Magnificent 63-foot Norway Spruce from the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia Heads to the U.S. Capitol–Tracking its journey Made Possible by Spireon, a Solera Company

The highly anticipated ‘People’s Tree’ will embark on a journey through the scenic hills and dense woods of West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest, making its way to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, where its lighting will mark the start of the holiday season.

WESTLAKE, Texas, Nov. 2, 2023 – In partnership with the nonprofit Choose Outdoors, Spireon – a Solera company – has announced the launch of its annual real-time tracking of the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree as it embarks on its journey this holiday season. The tree, harvested from the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia, will end its journey on the West Lawn of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Spireon, together with the Solera Fleet Solutions team, takes pride in granting access to the most sophisticated fleet intelligence platform in the industry to monitor the delivery of the iconic ‘People’s Tree’ in the same manner that Solera keeps track of the safety of fleets and drivers worldwide.

“As SVP of Strategy and Business Development at Spireon, I am thrilled to be a part of the annual journey of the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree,” states Roni Taylor. “The Solera Fleet Solutions team, including Spireon, Omnitracs, SmartDrive, Roadnet, XRS, SuperVision, and many other innovative solutions, is excited to offer their cutting-edge fleet intelligence platform to track the transportation of the ‘People’s Tree,’ a cherished tradition that celebrates the season and honors our nation’s forests. We love knowing that the tools we use to monitor fleet safety and vehicle location can bring such joy to those participating in this festive occasion,” continues Taylor.

For 54 years, the USDA Forest Service has been gifting a tree from one of our national forests to adorn the U.S. Capitol building’s lawn annually. In keeping with this tradition, the Monongahela National Forest was chosen to contribute the ’People’s Tree’ this year, and it did so splendidly.

In a remarkable feat, the Monongahela National Forest employee Ron Polgar and the World Champion Lumberjack Arden Cogar Jr. joined forces earlier this month to successfully fell a massive, nearly 50-year-old tree. This majestic tree, weighing a whopping 4 tons, is now set to embark on a 200-mile journey from West Virginia to Washington D.C. aboard a Kenworth Truck and Hale Trailer. The tree’s final destination is the West Lawn, where it will be delivered on Nov. 17, marking the culmination of an impressive tree-tracking journey.

The Elkins Depot Welcome Center in Elkins, West Virginia, will serve as the location for the official send-off on Nov. 4. As the tree journeys through the region, there will be an array of community celebrations held, including stops in Charleston, Huntington, Wheeling, and many other cities across the state. During these festivities, well-wishers can add their signatures to banners on the truck’s sides, learn about national forests, and purchase U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree merchandise. The tour will culminate with the tree lighting on the Capitol’s West Lawn on Nov. 17.

The FL Flex 2 telematics device from Spireon was selected for its diverse functionality and capability to monitor various types of assets. With its unique ability to track trailers of all kinds, including specialized flatbeds needed for oversized cargo such as the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, Spireon proves to be a reliable option. Through GPS tracking, Spireon allows for live monitoring of the tree’s journey, enabling local communities along the route to celebrate its arrival.

To stay updated on the current whereabouts of the ‘People’s Tree,’ visit either capitoltreetracker.com or the Facebook page for the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree at facebook.com/uscapitolchristmastree.

Vehicle Intelligence provider, Spireon, a Solera company, is a leading provider of aftermarket telematics solutions in North America. By equipping cars, trucks, trailers and other mobile assets with GPS devices and sensors, Spireon turns any vehicle into a connected vehicle. Award-winning products Goldstar, LoJack and FleetLocate deliver 24×7 asset visibility and actionable insights to auto dealers, lenders, transportation companies, service fleet managers, rental car companies and consumers to increase safety and productivity, boost profits and protect assets. Spireon’s state-of-the-art IoT platform, NSpire, powers both the company’s expansive suite of connected vehicle solutions and the advanced telematics of some of the world’s largest automotive OEMs, supporting nearly 4 million active subscribers and processing billions of data events each month. With its open architecture and platform-as-a-service approach, NSpire’s superior data warehousing, analytics and insights capabilities are fully scalable and ideally suited for an array of mission-critical applications across industries. Learn more at www.spireon.com .

Solera is a renowned global provider of integrated vehicle lifecycle and fleet management. Operating through four lines of business – vehicle claims, vehicle repairs, vehicle solutions, and fleet solutions – Solera offers various cutting-edge solutions such as Spireon, Omnitracs, SmartDrive, SuperVision, Sylectus, and eDriving in the fleet management ecosystem. By enabling its customers to thrive in the digital era, Solera delivers an all-in-one solution that simplifies operations, provides data-driven analytics, and enhances customer engagement. With a clientele of over 300,000 customers worldwide spanning across 100+ countries. Learn more at www.solera.com.