EMTRAC system
EMTRAC Systems (STC, Inc.) manufactures GPS- and RF-based traffic signal priority and emergency vehicle preemption systems for North American transit agencies, fire departments, rail operators, and municipal traffic departments, founded in 1986.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersMcleansboro, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What EMTRAC system does
EMTRAC Systems (manufactured by STC, Inc., headquartered in Mt. Vernon, Illinois) is a niche provider of GPS- and RF-based traffic signal priority management technology serving public-sector transportation and emergency-response agencies across North America, with select European activity. Founded in 1986 as the first patented wireless, microprocessor-based priority system, the company designs and sells a platform that combines onboard Vehicle Computer Units (VCUs), wayside priority detectors and roadside units, and centralized traffic-management software. Core applications include Transit Signal Priority (TSP) and Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP), with adjacent products for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), rail-worker safety via the patented Personal Notification Unit (PNU), bicycle/motorcycle/pedestrian detection apps, Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL), Positive Train Control, and a Traffic Center System for cloud- and edge-based monitoring. The system supports multi-constellation satellite navigation (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo) with inertial dead-reckoning and communicates via 900 MHz RF, DSRC, C-V2X, cellular, and NTCIP protocols.
The company generates revenue through one-time hardware and software license sales (vehicle equipment, wayside equipment, and system software) plus recurring software subscriptions for the EMTRAC Systems Manager and traffic-center modules. Pricing is quote-based with typical deployments under $10,000 per intersection and approximately $3,000 per bus. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales (Request For Quote to transit agencies, fire departments, and municipal traffic departments), two-tier channel distribution (NWS Traffic across 16 US states and ACT Traffic Solutions for rail products in North America), and event-driven demand generation at APTA, ITS, and rail-industry trade shows. The customer base is almost entirely government and quasi-government, with named deployments including SamTrans, VTA, Brampton Transit, Birmingham Xpress, Sound Transit, Houston METRO, Fairfax County, and multiple US/Canadian fire departments. The business is self-funded (no venture or private equity rounds disclosed), employs 51-100 people, and operates with a 35+ year track record including deployments that have shown no equipment failures since 2005.
EMTRAC system firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- EMTRAC system
- Legal name
- STC, Inc.
- Website
- https://emtracsystems.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- EMTRAC Systems (STC, Inc.) manufactures GPS- and RF-based traffic signal priority and emergency vehicle preemption systems for North American transit agencies, fire departments, rail operators, and municipal traffic departments, founded in 1986.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
EMTRAC system industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Traffic Signal Priority Systems
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)
- SIC
- Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Transit Signal Priority (TSP) & Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP) (TLAJACAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Traffic Signal Controllers & Intersection Hardware (Cabinets, Detectors, Ped Signals) (TLAJACAC)
Keywords
Where EMTRAC system is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mcleansboro
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
EMTRAC system business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Traffic Signal Priority Management System: Software-based centralized system and distributed system integrating with existing traffic infrastructure components. Revenue generated through system sales, equipment hardware, and software licensing.
- Vehicle Equipment: Onboard vehicle computers, GNSS antennas, control heads, and communication devices mounted in transit, emergency, and municipal vehicles.
- Wayside Equipment: Priority detectors, roadside units, and antennas installed in traffic signal control cabinets at intersections.
- System Software: EMTRAC Systems Manager software for agency personnel to configure system settings including ranging values, output connections, and vehicle allow/deny restrictions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Per Intersection Hardware |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Per Vehicle Equipment |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Emergency Vehicle System Deployment |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
EMTRAC system product offering
Product offeringCore offering
EMTRAC manufactures and sells an Advanced Traffic and Priority Management System consisting of vehicle equipment (onboard vehicle computers, GNSS antennas, control heads), wayside equipment (priority detectors, roadside units installed in traffic signal cabinets), rail worker equipment, and supporting software (Traffic Center System, Detection Apps, System Software). The system provides Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP) and Transit Signal Priority (TSP) using GPS-based positioning with 900 MHz RF communication, enabling fire departments, transit agencies, and municipal vehicles to request signal priority at intersections.
