Review of Locate2u, Delivery Management SaaS Vendor
Go back to Market Research
Locate2u emerged from a lineage of logistics-focused ventures—its origins date back to the founding of Zoom2u in 2014 by Steve Orenstein, following his earlier Connect2Field project later acquired by Fleetmatics (now part of Verizon). Launched in 2019 as a SaaS platform designed for delivery and service businesses, Locate2u promises to radically reduce manual route planning while enhancing the customer experience through real-time fleet tracking, dynamic dispatching, and automatic route optimization. An expanding portfolio—bolstered by targeted acquisitions such as a local delivery Shopify app and Talcasoft in 2022—aims to integrate end-to-end capabilities from ecommerce order capture to transport management. Though the platform leverages modern cloud-based, API-first practices and underscores AI/ML possibilities, technical disclosures remain sparse; this leaves room for healthy skepticism regarding the true novelty behind its “intelligent” algorithms. Overall, Locate2u positions itself as an accessible yet innovative tool for optimizing last-mile delivery operations in a highly competitive supply chain landscape.
Company History and Evolution
Locate2u’s roots trace back to the founding of Zoom2u in 2014 by Steve Orenstein, whose earlier venture, Connect2Field, was acquired by Fleetmatics (later Verizon) 123. Building on that foundation, the company rebranded and relaunched in 2019 as Locate2u—a cloud-delivered SaaS platform that targets delivery and service businesses by streamlining route planning and customer interactions.
Acquisition History
To broaden its service portfolio, Locate2u has strategically pursued acquisitions. Notably, its purchase of a local delivery Shopify app integrated ecommerce order capture with dispatch capabilities, enhancing overall operational synergy 4. In 2022, the acquisition of Talcasoft further expanded its expertise and transport management solutions, positioning Locate2u to address more complex logistics challenges 5.
Product and Technology Overview
Locate2u is marketed as an end-to-end solution covering multiple facets of delivery management. Its core offerings encompass fleet management, real-time dispatch and delivery planning, asset and device GPS tracking, driver applications, and proof-of-delivery modules—all delivered via a responsive web portal and mobile apps 1. An API-first approach supports integrations and customizations through its developer portal, while the cloud-based architecture enables real-time updates and automatic route optimization powered by advanced algorithms 678.
AI/ML and Optimization Claims
A prominent part of Locate2u’s messaging is its use of AI and machine learning to enhance fleet management. The company frequently touts its “AI-enhanced” capabilities to sift through operational data and generate actionable insights that improve route optimization and overall fleet efficiency 910. However, despite these claims, publicly available documentation offers limited granularity on algorithm structures or data training methodologies. This raises the possibility that the platform may rely on conventional, rule-based systems augmented with heuristic improvements rather than state-of-the-art machine learning innovations.
Insights from Job and Tech Stack Investigations
Employee reviews and job postings—such as those found on platforms like Arc—suggest that Locate2u employs modern, cloud-centric development practices in a hybrid working environment 11. While the platform appears to integrate common tools like Google Analytics and Microsoft Azure alongside various tracking libraries, detailed disclosures regarding proprietary technology or custom-built components remain sparse. This lack of transparency makes it challenging to independently verify claims of groundbreaking technological advances.
Locate2u vs Lokad
When comparing Locate2u with Lokad, clear differences emerge in both focus and technical ambition. Locate2u is primarily dedicated to streamlining last-mile delivery through route planning, dispatch management, and fleet tracking—with an emphasis on ease of use and cloud-based integration. Its AI/ML claims, while prominent, are communicated without deep technical exposition and may benefit from conventional optimizations and heuristics. In contrast, Lokad offers a more rigorously quantitative approach to supply chain optimization, integrating probabilistic forecasting, advanced machine learning (including deep learning and differentiable programming), and a unique domain-specific language (Envision) to enable bespoke decision models. For tech-savvy supply chain executives, the choice may boil down to whether the operational simplicity and immediate integration of Locate2u suffice, or if the advanced, algorithmically intensive approach embraced by Lokad aligns better with complex, large-scale supply chain challenges.
Conclusion
Locate2u delivers a comprehensive SaaS solution aimed at optimizing route planning, dispatch management, and real-time fleet tracking. Its evolution—from early ventures and rebranding through strategic acquisitions—reflects a determined focus on addressing the practical challenges of modern delivery operations. While the platform benefits from cloud-enabled efficiencies and propounds the use of AI/ML to boost operational performance, the relative paucity of detailed technical disclosures invites cautious scrutiny. For organizations looking for a readily integrated solution to streamline delivery logistics, Locate2u offers significant potential; however, its comparatively conventional technical depth stands in contrast to more advanced platforms like Lokad, where cutting-edge predictive analytics and decision automation are foundational.