business.com receives compensation from some of the companies listed on this page. Advertising Disclosure
World's Best Boss

Do you have the world's best boss?Enter them to win two tickets to Sandals!

Updated Mar 05, 2024

The Best Fleet Management Services of 2024

Mark Fairlie
Mark Fairlie, Senior Analyst & Expert on Business Ownership
Verified CheckEditor Verified
Verified Check
Editor Verified
Close
A business.com editor verified this analysis to ensure it meets our standards for accuracy, expertise and integrity.
Best for Sustainability
  • From $44 per vehicle, per month
  • Fastest GPS data refresh rates
  • 200-plus third-party integrations
Visit Site
Links to Samsara
  • From $44 per vehicle, per month
  • Fastest GPS data refresh rates
  • 200-plus third-party integrations
Best for Home Service Businesses
  • From $49 per vehicle, per month
  • Invoicing and payment processing
  • 30-day rolling contract
Visit Site
Links to Jobber
  • From $49 per vehicle, per month
  • Invoicing and payment processing
  • 30-day rolling contract
Best for Ease of Use
Azuga
  • From $25 per vehicle, per month
  • 24/7 customer support
  • Intuitive control dashboard
Links to Azuga
  • From $25 per vehicle, per month
  • 24/7 customer support
  • Intuitive control dashboard
Best for Driver Accountability
Motive
Motive logo
  • From $20 per vehicle, per month
  • Human-reviewed incident videos
  • Very fast 1-3 second refresh rate
Links to Motive
  • From $20 per vehicle, per month
  • Human-reviewed incident videos
  • Very fast 1-3 second refresh rate
Best for Midsize Fleets
Verizon Connect
  • From $20 per month
  • Easily handles growing fleet data
  • Built-in federal/state compliance
Links to Verizon Connect
  • From $20 per month
  • Easily handles growing fleet data
  • Built-in federal/state compliance

Table of Contents

Open row

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 several solutions, scrutinizing ease of use, price and safety features before arriving at our best picks for small businesses in 2024.

Why You Should Trust Us

At business.com, we’ve independently evaluated hundreds of business software and services to determine the best products for small businesses. Our expert editorial staff identified the best fleet management services based on firsthand experience, comprehensive research and rigorous testing. Each product was analyzed and rated on a number of factors, including cost, dashcams, ease of use and features. The business.com team prioritizes accuracy and fairness in all of our assessments. Learn more about our methodology.

What Is GPS Fleet Management?

GPS fleet management uses a combination of hardware and software to track company assets like trucks, equipment and drivers. GPS fleet management hardware records and sends a wide variety of data that 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.

Tip Bulb

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 2024
Samsara
Azuga
Motive
Verizon Connect
ClearPathGPS
Force by Mojio
GPS Trackit
FleetUp
Teletrac Navman
RAM Tracking
Rating (Out of 10)9.08.59.09.39.29.09.08.89.58.38.7
Use case

Sustainability

Home services business

Ease of use

Driver accountability

Midsize fleets

Affordability

Growing local businesses

Video telematics

Customer support

Vehicle maintenance

Smaller fleets

Contract length

36 months

30-day rolling

36 months

12 months

36 months

30-day rolling

30-day rolling

Choice of 30-day rolling and longer-term contracts

Custom

12 months

12 months

Pricing

Hardware + 3 years’ service: $1,584 – $2,160 per vehicle for SMBs, customer for enterprise

$49 per month 1 user, $129 per month up to 5 users, $249 per month up to 15 users.

$25pm for GPS, $50 for GPS + basic camera, $60 for GPS plus AI camera

From $25 per month

from $20 pm

$20-25

$20

from $12.99 for asset tracking and $24.99 for fleet tracking

from $20 per month

$35

Custom and from around $10 per month

Free/paid trial

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

No

Yes

Refresh rates

1 second

Not disclosed

30 seconds – 2 minutes (15 seconds costs extra)

1-3 seconds

30 seconds

30 seconds

10 seconds

Under 1 minute

10 seconds

Variable

1-2 minutes

Hardware type

Plug and play, hard-wired

Plug and play

Plug and play

Plug and play

Plug and play, hard-wired

Plug and play, hard-wired

Plug and play

Plug and play, hard-wired

Plug and play

Plug and play, hard-wired

Plug and play

Third-party apps

Around 200

24

48

Around 150

48

10

1

60

0

25

0

Review Link
Scroll Table

Our Reviews

Samsara: Best GPS Fleet Management Service for Sustainability

  • Samsara 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 electric vehicle (EV) and hybrid performance.
  • Samsara requires a 36-month contract and you need to pay a year upfront for equipment and airtime if your fleet has 10 or fewer vehicles.
Editor's Rating: 9/10
Visit Site

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. The platform is scalable, meaning that you can add as many vehicles and assets to the system as you need. If you need help, the company provides 24/7 live support.

