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The Best GPS Fleet Management Services of 2023

Updated Sep 27, 2023
Best for Midsize Fleets
  • Easily handles growing fleet data
  • Built-in federal/state compliance
  • Safety and maintenance tools
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  • Easily handles growing fleet data
  • Built-in federal/state compliance
  • Safety and maintenance tools
Best for Sustainability
  • Car, driver and fleet monitoring
  • Fastest GPS data refresh rates
  • More than 200 third-party integrations
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  • Car, driver and fleet monitoring
  • Fastest GPS data refresh rates
  • More than 200 third-party integrations
Best for Driver Accountability
  • Human-reviewed incident videos
  • Road- and cab-facing dashcams
  • Very fast 1-3 second refresh rate
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  • Human-reviewed incident videos
  • Road- and cab-facing dashcams
  • Very fast 1-3 second refresh rate
Best for Ease of Use
  • Get started in minutes
  • 24/7 customer support
  • Intuitive control dashboard
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  • Get started in minutes
  • 24/7 customer support
  • Intuitive control dashboard
Best for Home Service Businesses
  • Invoicing and payment processing
  • Robust app marketplace
  • 30-day rolling contract
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  • Invoicing and payment processing
  • Robust app marketplace
  • 30-day rolling contract

Table of Contents

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Businesses use fleet management services to keep track of their assets, vehicles, equipment and drivers. Using GPS fleet management services, businesses can track their assets, including drivers, equipment and vehicles. The best services offer easy-to-use software, hardware that’s simple to install and valuable tracking, driver safety and fuel performance features. We researched a number of solutions, scrutinizing ease of use, price and safety features before arriving at our best picks for small businesses in 2023.

Using GPS fleet management services, businesses can keep tabs on their assets, including drivers, equipment, and vehicles. The best services offer easy-to-use software, hardware that’s simple to install, and valuable tracking, driver safety, and fuel performance features. We researched a number of solutions, scrutinizing ease of use, price, and safety features before arriving at our best picks for small businesses in 2023.

What Is GPS Fleet Management?

GPS fleet management uses a combination of hardware and software to track company assets like trucks, equipment and drivers. The hardware can be an OBD-II plug-and-play or hard-wired device. When your vehicle is registered on the system, the hardware sends regular data updates to your GPS fleet management provider’s cloud. The software is typically cloud-based and accessible via any computer or mobile device with an internet connection.

GPS fleet management hardware records and sends a wide variety of data. You can use that data to improve driver safety, maintain and service your vehicles better, decrease fuel costs, protect against damage and theft and increase the number of jobs individual drivers can carry out in a day thanks to route optimization.

Find the Right GPS Fleet Management Service for Your Business

Fill out this questionnaire to find vendors that meet your needs.

How We Decided

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How We Decided

Our team spends weeks evaluating dozens of business solutions to identify the best options. To stay current, our research is regularly updated.

25

Considered

14

Researched

11

Selected

Compare Our Best Picks

BDC Ribbon
Our Top Picks for 2023
Verizon Connect
Samsara
ClearPathGPS
Force by Mojio
GPS Trackit
FleetUp
NexTraq
Teletrac Navman
Rating (Out of 10)9.29.09.39.08.59.09.08.89.58.08.3
Use case

Midsize fleets

Sustainability

Driver accountability

Ease of use

Home services business

Affordability

Growing local businesses

Video telematics

Customer support

Safety features

Vehicle maintenance

Contract length

36 months

36 months

12 months

36 months

30-day rolling

30-day rolling

30-day rolling

30-day rolling

Custom

Custom

12 months

Pricing

from $20 pm

Custom

From $25 per month

$25-$35 (dashcam $29.99pm extra)

$37 per month 1 user, $97 per month up to 5 users, $187 per month up to 15 users.

