We’re back In the Driver’s Seat, and this time you’re meeting David Pollack, Chief Executive Officer of Techsbook.
Techsbook is the last-mile field services network for telematics; a coordination platform connecting telematics service providers and fleet operators directly to a network of 190+ certified specialists across North America. Techsbook was built to bridge the gap between modern systems and the hands that install, maintain, and power them.
We, as fleet data people, have seen the worst of bad installations that have set fleet managers back years and ultimately eroded the trust they had established. Which is why for me, David is an unsung advocate for the industry. His messaging around the importance of correct and competent hardware installation in the fleet industry is so much more important than people realise.
What is your dream vehicle and why?
Not sure if I have a dream vehicle. For a personal vehicle, probably a BMW 7 Series. I like it because it feels engineered for long hours on the road. It’s quiet, fast, smooth, and comfortable enough to spend serious time in without feeling beat up afterward.
I’ve always appreciated vehicles that balance performance with comfort, and the 7 Series does that really well. But for a field vehicle, I’ll always love the Toyota Prius. I don’t think people realize how many miles those things survive in this industry.
What is something you’re working on right now at the company?
What I’m currently working on is creating a smarter way to support technicians through AI-driven quality coaching, accountability, and operational visibility that helps people improve instead of just policing them. This week we’re rolling out Techsbook’s QA Coach.
One of the biggest problems in field service and telematics is that quality usually depends on individual oversight. As companies grow, it becomes harder to maintain standards consistently across hundreds or thousands of installs happening in different cities every day. Most industries solve that by adding more management layers, more audits, and more paperwork, but that approach eventually creates friction instead of improvement.
The reason that matters to me is because installation quality affects everything downstream. A device is only as good as the install behind it. Poor installs create bad data, customer frustration, repeat service calls, and wasted time for everyone involved. But when technicians have clear standards, useful feedback, and systems that actually support them, the entire ecosystem performs better.
At the end of the day, technology should strengthen craftsmanship, not replace it. The goal is to build infrastructure that helps good technicians become even better while raising the standard of the industry as a whole.
What is something you’re most proud of at work?
I’m most proud of building something from scratch in an industry that most people overlook.
Field technicians are some of the hardest-working people in the country, but a lot of the infrastructure around them has historically been disconnected and outdated. Watching Techsbook grow into something that actually supports the people doing the work every day is something I take a lot of pride in.
Not just the platform itself, but the relationships, the network, and the fact that we’re helping bring more structure and visibility to an industry that deserves it.
What is the hardest part about what you do?
The most difficult part is changing the way the industry thinks about operational infrastructure. A lot of companies have accepted disconnected coordination, fragmented vendor management, and limited visibility as “just part of the business” for a long time.
Building a connected system is one challenge. Changing the mindset around what’s possible operationally is a completely different challenge.
What is something you cannot live without in your job?
Pressure. That probably sounds strange, but pressure forces clarity. It exposes weak systems, weak communication, and weak execution fast. When you’re building something at scale, problems don’t hide for long. If you’re paying attention, that pressure becomes one of the most valuable tools you have.
I’m firm on the philosophy of growth living in the struggle because the moment anything stops being challenged, it usually stops growing.
What would help make your job easier right now?
Honestly, better operational connectivity across the industry would make my job easier. A lot of time still gets lost between disconnected vendor programs, fragmented communication, manual coordination, and limited visibility between providers, fleets, and the technicians actually doing the work in the field.
The technology inside the vehicles has evolved incredibly fast, but the coordination around the people supporting that technology hasn’t evolved at the same pace.
That’s really the gap Techsbook was built to help solve. Creating a connected technician ecosystem where scheduling, communication, accountability, and operational visibility are finally connected together instead of operating in silos. Because at the end of the day, the vehicles were connected years ago. The people supporting them still largely aren’t.
What do you think is the biggest challenge currently facing the mobility industry?
I think the biggest challenge facing the fleet industry is operational fragmentation. A lot of fleets today are trying to manage increasingly complex operations across vehicles, drivers, vendors, service providers, compliance requirements, and technology platforms all at the same time.
The vehicles themselves have become highly connected, but the operational coordination around them is still disconnected in many cases.
That especially shows up in scheduling, outsourcing, technician coordination, and vendor management. A lot of companies are still trying to optimize those processes with limited visibility and disconnected systems, which creates delays, accountability gaps, inconsistent quality, and unnecessary friction.
That’s the gap I believe the industry still needs to solve properly. Techsbook is helping fill that gap on the Telematics side of the fleet industry.
At Fleetyr we see… interesting behaviours from drivers every day. Got any funny or interesting stories of people doing strange or sneaky things in company vehicles?
One of the interesting parts of this industry is watching how people react once vehicles become connected.
The second telematics systems start creating visibility, human behavior changes immediately. People start driving differently, manage time differently, and suddenly become very interested in “how accurate” the system really is. It’s a good mix of technology and psychology.
What do you think the mobility industry will look like 10 years from now?
I think the fleet industry 10 years from now will be far more connected, automated, and data-driven than it is today, but there are still a few major races happening right now that haven’t fully played out yet.
One is autonomous vehicles and how quickly that technology realistically matures at scale. Another is the battle between OEM telematics systems and third-party platforms competing to own the customer relationship and vehicle data layer.
I also think telematics and fleet visibility tools will become far more normalized outside of traditional commercial fleets. A lot of the technology that started in enterprise operations is slowly expanding into the private sector through insurance, safety, driver monitoring, AI cameras, and connected vehicle platforms.
At the same time, fleets are going to face increasing pressure to unify disconnected systems and operations. Vehicles are becoming smarter very quickly, but the operational infrastructure around scheduling, service coordination, technician networks, and vendor management is still lagging behind in many areas.
But no matter where the industry moves technologically, it’s still going to rely on technicians to support it. Whether it’s telematics hardware, EV infrastructure, AI-driven systems, diagnostics, or autonomous support equipment, somebody still has to install it, service it, troubleshoot it, and keep it operational in the real world.
I think the companies that win over the next 10 years will be the ones that connect both sides of the equation: the technology inside the vehicle and the operational systems supporting everything around it.
Keen to learn more about Techsbook or David Pollack? Reach out to him directly on LinkedIn or visit the Techsbook website.
If you think you have what it takes to be interviewed for our next In the Driver’s Seat or if you have suggestions on who we should talk to, get in touch with us.