We like how you can monitor all of your vehicles, including EVs and hybrids, from the manager dashboard. What stood out for us about this system though was how the platform helps companies decide which of their existing internal combustion engine 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 dashcams are 1080p high definition (HD) and 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.

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.
  • Offers a variety of additional services, such as customer relationship management (CRM), invoicing and payment processing.
  • The platform doesn’t include driver safety tools, route optimization, vehicle fault reporting or fleet maintenance features.
Editor's Rating: 8.5/10
Visit Site

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.

Jobber’s online booking tool is impressive and is a great tool for companies in industries like contracting, landscaping, painting and more. This helps businesses attract new customers and streamline scheduling processes. This new feature incorporates a drive time aspect, optimizing workdays by suggesting time slots near existing appointments so your fleet can save on fuel costs. It also significantly reduces scheduling time, which can boost operational efficiency and professionalism.

Jobber’s service plans that feature GPS tracking cost $49 per month for one user, $129 for up to five users or $249 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 14-day trial, and you can cancel your contract at any time without penalty.

Azuga: Best GPS Fleet Management Service for Ease of Use

Azuga
  • 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

Azuga is our choice as the easiest-to-use fleet management solution because of its simplified platform and service that makes it accessible to everyone. We found that it takes 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 about 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. We also like how it gamifies safety and allows you to reward your most responsible drivers with vouchers from online stores directly from within the platform.

Diagnostic trouble code monitoring alerts you to emerging technical issues. It’s easy to schedule regular vehicle maintenance as well as look into an individual vehicle’s service history. In addition, there’s a growing app store on the platform with 48 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.

KeepTruckin: Best GPS Fleet Management Service for Driver Accountability

KeepTruckin
Motive logo
  • 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

Road safety is 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 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 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. However, 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 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 is a large volume of helpful tutorials, videos and guides on its website. In addition, Motive helps fleet managers reduce fuel usage by monitoring driver behavior over time so that

Verizon Connect: Best GPS Fleet Management Service for Midsize Fleets

Verizon Connect
  • 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

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 at just over $20 per month per vehicle on the Reveal Starter plan.

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 found 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.

We were impressed that 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 SpeedGauge also provides valuable data for users. SpeedGauge uses vehicle data such as speed, odometers and vehicle identification numbers 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. ELD, DVIR and 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.

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.

The firm offers both plug-and-play and hardwired equipment connectivity. Its AI dashcams are impressive with 1080p on road-facing cameras and 720p on cab-facing cameras. We were impressed by the 60 hours of onboard footage storage and the 30 days of cloud storage.

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.

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 native dashcam option or route optimization.
Editor's Rating: 9/10

We selected Force 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 is a good choice for any small business serving a local community.

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. We also like how it has teamed up with several consulting firms that can offer advice and guidance to home services businesses on how to market themselves better and sell more ― no other provider offers this.

There is currently no dashcam option with Force. However, the company has indicated to us that its solution will be ready for deployment by the middle of 2024.

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 toward 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 robust 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, however. We found the dashboard easy to operate and allows easy access to the main features like maintenance monitoring, fuel efficiency tracking and route optimization.

GPS Trackit charges $24.99 per vehicle for GPS tracking (video telematics and asset tracking cost extra) on a three-year contract. You can also take out monthly rolling, 12- and 24-month contracts, but you’ll pay more per month. It also offers a 30-day, money-back guarantee and a 90-day right agreement cancellation warranty. 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 does not offer a free trial and you have to call to get pricing.
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 (UI) 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 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.

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 flagged quickly. 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 intervals of one to five minutes. These refresh rates are much slower than many of its competitors.

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.