$20-25

$18

from $23.95

from $20 per month

Custom

$35

Refresh rates

30 seconds

1 second

1-3 seconds

30 seconds

Not disclosed

30 seconds

10 seconds

Under 1 minute

10 seconds

30 seconds

Variable

Hardware type

Plug and play, hard-wired

Plug and play

Plug and play

Plug and play

Plug and play

Plug and play, hard-wired

Plug and play

Plug and play, hard-wired

Plug and play

Plug and play, hard-wired

Plug and play, hard-wired

Dashcam

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Free/paid trial

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

No

No

Free demo?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Review Link
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Our Reviews

Verizon Connect: Best GPS Fleet Management Service for Midsize Fleets

  • Verizon Connect provides built-in federal and state-by-state compliance features.
  • The platform offers a wide range of apps and application programming interface (API) integration.
  • There’s a free demo, but no free trial.
Editor's Rating: 9.2/10
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Verizon Connect’s fleet management service is ideal for midsize fleets because it simplifies the complex issues involved in driver and vehicle cost control at scale, ensures on-the-road compliance and allows you to bolt on extra functionality specifically intended for growing fleets through its range of apps. Prices start from just over $20 per month per vehicle on the Reveal Starter tariff.

Verizon Connect collects the data on vehicles and drivers you need. It’s easy to run customized reports on its user-friendly dashboard, which we find helpful when searching for ways to cut costs and get more done. We like how you can extend Verizon’s functionality by utilizing one of the 40 apps in the Verizon Connect marketplace. If you need to get data from the platform into other apps and software, you can use the REST API, which has extensive documentation for your developers.

We like how Verizon Connect supports AEMP 2.0 telematics integration. The KPIs and metrics provided by AEMP 2.0 help business owners understand more about their equipment and make changes to increase efficiency or lower fuel costs. It tells fleet owners how much idle time a vehicle has had, its fuel usage and tracks its location.

Verizon’s integration with SpeedGuag also provides valuable data for users. SpeedGauge uses vehicle data such as speed, odometers and VINs to provide analytics into drivers’ daily and one-off behaviors. These analytics offer valuable insights for businesses by exposing patterns of poor driving patterns, highlighting good drivers and providing Driver Safety Scores, Vehicle Operator Scores and FAIR Scores so businesses can observe their overall fleet safety and see how it stacks up against competitors.

Compliance is a factor for larger fleets and Verizon Connect handles this better than most. Electronic logging device (ELD), driver vehicle inspection report (DVIR) and International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) requirements are built in and as vehicles cross from state to state, the navigation software will ensure that your vehicles are driven only on roads they’re authorized to use.

Verizon Connect also supports electric vehicles (EVs), keeps records of unsafe driving incidents and lets you set up regular maintenance alerts for required services.

Samsara: Best GPS Fleet Management Service for Sustainability

  • Samara is a fully featured intuitive GPS fleet & asset management system with fast refresh rates, AI dashcams and 24/7 support.
  • For companies making the switch to greener vehicles, you can monitor and report on existing EV and hybrid performance.
  • Samsara requires a 36-month contract and you can’t try the service out before committing to it.
Editor's Rating: 9/10
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Samsara is our choice for companies that target sustainability and want to move to a greener fleet over time. As a fleet management system, it’s featured-packed and performs very well at important tasks like reducing fuel costs and improving driver safety very well. The platform is scalable meaning that you can add as many vehicles and assets to the system as you need. And, if you need help, the company provides 24/7 live support.

Like the Verizon Connect system, you can monitor EV and hybrid vehicles from the manager dashboard together with all your other vehicles. What stood out for us about this system though was how the platform helps companies decide which of their existing ICE vehicles they should replace with EVs or hybrids. Set your own transition criteria on which Samsara bases its advice, like maximum lifetime mileage to average daily driving range.

The GPS unit that sends vehicle and driver data to your dashboard every second is easy to install and plug-and-play. The system benefits from a highly intuitive dashboard offering quick access to every feature, normally within just one or two clicks. For first-time users of a fleet management system, the learning curve will be slight but, if you get stuck, there’s an extensive online knowledge base of helpful articles and videos.

