Finding the best fleet management software is a daunting task. Not only are there dozens of options, but each one comes with a ton of different features, hardware accessories, and its own website touting its benefits.
So how best can you compare all the options and prices available in order to find out which one’s right for you? The good news is that you don’t have to. We’ve done the research for you, and this article will sum up the best FMS companies available in 2020. In our view, the best fleet management software provider is Verizon Connect – this is a robust, widely trusted system with an intuitive interface and a strong support team.
Of course, choosing an FMS with additional features, a responsive customer support team and a cost-effective subscription fee can all have a big impact on your fleet operation’s bottom line. To maximize return on investment, the best thing you can do is compare a few tailor-made quotes for fleet management costs – you can use our simple fleet management quotes form to do this in moments.
In This Guide:
- Fleet Management Software Reviews
- GPS Tracking vs. Fleet Management
- FMS and ELD Compliance
- FMS Pricing
- How many vehicles can I track?
- What kinds of vehicles can be tracked?
- Get Fleet Management Today
Best Fleet Management Software Providers
If you're after a fleet management software provider, our top choice is Verizon Connect, closely followed by Samsara. These are two of the most widely trusted fleet management solutions, with powerful software features and excellent hardware devices.
In the end, most fleet managers are looking for the same traits. They need a reliable system for dispatching drivers, tracking each vehicle’s fuel use and location in real time, and logging the hours of service needed in order to comply with the ELD mandate.
Verizon Connect may be our top choice, but it's not the only game in town. Below, we compare it to the other top brands in the market.
Fleet Management Software Reviews
We've picked out the top five vendors in the fleet management sector and reviewed each, picking out their top features, the quality of their support team, and their plans and pricing, as well as any hardware items they offer and complimentary services they include, such as asset tracking or field service management software.
You can click the brand names below to jump to each mini review in this guide, or just keep scrolling down to see all of them.
- Verizon Connect – the best overall fleet management software brand
- Samsara – a close second, Samsara has outstanding software for fleet tracking
- Teletrac Navman – a cost-effective fleet management software solution
- US Fleet Tracking – with powerful live-updates, this is a smart tracking tool to choose
- Fleetio – simple to use and effective, Fleetio is well worth considering
Scroll horizontally to view full table on mobile devices.
| Verizon Connect | Samsara | Teletrac Navman | US Fleet Tracking | Fleetio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  | |
| Price from | Get Verizon Connect Quotes | Get Samsara Quotes | Get Teletrac Navman Quotes | Get US Fleet Tracking Quotes | Get Fleetio Quotes |
| Fleet Size | 5+ | 5+ | 5+ | No minimum | 10+ |
| ELD Compliant | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X |
| Hardware | Included, and installed for free | Included, not installed | Included, not installed | Costs extra | No hardware component |
| Live GPS Tracking | Near real-time | Real-time | Real-time | Updates as often as every 5 seconds | Depends on third-party GPS hardware |
| Reporting and analytics | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Intuitive User Interface | ✓ | ✓ | X | ✓ | X |
| Fuel tracking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Depends on device | ✓ |
| Alerts for unsafe and inefficient driving behavior | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X |
| Stand out features include: | - International coverage - Driver coaching tools and leaderboard - Automated maintenance alerts - Work order delivery - Unauthorized break or detour tracking - Dynamic routing can be updated in real time | - In-depth vehicle diagnostics - Heat map of routes taken - Real-time vehicle diagnostics dashboard - Paperless DVIRs - Wide range of industry-specific solutions | - Driver scorecards - Easily streamline fuel tax data and reports - Dynamic dashboards with custom KPIs - Vehicle inspection reports - In-cab coaching tablet for drivers | - Hardware installation is simple and easy - Useful online technical documents and videos | - Detailed maintenance management - Fuel tracking shows fuel economy, per-mile cost and total costs |