Product overview
EMTRAC is an Advanced Traffic and Priority Management System manufactured by STC, Inc. The system consists of a core Priority Management Platform with multiple integrated components: Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP) and Transit Signal Priority (TSP) as primary applications, supported by Vehicle Equipment (onboard computers, GNSS antennas, control heads), Wayside Equipment (priority detectors, roadside units), Optical Equipment (for legacy systems), and Rail Worker Equipment (personal notification units). The system utilizes GPS/RF-based technology with support for Galileo and GLONASS satellite navigation, offering both centralized cloud-based and distributed architectures. Additional capabilities include Detection Apps for mobile devices, Traffic Center System for monitoring, Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL), Transit Data Analytics, Positive Train Control, and Collision Avoidance features. The EMTRAC system serves transit agencies, first responders, and municipal vehicles across North America.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP): System enabling emergency vehicles to automatically preempt traffic signals for faster and safer response
- Transit Signal Priority (TSP)
- Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
- Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL)
- Traffic Center System
- EMTRAC Rail
- Personal Notification Unit (PNU)
- EMTRAC Detection Apps
- Ride On Time App
Products and services
- Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP) Enables emergency response vehicles (fire, EMS, police) to automatically request signal preemption through equipped intersections, granting the response vehicle's signal green while stopping all other directions.
- Transit Signal Priority (TSP) Allows transit vehicles to request priority at traffic signals based on real-time conditions (schedule lateness, occupancy), reducing delays and improving schedule adherence. Supports both centralized and distributed architecture.
- Vehicle Equipment Onboard components installed in vehicles including Vehicle Computer Units (VCU), GNSS antennas, and control heads for requesting signal priority and enabling vehicle-to-infrastructure communication.
- Wayside Equipment Intersection-side components including Priority Detectors, Roadside Units, and Field Monitoring Units (FMU) installed in traffic signal cabinets for receiving priority requests and monitoring intersection status.
- Rail Worker Equipment Safety equipment for railway maintenance workers including Personal Notification Units (PNU) that alert workers of approaching trains via ultra-bright flash, high-volume beep, and vibration.
- Optical Equipment Optical sensors, emitters, and detectors for legacy traffic signal priority systems that use pulsed light frequencies for vehicle-to-intersection communication.
- Positive Train Control Rail-specific safety system for train operations including wayside worker notifications and train operator alerts.
- Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Integrated TSP and AVL solution for BRT services enabling buses to request signal priority along dedicated corridors while maintaining schedule adherence.
- Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Comprehensive traffic management solutions including cloud-based signal management, traffic center systems, and detection for bicycles, motorcycles, and pedestrians.
- EMTRAC Systems Manager Software Software for agency personnel to configure system settings including ranging values, output connections, and vehicle allow/deny restrictions.
Quantifiable outcome
- Buses using EMTRAC TSP travel 23% faster than those without priority (VTA study)
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use EMTRAC system
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
EMTRAC system technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
EMTRAC system partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- NWS Traffic (Signal Group company)coreNWS Traffic, a Signal Group company, appointed as distributor for 16 US states: Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Missouri. Signal Group holdings include NWS Traffic, Peek Traffic, Rayolite, and Teknotraffic.
- ACT Traffic SolutionscoreACT Traffic Solutions is the North American distributor of EMTRAC rail products including positive train control functions and rail-worker notification systems. Representatives attended APTA 2014 Rail Conference in Montreal.
- Dominion EnergyminorDominion Energy partnered with Fairfax County on the Relay autonomous shuttle pilot project. Partnership produced 100-percent electric autonomous vehicles equipped with EMTRAC TSP.
- Fairfax County TransportationminorFairfax County testing first driverless public transportation vehicles in Washington DC region. Partnership includes EDENS (Mosaic), Virginia DRPT, VDOT, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, George Mason University, and Dominion Energy.
- Sebago Technics, Inc.minorConsulting traffic-engineering firm partnered with South Portland for TSP study comparing RF/GPS-based TSP with optical-based TSP to determine technology performance.
- ACT Traffic SolutionsminorACT Traffic Solutions designed installation and reprogrammed traffic controller to support EHB (Emergency Hybrid Beacon) for Kennewick fire station egress.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
EMTRAC system competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Global Traffic Technologies (GTT): Manufacturer of the Opticom line of TSP/EVP systems, the historical market leader in the exact product category EMTRAC competes in. GTT is the primary incumbent against which EMTRAC benchmarks its performance and against which KM Enterprises/EMTRAC filed a 2012 antitrust complaint.