Samsara has the quickest standard refresh rates of all the systems we reviewed sending location and telematics information back every second. The company’s dual-facing dashcam are AI-enabled and record what happens on the road and in the cab. You can even connect to a camera live on your manager dashboard to view live footage.

KeepTruckin: Best GPS Fleet Management Service for Driver Accountability

  • Motive is the most competitively priced fleet management provider with a dashcam.
  • This is an easy-to-operate system.
  • There is no free trial and a 12-month minimum commitment is required.
Editor's Rating: 9.3/10
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Road safety is clearly a priority for Motive and it shows, which is why it is our choice as the best fleet management system for driver accountability. The AI dashcam supplied by the company detects on-road and in-cab high-risk behavior. Unlike many others on the market, the Motive dashcam captures video when the engine is turned off or has lost power. For insurance and evidential purposes, video footage is 1440p high definition (HD).

Motive also offers AI Omnicam, an AI-powered camera designed to provide 360-degree visibility of commercial vehicles. When paired with Motive’s AI dashcam, it helps improve safety by offering comprehensive visibility around the vehicle so fleet managers can prevent more road accidents, resolve cargo handling disputes, and address fraudulent claims

But, more than that, the company employs hundreds of staff whose job is to examine the footage sent by dashcams of hazardous events. Each video is reviewed manually and extra information and insight are added to it by the company’s safety team. This is unique to Motive and it’s for this reason that we rate Motive as the GPS fleet tracking service for driver accountability.

Motive, previously known as KeepTruckin, offers simple-to-install hardware and easy-to-use dashboard. If you need help getting started, its customer support team is available 24/7, and there are a large volume of helpful tutorials, videos and guides on its website.

Motive helps fleet managers reduce fuel usage by monitoring driver behavior over time so that you can benchmark your drivers against each other, identifying training opportunities. The built-in IFTA fuel reports allow you to get an accurate overview of fuel consumption across your fleet over periods of time you decide. The system also simplifies keeping compliance logs, including charts and hours of service, and identifies the drivers at the greatest compliance risk.

Azuga: Best GPS Fleet Management Service for Ease of Use

  • Azuga is a powerful system that is very easy for fleet managers to use.
  • The platform is feature-packed and creating customized reports is easy.
  • Azuga requires a three-year service contract.
Editor's Rating: 9/10
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Azuga is our choice as the best easy-to-use fleet management solution because it has a simplified platform and service that makes it accessible for everyone. It takes just a few minutes to install the plug-and-play hardware and get your vehicles registered. The web-based interface is very intuitive and the features that admins and supervisors use the most are rarely more than one or two clicks away.

We like the way that Azuga has balanced driver safety training and rewards. Azuga constantly monitors for “crash event predictors” when a vehicle is on the road. The smart dashcam records and sends each incident to the dashboard for later review. It constantly scores each driver for safety, and you can choose to be alerted to unsafe driving events in real time. Azuga has created a set of videos that train drivers on how to drive better and the platform chooses the videos most likely to be the most significant help to an individual driver. You can also reward your most responsible drivers with vouchers from online stores.

Diagnostic trouble code monitoring alerts you to emerging technical issues. It’s easy to schedule regular maintenance for each vehicle as well as look into an individual vehicle’s service history. In addition, there’s a growing app store on the platform with 47 native integrations with partners like Salesforce, various advanced routing and scheduling services, fuel card providers and fleet maintenance management services. Customer support is available 24/7.

Jobber: Best GPS Fleet Management Service for Home Service Businesses

  • Jobber lets you see where all your vehicles are at any time, as well as their speed, fuel level and direction of travel.
  • The platform doesn’t include driver safety tools, route optimization, vehicle fault reporting or fleet maintenance features.
Editor's Rating: 8.5/10
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Jobber is much more than a fleet management service. It’s a complete CRM system for home services businesses that has a GPS fleet tracking module on the side. Jobber allows you to manage your customers (including making bookings, handing leads, getting referrals and text messaging), track jobs, send quotes and invoices and take credit card payments. It offers GPS waypoint tracking and live map views, including speed, direction and fuel level data.

