diff --git a/bin/jobsub_submit b/bin/jobsub_submit
index 41f74ea9..3b68217e 100755
--- a/bin/jobsub_submit
+++ b/bin/jobsub_submit
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ from submit_support import (
 )
 from tarfiles import do_tarballs
 from token_mods import get_job_scopes, use_token_copy
-from tracing import as_span, log_host_time
+from tracing import as_span, log_host_time, get_propagator_carrier
 from utils import (
     set_extras_n_fix_units,
     cleanup,
@@ -70,17 +70,9 @@ from version import print_version, print_support_email
 verbose = 0  # pylint: disable=invalid-name
 
 
-# pylint: disable=too-many-branches,too-many-statements
-@as_span("jobsub_submit", is_main=True)
+@as_span("jobsub", is_main=True)
 def main():
-    """script mainline:
-    - parse args
-    - get credentials
-    - handle tarfile options
-    - set added values from environment, etc.
-    - convert/render template files to submission files
-    - launch
-    """
+    """main entrypoint, handles basic arg parsing and creates parent span for submission"""
     global verbose  # pylint: disable=global-statement,invalid-name
     parser = get_parser()
 
@@ -104,8 +96,6 @@ def main():
 
     verbose = args.verbose
 
-    log_host_time(verbose)
-
     # if they were trying to pass LD_LIBRARY_PATH to the job, get it from HIDE_LD_LIBRARY_PATH
     if "LD_LIBRARY_PATH" in args.environment and os.environ.get(
         "HIDE_LD_LIBRARY_PATH", ""
@@ -115,6 +105,33 @@ def main():
             for x in args.environment
         ]
 
+    # get tracing propagator traceparent id so we can use it in templates, etc.
+    if args.traceparent is None:
+        carrier = get_propagator_carrier()
+        if carrier and "traceparent" in carrier:
+            args.traceparent = carrier["traceparent"]
+        else:
+            args.traceparent = ""
+
+        if verbose > 0:
+            sys.stderr.write(f"Setting traceparent: {args.traceparent}\n")
+
+    submit(args)
+
+
+# pylint: disable=too-many-branches,too-many-statements
+@as_span("jobsub_submit")
+def submit(args):
+    """script mainline:
+    - get credentials
+    - handle tarfile options
+    - set added values from environment, etc.
+    - convert/render template files to submission files
+    - launch
+    """
+
+    log_host_time(args.verbose)
+
     if args.version:
         print_version()
 
diff --git a/lib/get_parser.py b/lib/get_parser.py
index d372ba84..a6bb9207 100644
--- a/lib/get_parser.py
+++ b/lib/get_parser.py
@@ -240,6 +240,11 @@ def get_base_parser(add_condor_epilog: bool = False) -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
         action=CheckIfValidSchedd,
         help=argparse.SUPPRESS,
     )
+    group.add_argument(
+        "--traceparent",
+        help="Trace context",
+        default=os.environ.get("TRACEPARENT", None),
+    )
     return parser
 
 
diff --git a/lib/utils.py b/lib/utils.py
index c945d74d..9b94c474 100644
--- a/lib/utils.py
+++ b/lib/utils.py
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@
 import uuid
 
 import classad  # type: ignore # pylint: disable=import-error
-from tracing import get_propagator_carrier
 import token_mods
 
 from creds import CredentialSet
@@ -199,18 +198,6 @@ def set_extras_n_fix_units(
 
     set_some_extras(args, schedd_name, cred_set)
 
-    #
-    # get tracing propagator traceparent id so we can use it in templates, etc.
-    #
-    carrier = get_propagator_carrier()
-    if carrier and "traceparent" in carrier:
-        args["traceparent"] = carrier["traceparent"]
-    else:
-        args["traceparent"] = ""
-
-    if args["verbose"] > 0:
-        sys.stderr.write(f"Setting traceparent: {args['traceparent']}\n")
-
     # Read in credentials
     for cred_type, cred_path in vars(cred_set).items():
         args[cred_type] = cred_path
diff --git a/templates/simple/simple.sh b/templates/simple/simple.sh
index c74e0c28..f6a32c78 100644
--- a/templates/simple/simple.sh
+++ b/templates/simple/simple.sh
@@ -135,8 +135,44 @@ redirect_output_finish(){
     {%endif%}
 }
 
+trace_start(){
+    if ( is_set $TRACEPARENT ); then
+        version="00"
+        export JSB_TRACE_ID=`echo $TRACEPARENT | cut -d'-' -f 2`
+        export JSB_PARENT_SPAN_ID=`echo $TRACEPARENT | cut -d'-' -f 3`
+        sample=`echo $TRACEPARENT | cut -d'-' -f 4`
+        # 8-byte random span ID e.g. adce7acee6441ec74
+        export JSB_SPAN_ID=`head -c8 /dev/urandom | hexdump -e '"%02x"'`
+        # epoch nanoseconds e.g. 1544712660000000000
+        export JSB_SPAN_START=`date +%s%N`
+        # create child span
+        export TRACEPARENT="$version-$JSB_TRACE_ID-$JSB_SPAN_ID-$sample"
+    fi
+}
+
+trace_finish(){
+    # TODO check some other env vars
+    if ( is_set $OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT ); then
+        export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_TRACES_ENDPOINT="$OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT/v1/traces"
+    fi
+    if (( is_set $OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_TRACES_ENDPOINT ) && ( is_set $TRACEPARENT )); then
+        export JSB_SPAN_END=`date +%s%N`
+        # example trace JSON https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-proto/blob/v1.3.2/examples/trace.json
+        payload=`cat << __HEREDOC__
+{"resourceSpans":[{"resource":{"attributes":[{"key":"service.name","value":{"stringValue":"fife"}}]},
+"scopeSpans":[{"scope":{"name":"jobsub.wrapper","version":"1.0.0","attributes":[]},
+"spans":[{"traceId":"$JSB_TRACE_ID","spanId":"$JSB_SPAN_ID","parentSpanId":"$JSB_PARENT_SPAN_ID","name":"job","startTimeUnixNano":"$JSB_SPAN_START","endTimeUnixNano":"$JSB_SPAN_END","kind":1,
+          "attributes":[{"key":"hostname","value":{"stringValue":"$HOSTNAME"}},
+                        {"key":"job.id","value":{"stringValue":"$JOBSUBJOBID"}}]}]}]}]}
+__HEREDOC__`
+        echo $payload 1>&2
+        echo $payload | curl -s -k --data-binary @- -XPOST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -H 'Accept: application/json' $OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_TRACES_ENDPOINT
+    fi
+}
+
 
 normal_exit(){
+    trace_finish
     redirect_output_finish
 
     # maybe don't cleanup so we can transfer files back...
@@ -202,6 +238,7 @@ touch .empty_file
 args="$@"
 set - ""
 [[ "$JOBSUB_DEBUG" ]] && set_jobsub_debug
+trace_start
 
 export JSB_TMP=$_CONDOR_SCRATCH_DIR/jsb_tmp
 mkdir -p $JSB_TMP