The lifecycle of companies in the information industry can often be measured by the number of months the company stays afloat. So when Langley, B.C.’s Maddocks Systems Inc., a leading provider of enterprise wide trucking software, celebrated its 20th year in business recently, it joined a rather elite club.

Trucking companies that purchase enterprise wide trucking software such as Maddocks’ TruckMate for Windows (TM4Win), are asked to make a large capital investment that will influence their future success. It’s a decision made even more difficult by the reality that technology providers can have a high failure rate.

Since its beginnings in 1981, Maddocks Systems has worked exclusively in the transportation industry and has over 400 installed systems in the field. The company’s flagship product TruckMate for Windows, is an enterprise-wide client server product that allows users to run AS400, RS6000 and Windows NT platforms.

“I think the stability of our company has been the key to our sustained growth through the years,” explains Bob Maddocks, CEO, “The relationship we form with clients could be described as a partnership. A commitment is made, with the goal being that both parties grow stronger.”

You won’t get any argument on that point from Alice Swinney of Shadow Lines, who became the first Maddocks client twenty years ago. “The excellent customer support…that’s number one to me and that’s what counts to trucking companies that depend on trucking software,” explains Swinney. “Our company wouldn’t have been able to grow to where it is today without our relationship with Maddocks.”

Maddocks has also built on its success in the Canadian market to grow into the U.S. trucking software market.