You can also integrate Jobber with QuickBooks and run email and postcard marketing campaigns. Jobber has its own app marketplace offering further functionality.

Jobber’s service plans that feature GPS tracking cost $37 per month for one user, $97 for up to five users or $187 per month for up to 15 users (additional users are $29 per month). Those are annual rates. If you want to pay monthly, it’ll cost you 20 percent more. The company offers a free trial and you’ll be on a 30-day rolling contract.

ClearPathGPS: Best GPS Fleet Management Service for Affordability

ClearPathGPS
  • ClearPathGPS offers all clients month-to-month contracts.
  • Its monthly rate per vehicle is the lowest on the market if you want dashcams for your vehicles.
  • Other providers offer a much faster refresh rate than ClearPathGPS whose in-vehicle sensors only report in every 30 seconds.
Editor's Rating: 9/10

ClearPathGPS charges $20 per vehicle per month for all the main vehicle telematics features, including geofencing, traffic overlay, ELD support and driver reports. For real-time alerts and access to the open API, the cost is $25 per month. Given the range of features the service offers, we rate this as the best fleet management service for affordability.

Of those fleet management services that offer webcams, ClearPathGPS’s subscription rates are the most competitive. The company offers a 30-day risk-free guarantee and doesn’t ask customers to sign a long-term contract, which is unusual in a marketplace, where a 36-month minimum contract is standard.

Despite the competitive pricing and contract terms, ClearPathGPS does not compromise on the functionality you’d expect in a fleet tracking system. Full reporting is available on driver behavior (even if they switch between vehicles) and the system keeps your company compliant on hours of service, inspections, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Department of Transportation mandates and more.

The company partners with route optimization provider Route4Me to monitor and analyze route data to help get drivers to their destinations faster. This is particularly helpful for companies whose drivers make multiple daily drops.

Force by Mojio: Best GPS Fleet Management Service for Expanding Local Businesses

Force by Mojio
  • The RoadScore metric helps identify your more dangerous drivers and how you can train them to improve.
  • No long-term contracts are required.
  • Force does not offer a dashcam option.
Editor's Rating: 9/10

We selected Force by Mojio as the best fleet management service for expanding small businesses that provide local deliveries and services. The system has many features, especially ones needed by this type of customer. Force by Mojio is a good choice for any small business serving a local community.

To thrive, local businesses must develop a reputation for keeping their promises and ensuring their customers stay informed. It’s easy to manage drivers’ work schedules with Force, making last-minute changes and additions if necessary. You can also stay on top of your drivers’ safety with Force’s continuously updated RoadScore metric. The safer the driving, the more money you save on fuel.

Another benefit for service businesses is Force’s integration with Housecall Pro. This allows you to manage your fleet, create estimates, send invoices and organize calendars from within Housecall Pro.

GPS Trackit: Best GPS Fleet Management Service for Video Telematics

GPS Trackit
  • GPS Trackit’s decision to focus on video telematics and GPS has paid off with a very able and intuitive platform.
  • It’s one of a handful of providers happy to ask for no more than a month-to-month commitment from its customers.
  • GPS data information is not updated more than once per minute.
Editor's Rating: 8.8/10

GPS Trackit is an affordable fleet management platform with a big focus on video telematics. Despite being towards the budget end of the market, its high-quality dashcam and GPS hardware options stand out, in particular its VidFleet AI+ dashcam featuring built-in eye-tracking technology and AI. Uniquely, you can livestream from up to four HD cameras in one vehicle via GPS Trackit’s splitter.