RAM Tracking: Best for Smaller Fleets

RAM Tracking
RAM Tracking logo
  • Offers a full range of features for a budget-friendly service targeted at fleets with three to 10 vehicles.
  • The company installs tracking and dashcam hardware for you at no extra charge.
  • The company does not include pricing details on its website.
Editor's Rating: 8.7/10

With its highly competitive price points, array of features and general ease of use, RAM Tracking stands out as the best GPS fleet management platform for smaller fleets. What we like about this company is that it offers managers of smaller fleets, those between three and 10 vehicles, near the level of functionality that larger fleet managers traditionally can only access. Service plans start at around a budget-friendly $10 per month, per vehicle, for ELD/GPS tracking units with AI-powered dashcams available for an extra fee.

We like how you can set RAM Tracking’s GPS tracking units to report back every 60 seconds or turn-by-turn. There is a choice of dashcams from standard-definition cameras to higher-end AI-powered HD cameras. We love how the system offers live multicamera tracking too with front external, front/cabin internal or rear-facing external as options. Up to 60 hours’ worth of recordings are stored in the cloud and it’s available to view almost instantly. For extra protection, the system keeps footage of specific incidents stored separately, meaning it preserves vital evidence in case you need it for insurance purposes.

We were impressed by the company’s job management software too. Although not as sophisticated as Force’s integration with Housecall Pro, RAM Tracking reports that their clients save $360 per vehicle, per month, through more efficient routing and better driver management as well as improved vehicle maintenance. Fleet managers have access to 30 different types of reports based on existing customer feedback, including a points system for driver behavior.

RAM Tracking offers a 30-day trial with up to two units fitted to vehicles so that you can see if this is the right service for your business and the company provides free equipment installation.

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’s 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 need the service without committing your company to a long contract.

What Is GPS Fleet Tracking?

GPS fleet tracking 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 hardwired device. When your vehicle is registered on the system, the hardware sends regular data updates to your GPS fleet tracking provider’s cloud. Typically, the software is cloud-based and accessible via any computer or mobile device with an internet connection.

GPS fleet tracking 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.

What Should You Look for in a GPS Tracking 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 tracking 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 hardwired 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 AI), asset trackers, trailer trackers, heavy equipment trackers and driver ID readers.

Driver Safety and Performance

GPS fleet tracking 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, as well as 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 tracking 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 UI, 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 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 hardwired 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 tracking 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.

Bottom LineBottom line
GPS fleet tracking 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 Fleet 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 tracking software may refresh anywhere from every second to every five 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 three 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

Any business with a fleet of vehicles or high-value mobile assets can benefit from GPS fleet tracking. Although trucking companies are the primary users of GPS fleet tracking, 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

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’s 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.

What to expect in 2024

The fleet management market is expected to increase in value from $23.67 billion in 2023 to $79.82 billion in 2030, according to Fortune Business Insights.

The decline in profitability is likely to lead many companies to concentrate on cost control as a way of preserving margins. We believe that GPS fleet management systems will play an important role in this and that, in line with the prediction that the market will triple in size before 2030, many more companies will adopt this technology.

Many fleet managers now believe that dashcams are an important part of their work, particularly for providing evidence that will exonerate their drivers of blame in accidents. Force, one of the United States’ most popular GPS fleet tracking solutions providers, has occupied a healthy market share for many years without a dashcam offering. They’re working on one now that’s close to launch demonstrating how the appeal of cameras has trickled down from multinationals driving on interstates to local businesses serving a community.

In our prediction for 2023, we forecast that 5G’s greater bandwidth and lower latency would become more widespread. That’s proven to be the case although many of the providers we’ve reviewed cap their services at LTE or 4G speed. We expect more of them to offer 5G connectivity in 2024. There are multiple use cases here ― for example, software could ping a customer by text to let them know their delivery or service provider is close by. Instead of providing a link to watch them on a map, they could see the last mile drive to their home on their mobile devices.

While there has been a tremendous drive toward pushing for electric fleets. However, we don’t see that accelerating as fast as some predict because of range anxiety and high breakdown costs related to EVs. The switch is coming but not as quickly as some may believe or hope.

Mark Fairlie
Mark Fairlie, Senior Analyst & Expert on Business Ownership
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.
BDC Logo

Get Weekly 5-Minute Business Advice

B. newsletter is your digest of bite-sized news, thought & brand leadership, and entertainment. All in one email.

Back to top