worried that introducing tracking would undermine trust. Back then, the primary objection was not technical, but cultural.

Fast forward to today and that perception has largely disappeared. Vehicle tracking has become the norm in UK commercial fleets. It is now far more likely to be viewed as a safety, utilisation and compliance tool than as a means of surveillance. Fundamentally, our role is to help ensure that drivers leave home safely, do a good day’s work and return home safely at the end of it.

What has also changed is the audience for fleet data. While the fleet manager remains central, we now routinely engage with HR, health and safety, compliance and sustainability teams. Fleet management has become a genuinely cross-functional discipline, and telematics data increasingly informs decisions far beyond vehicle location or routing.

Despite this evolution, Quartix has always been clear about what it is – and what it is not. We are a vehicle tracking business. We focus on doing that well, rather than attempting to be everything to everyone. We are open about what our system will and will not do, and we do not sell on the promise of future development. That honesty is deliberate, and it has helped us build long-term relationships rather than short-term contracts.

Customer service remains central to that approach. One comment from a fleet director we work with summed it up perfectly: “When I ring Quartix, I feel like I’m your only customer.” With more than 35,000 customers, that is exactly the experience we want to deliver. It is also reflected in how we do business, from straightforward contracts with no hidden auto-renewals to a focus on making it easy for fleets to switch provider if they are unhappy elsewhere.

Safety has long been a priority for Quartix, particularly through the development of our SafeSpeed Database. Originally created for the young driver insurance market, it looks beyond posted speed limits to assess contextual speed, especially on rural roads. The data consistently shows that driving within the speed limit does not always equate to driving safely, and understanding that distinction can materially reduce risk.

More recently, we have seen strong uptake of integrated forward-facing dashcams, driven by risk management, insurance requirements and the need for objective evidence following incidents. As with tracking, fleets are making informed choices about how these technologies are deployed, based on their own culture and workforce.

Looking ahead, there is clear growth potential in company car fleets and in supporting EV transition planning. Accurate, real-world utilisation data is essential before any fleet can make confident decisions about electrification. While we do not position ourselves as EV consultants, we provide the evidence that allows fleets to plan effectively.

As Quartix marks its 25th year, our priorities remain unchanged: focus on what we do best, treat customers fairly, and deliver exactly what we promise. Technology will continue to evolve, but those principles are timeless.