This is a well-featured platform that only suffers from its low GPS refresh rate and lack of integrated behavior-linked driver safety training. It’ll be more than enough for most small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), however. Its dashboard is easy to operate and allows easy access to the main features like maintenance monitoring, fuel efficiency tracking and route optimization.

GPS Trackit charges $23.95 per vehicle for GPS tracking (video telematics and asset tracking cost extra) with a 30-day rolling contract. It also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Support is available over the phone and via email, web chat or online ticketing Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern time.

FleetUp: Best GPS Fleet Management Service for Customer Support

FleetUp
  • FleetUp’s intuitive interface makes it easy for new users to get up to speed.
  • Support reps reach out very quickly to customers in need and its website is full of helpful guides and instructions.
  • FleetUp is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau which may be an important factor for some companies when choosing suppliers.
Editor's Rating: 9.5/10

FleetUp is our choice of the best fleet management solution for customer support because it offers around-the-clock service, responding to emails within 30 minutes and picking up calls 97 percent of the time on average. Additionally, your account manager will check in with you every three months to see if you need help.

Overall, FleetUp’s asset tracking system is data-rich and full of features. We especially like how the user interface is clean and presents data well. You can customize reports by selecting the most relevant information to your business that you can use to reduce vehicle and driver costs and increase productivity and efficiency.

FleetUp also impressively handles vehicle maintenance and service scheduling. Its hardware connects directly with your vehicle’s OBD-II port, transmitting data via the 4G network. If it detects a diagnostic trouble code (DTC), the equipment sends it to your dashboard. You can see the maintenance records of each vehicle and set preventive maintenance intervals.

Intelligent route optimization is built into the system to reduce how long it takes drivers to reach their destinations. If you have preferred routes, you can program them into the dashboard and send them to the driver’s mobile app. Driver behavior is assessed and monitored constantly to train drivers out of bad habits. If a driver needs help, you can dial in live to their dashcam to see what they’re seeing and provide them with the assistance they need.

NexTraq: Best GPS Fleet Management for Safety Features

NexTraq
  • NextTraq’s driver safety monitoring is top-notch.
  • The HD dashcam has a wide-angle lens, nighttime viewing and an in-cab camera to monitor drivers’ attention.
  • NexTraq doesn’t publish prices or minimum contract lengths, so you will need to contact the company directly for a quote.
Editor's Rating: 8/10

NexTraq is our choice as the best fleet management service for safety features. If a driver has an accident, the dashcam records it so you, your insurance company and law enforcement can see exactly what the driver saw. Additionally, NexTraq constantly monitors driver activity to help fleet managers identify which drivers present the most significant safety risks and which ones they can reward for good driving behavior. You can even use an in-cab buzzer to tell drivers to slow down or stop driving aggressively. We were also impressed with the number of training videos, including how to reduce aggressive and distracted driving and how to drive defensively.

You can use the control dashboard to track your fleet, view important metrics at vehicle and fleet-wide levels, monitor compliance and engine diagnostics, handle driver route optimization and schedule vehicle maintenance. Its dashcam features LEDs for nighttime viewing, has a second camera for an in-cab view and films in HD via a wide-angle lens.

NexTraq offers no free trial but there is a free demo.

Teletrac Navman: Best GPS Fleet Management Service for Easy Vehicle Maintenance

Teletrac Navman
  • The platform includes built-in DTC, DVIR, IFTA and ELD functionality, making it easier for predictive and reactive vehicle maintenance.
  • Teletrac Navman provides 24/7 customer support.
  • You need to contact a sales agent directly to get pricing information.
Editor's Rating: 8.3/10

Teletrac Navman’s fleet maintenance and fuel management systems provide instant alerts on emerging maintenance issues. We like how DTCs are quickly flagged. You can also schedule maintenance and track DVIR, IFTA and ELD data on the platform. For these reasons and more, Teletrac Navman is our choice as the best fleet tracking service for easy vehicle maintenance.