- INIT (Innovations in Transportation): Provider of integrated ITS and public-transport solutions including CAD/AVL, scheduling, and traffic-signal priority components. INIT serves many of the same North American transit customers as EMTRAC with broader software-defined offerings.
Broad incumbents
- Iteris: Public ITS and traffic-management company providing intersection detection, signal priority, and smart-transportation analytics across transit and arterial networks. Overlaps with EMTRAC's Traffic Center System and detection-apps portfolio for municipal transportation departments.
- Kapsch TrafficCom: Global ITS provider delivering tolling, traffic management, connected-vehicle, and public-transport priority solutions. Kapsch competes more broadly than EMTRAC but overlaps in TSP/EVP-grade intersection hardware and V2X communications.
- SWARCO: European-headquartered traffic-management and signal-systems company offering intersection controllers, signal priority, and V2X products. Like Kapsch, SWARCO operates across the wider traffic stack that EMTRAC's wayside equipment and TSP modules plug into.
- Siemens Mobility: Division of Siemens providing rail, road, and public-transit solutions including traffic signal controllers, transit priority, and connected-vehicle platforms. Overlaps with EMTRAC's TSP and rail-product lines at the system-of-systems level used by transit agencies.
- Cubic Transportation Systems: Major public-transit technology supplier (fare, ITS, real-time passenger info, transit analytics). Cubic competes for the same transit-agency IT budgets as EMTRAC, particularly on analytics and AVL-adjacent modules.
- Conduent Transportation: Large-scale transportation services and tolling/ITS vendor serving transit agencies, municipalities, and DOTs. Comparable as a horizontal buyer/competitor for the same municipal and transit signal-priority and traffic-management RFPs.
Emerging players
- Applied Information: Connected-vehicle and school-zone/signal-priority specialist offering cellular-first priority and preemption systems. Comparable as a newer entrant competing on the C-V2X path that EMTRAC is positioning against.
- LILEE Systems: Provider of connectivity and safety/automation platforms for transit and first-responder fleets, including transit-priority and AVL solutions. Overlaps with EMTRAC's vehicle-side TSP/EVP stack and collision-avoidance modules on transit-bus customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
EMTRAC system social profiles
Digital presenceEMTRAC system compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
EMTRAC system financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
EMTRAC system leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
EMTRAC system funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
EMTRAC system M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about EMTRAC system
What does EMTRAC system do?
EMTRAC manufactures and sells an Advanced Traffic and Priority Management System consisting of vehicle equipment (onboard vehicle computers, GNSS antennas, control heads), wayside equipment (priority detectors, roadside units installed in traffic signal cabinets), rail worker equipment, and supporting software (Traffic Center System, Detection Apps, System Software). The system provides Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP) and Transit Signal Priority (TSP) using GPS-based positioning with 900 MHz RF communication, enabling fire departments, transit agencies, and municipal vehicles to request signal priority at intersections.
Is EMTRAC system a public or private company?
EMTRAC system is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was EMTRAC system founded?
EMTRAC system was founded in 1986. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is EMTRAC system based?
EMTRAC system is headquartered in Mcleansboro, United States, in the North America region.
How does EMTRAC system make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Traffic Signal Priority Management System is the primary driver. The others are vehicle Equipment, wayside Equipment and system Software.
Who are EMTRAC system's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Global Traffic Technologies (GTT) and INIT (Innovations in Transportation). Broad incumbents are Iteris, Kapsch TrafficCom, SWARCO, Siemens Mobility, Cubic Transportation Systems and Conduent Transportation. Emerging players are Applied Information and LILEE Systems.
Does EMTRAC system have an API?
No public API is recorded for EMTRAC system.
What industry is EMTRAC system in?
EMTRAC system's product category is Traffic Signal Priority Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAJACAK, Transit Signal Priority (TSP) & Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP), with a secondary code of TLAJACAC, Traffic Signal Controllers & Intersection Hardware (Cabinets, Detectors, Ped Signals). Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 3823.