The Best GPS Fleet Management Services of 2023

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.