The platform’s smart route optimization software means that you can add extra jobs and change routes, increasing productivity across your fleet. Like many other providers, the dashcam and mobile app monitor driver behavior for insurance purposes in case there’s a crash. You can also benchmark drivers on factors like rapid acceleration, abrupt braking and aggressive cornering.

Where Teletrac Navman struggles is the fact that it refreshes data at 5-minute intervals. This is significantly longer than that of their competitors, which refresh data at least once a minute.

Teletrac Navman’s customer support is available 24 hours a day. You can get in touch with it online or via a toll-free telephone number.

Pricing and Contracts

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to fleet management tracking. Providers know this and they aim to provide solutions tailored to your business’ specific needs. While many providers require a 36-month contract, others offer 30-day rolling contracts.

The price depends on the number of vehicles or assets you track and the vehicle, driver and asset data you want. Some providers include all data and features with their per-vehicle-per-month price, while others offer a base set of functions that you can supplement with additional subscriptions and third-party contracts.

TipBottom line
If you are new to fleet management tracking, you might benefit from choosing a provider offering a free or paid-for trial or a 30-day money-back guarantee. That way, you can test whether you really need the service without committing your company to a long contract.

What Should You Look for in a GPS Management Service for Your Business?

When choosing a GPS tracking service, you should ensure that the hardware and software can provide you with access to the data you need to improve and streamline operations.

Hardware and Installation

All GPS fleet management services we reviewed offer plug-and-play hardware, including the trackers themselves. They plug into the OBD-II port on your vehicle. With most providers, it takes around 10 minutes to install a device and connect it to the software. You can move GPS trackers between vehicles at any time.

Some providers offer hard-wired trackers. They require professional installation, often at an additional cost. They are less prone to tampering and do not require as much maintenance.

Most providers offer dashcams (many of them powered by artificial intelligence), asset trackers, trailer trackers, heavy equipment trackers and driver ID readers.

Driver Safety and Performance

GPS fleet management systems allow companies to monitor the performance of their drivers for safety and fuel efficiency.

Incidents of unsafe driving that wastes fuel are recorded and sent to the control dashboard, including events like harsh driving, speeding, hard braking, rapid acceleration, aggressive cornering, idling, fuel usage, cell phone distractions, unauthorized usage and engine on/off times.

Some systems create driver quality scores from this information, allowing you to see which drivers are behaving responsibly and which may need additional training.

Vehicle Condition and Maintenance

Maintaining the health of your fleet is imperative to reduce costs and increase safety and performance. Fleet management software can record the fuel level, battery voltage, odometer reading and coolant and engine temperatures of each company vehicle. The sensors within your vehicle hardware also alert you to DTCs that indicate emerging problems, sending fault data to your control dashboard.

Many fleet tracking platforms allow you to set a timetable for preventive maintenance.

Alerts and Reports

Many systems send automatic alerts to drivers, system admins and supervisors and people at destinations where your vehicles are headed. Choose what you want them to be notified of and the system will take care of it.

For example, in addition to DTC alerts, you can tell the system to notify you and your driver of unsafe driving habits in real time.

Your system collects and stores a lot of data on vehicles, drivers and trips. You can run reports on that data to identify driver training needs and fuel consumption trends, such as fuel wasted through unsafe or poor driving habits.

These reports provide the insight you need to save money and increase efficiency across your business.

Location and Navigation

All GPS fleet management systems send back each vehicle’s position at intervals between one second and five minutes. You’ll be able to see each vehicle in real time on your control dashboard map, many of which allow you to click in to see which driver is behind the wheel, when they started their trip, their final destination, their estimated time of arrival and other notes.

Most systems offer in-cab driving directions to drivers, often via a mobile app. This allows drivers to take the quickest and most efficient route. This type of GPS navigation is different from car navigation services offered by Google and Apple. Professional GPS navigation will direct drivers to roads that are legal to drive on depending on the type and size of vehicle they’re driving.

