When John Hamblin envisioned his retirement years ago, he didn’t foresee it including a turn as CEO of a tech startup that was building monitoring technology for the world’s trucking companies.

But Hamblin, who retired in the spring from Clarke IT Solutions Inc., last month took the helm at Fredericton-based Geode Technology, working remotely from his base in Halifax. As the leader of the young company that is now closing its first round of equity funding, Hamblin hopes to establish a structure that will help the company gain some traction with corporate clients by next summer.

 “What we’re doing now is putting the team in place and putting a plan in place,” said Hamblin in an interview last week. “My objective is that by mid-year next year we will be generating enough revenue that we can look at (a range of) options.”

Geode is the brainchild of Harold Hutchinson, a Radian6 exec who designed a smartphone app that would track teenagers and young adults so parents would know their whereabouts. That app, which is still available, led Hutchinson to further develop an app that would help companies with fleets of trucks to monitor and track their fleets and drivers.

Using GPS to track the trucks is only the first step of what Geode does. It can tell companies how fast their trucks were going, how many hours the drivers were on the job, and on and on. The low-cost technology features apps for Apple or Android devices and a GPS device installed in the truck itself.

 “The possibilities are myriad,” said Hamblin. “For example, if the tractor of your truck was stolen, you could guide it to a controlled, safe halt with our technology.”

Hamblin said the company is developing the next generation of the product and plans to market it both to major trucking companies and those with smaller fleets, say of fewer than 25 trucks. The sales effort will get a lift from insurance companies and U.S. legislation that will require companies whose trucks cross state lines to have black boxes (like in airplanes) to show records of the truck and the driver’s journeys.

Hamblin said the company is targeting several types of enterprise clients to get the product to market. Naturally, it is targeting large trucking companies, and companies that own fleets of all sizes.

But the sales effort could also include transportation software companies that make administrative software and could link up with Geode to provide a full suite of tech services. It could also include smaller cellphone companies, most of which now offer tracking services and could use a Geode-based product to market a broader range of products.

Geode is now raising money from the First Angel Network, and has pitched to the network’s members, though the funding hasn’t closed yet. It is also seeking equity funding from other individuals and from people involved directly from the company. It has set a target for equity funding of about $500,000 and will then top that up with various forms of non-dilutive financing.