TipBottom line
If real-time reporting is important to you, make sure the vendor you select truly offers it. Only a few of the companies we reviewed offer reporting from one second to the next.

Usability

Fleet management systems are controlled via the online dashboard. All providers have attempted to create an intuitive user interface, although some providers do this better than others. For brand-new fleet tracking system users, you may want to choose a provider with an extensive online knowledge base that offers tips and techniques about how to get the most from your system.

Some mobile apps offer system supervisors and administrators the full range of features available on the PC/Mac desktop dashboard; however, some providers offer limited mobile functionality.

Many providers offer REST API interfaces, allowing data on the platform to be integrated into third-party programs like Salesforce and other top CRM software solutions.

Customer Service

Customer service levels vary from provider to provider. Some offer 24/7 access while others are available during working hours only. Some make it easy to speak with representatives on the phone, while others prefer you to communicate by email, help desk or ticketing system. A few companies provide named accounts or customer success representatives to customers.

The Importance of GPS Fleet Management for Businesses

With fleet tracking services, you can track and improve your drivers’ performance and safety, schedule vehicle maintenance, track your vehicles’ and assets’ locations, monitor and improve fuel efficiency and optimize navigation. Monitoring your vehicles, assets and drivers can help you maintain a safe workplace and cut costs.

GPS tracking is especially important for businesses with high-value mobile assets like trailers, tractors, storage containers, construction equipment and generators.

How GPS Tracking Works for a Business Fleet

GPS tracking systems use hardware to collect the data from vehicles and other assets and software to present and analyze the data. On vehicles, the equipment can be hard-wired or plugged straight into the OBD-II port. On assets, monitoring equipment is normally attached to the outside of the asset and powered by batteries that can provide power for up to 12 months.

Most GPS fleet tracking providers don’t require you to download apps or programs to your PC or Mac to access data. You can access their platforms via internet browsers like Chrome, Firefox and Edge. You will need to download mobile phone apps.

On GPS fleet management dashboards, you can see live information on your vehicles, their location and the trip they’re making. You can run reports on driver safety and performance, fuel efficiency and optimization, geofences and route navigation and vehicle condition and maintenance to improve efficiency.

TipBottom line
GPS fleet management offers a lot of benefits, such as improving driver safety and ensuring your vehicles are getting the right maintenance. This can help you lower costs and boost profits.

What Questions Should You Ask When Determining the Right GPS Management Service for Your Business?

When getting quotes for a fleet management services, ask the following questions:

  • Do you offer a free trial or demo? Some companies offer a 30-day trial of their hardware and software. This is crucial if the company you’re considering requires you to sign a long-term contract. Even if you’ve already made up your mind, take advantage of the free trial period.
  • What is the refresh time? Many of the software vendors say they offer real-time tracking, but it is usually not technically in real time. GPS fleet management software may refresh anywhere from every second to every 5 minutes, depending on the company. Of the companies we reviewed, only a few offer real-time, second-to-second tracking. The rest have a refresh rate ranging from 10 seconds to 3 minutes.
  • What type of hardware and software do you include in the cost? Fleet tracking hardware usually are plug-and-play devices that are about the size of a deck of cards and can be inserted into your vehicle’s OBD-II port. More advanced hardware includes separate pieces that link with information centers in your vehicles. The software is usually cloud-based and usable on desktops, tablets and smartphones.
  • Is all functionality included? All services come with a wide set of features however some providers have tiered service plans that charge extra for some features. When speaking with a company, get a quote for the exact features you want.

Frequently Asked Questions

The most common use for GPS fleet trackers is locating vehicles. It’s important for many businesses to know exactly where their vehicles, drivers and assets are at all times, for both safety and cost efficiency. Another common application is to monitor driver performance, fuel consumption and/or vehicle maintenance. The software connected to the trackers can provide insights into how vehicles are being used and what changes can be made for them to run more efficiently.

Installing GPS trackers on your business’ vehicles or assets allows you to track where each vehicle and driver is, which can help prevent theft, accidents and misuse.

Many GPS trackers have a geofence feature, which allows you to set a specific perimeter for your fleet. If a tracked vehicle or asset leaves the geofenced area, you are notified. Geofencing helps you verify that your team is staying within a designated zone and not taking your vehicles or assets to unapproved or unsafe areas. Additionally, GPS trackers analyze fleet routes and provide recommendations for the safest and most efficient itinerary.

As you evaluate your options, compare companies based on the features that are most important to you. For example, if driver safety is your No. 1 concern, determine the specific safety features and alerts the different services offer, as well as what type of driver coaching and feedback options they have. If your primary goal is to improve fuel efficiency and vehicle condition, compare features like fuel tracking, maintenance scheduling and navigation optimization.

In addition to the primary features that matter most for your business, consider the type of hardware each company offers, pricing (including whether you will need to sign a contract and, if so, how long it lasts), the minimum number of vehicles it requires, the software’s ease of use and customer service.

Any business with a fleet of vehicles or high-value mobile assets can benefit from GPS fleet management. Although trucking companies are the primary users of GPS fleet management, other industries can take advantage of GPS tracking for their fleets or assets as well.

If you operate a business within one of the following industries, you can benefit from GPS tracking services:

  • Agriculture
  • Cable and telecommunications
  • Construction and heavy equipment
  • Distribution
  • Electrical services
  • Enterprise and rental fleet
  • Food and beverage
  • Government and public safety
  • Heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems
  • Landscaping
  • Manufacturing
  • Mining
  • Oil and gas
  • Pest control
  • Private investigations
  • Transportation
  • Utilities

What to expect in 2023

As the transportation, logistics, and delivery service sectors look for ways to boost their operations, fleet management software will continue to see massive growth. Recent reports have shown that the market size has the potential to reach $52.5 billion by 2029.

The industry’s recent significant growth can be attributed to the advancements in telematics technology. Real-time data collection, GPS tracking, and vehicle diagnostics enable remote monitoring, cost savings and improved efficiency. Safety features ensure compliance and driver well-being. Environmental considerations promote sustainability. Scalable solutions suit fleets of all sizes, integrating with other business systems for streamlined operations.

In the upcoming years, 5G will play a big part in the growth of fleet management and GPS tracking capabilities. Its much greater bandwidth and lower latency will allow devices to communicate with fleet management providers’ cloud servers on a continuous basis, rather than a few times every minute as is common with most providers now. This will be particularly helpful for fleets in urban environments to get the latest traffic conditions for route optimization and enable more accurate ETAs.

Delivery, haulage and transportation companies are continuing to switch to EVs, a trend that may accelerate if gas prices continue to rise. The algorithms needed to measure EV use versus gas/diesel use are very different and widely acknowledged as not being particularly accurate. EVs also have fewer maintenance and servicing needs. We believe that GPS fleet tracking firms will focus more of their attention in the years to come on bringing up the standards of data reporting and analysis for EV vehicles.

While recent reports indicated positive momentum within the sector, smaller fleets are still likely to face challenges in 2024. Data shows there has been a severe decrease in driver utilization and trucking jobs in 2023 — specifically for smaller fleets of one to five vehicles and mid-sized fleets of up to 250 vehicles — with a notable reduction in August of the miles driven and hours drivers worked.

At the same time, higher operating costs are impacting smaller fleets disproportionately, as they suffer from the effects of rising diesel prices and higher interest rates which may impact bottom lines.

Mark Fairlie
Mark Fairlie
Contributing Writer at business.com
Mark Fairlie has written extensively on business finance, business development, M&A, accounting, tax, cybersecurity, sales and marketing, SEO, investments, and more for clients across the world for the past five years. Prior to that, Mark owned one of the largest independent managed B2B email and telephone outsourcing companies in the UK prior to selling up in 2015.
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