| Mobile App Rating (Based on iOS and Android users) | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Phone and email support | M-F: 7am–8pm EST | M-F: 24hr Sa-Su: 8am–5pm PST | M-F: 5am–6pm PST Sa: 6am–3pm PST | M-F: 7am–7pm CT Sa: 9am–4pm CT | M-F: 7am–8pm EST |
| Free Trial or Demo | Free online demo | 30-day free trial- hardware and software | Free online demo | Free live demo | 14-day free trial- software |
| Per-month pricing from: | $40/vehicle | $45/vehicle | $45/vehicle | $30/vehicle | $5/vehicle |
| Minimum Contract Length: | 3 years | 1 year | 3 years | Monthly rolling plans | Monthly rolling plans |
Pros
- Granular functionality for alerts
- Good 24/7 customer service
- Highly personalizable dashboards
- Can be integrated with many other Verizon Connect services
Cons
- Long contract periods
- Expensive compared to similar services
- Learning curve can be steep
Pros
- Easy learning curve
- Best driver messaging features
- Strong 24/7 support options
Cons
- Contracts are 3-5 years long
- Must install system yourself
- No option for hardwired units
Pros
- Highly customizable report data
- Instant video replay, if dash cams are integrated
- Good 24/7 customer service
Cons
- Features are more limited under cheaper plans
- 30-day notice needed to prevent annual contract autorenewal
- No engine temperature monitoring option
Pros
- Fast GPS data
- Easy to use
- Historical data
Cons
- Limited features
- Not a full FMS
Pros
- Cost-effective
- Intuitive interface
Cons
- Limited functionality
- Not ELD compatible
Fleet Management Software FAQs
GPS tracking vs. Fleet Management
GPS tracking services primarily track the locations of the vehicles in a fleet, while fleet management software offers an array of features, usually including ELD compliance, with the main goal of giving a fleet manager as much knowledge and power to run their business as possible.
In other words, GPS tracking is a subset of fleet management. Any FMS should be able to track vehicle location.
FMS and ELD Compliance
An ELD, or electronic logging device, is a device with which all U.S. commercial motor vehicle drivers must record their hours of service, as required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
There are a few stipulations, for example organizations using non-ELD automatic on-board recording devices are being grandfathered in, and have until December 16, 2019 to switch to ELDs. You can read more about the guidelines and consequences for noncompliance in our full ELD mandate guide.
Not all FMSs are ELD compliant, but following the recent requirement that all HOS must be recorded through ELDs, most fleet management software vendors have made sure their service offers the option. Still, you should make sure your FMS has ELD compliance covered before you commit to it. Our list shows a few of the best ELD compliant FMSs on the market, just to give you an idea.
FMS Pricing
Costs vary. Basic FMS service plans will likely cost between $3-$25 per vehicle per month, while advanced FMS plans might cost $30-$50 per vehicle per month. Some factors that might affect your quotes include the size of your fleet, the features you require, and whether the vendor requires you to supply additional hardware — you might need to buy tablets for each of your drivers if the FMS vendor doesn’t supply them.
Additional cost-impacting choices include whether to license or own your hardware devices and whether to buy the cheaper plug-and-play devices or to spring for the hardwired units that must be installed. For more detail, check out this article exploring fleet management cost, and fill out this quick form for a selection of custom quotes from the top fleet management software companies.
Properly used, an FMS should pay for itself, as fuel use, harsh driving incidents, and unneeded overtime can all be reduced more easily once they’re being tracked 24/7.
How many vehicles can I track?
Fleets of 5 vehicles can benefit from an FMS as much as those with thousands of vehicles. Some fleet management software vendors can serve larger fleets than others though. If an FMS provider is equipped with a large enough team of developers and customer service specialists, it can serve fleets of thousands of vehicles. Each of Tech.Co’s fleet management software reviews outlines the fleet size that provider can cover.
What kinds of vehicles can be tracked?
An FMS is designed to track standard vehicles, like cars, vans and trucks, but some providers also offer additional asset tracking software for managers to track other kinds of valuables. These might be unmoving, such as warehouses or sensitive equipment, or might require additional data tracking, such as refrigerated units which must be kept below a certain temperature. Tech.Co offers price comparison services for both fleet management Software and asset tracking software. Make sure to ask what features might be available for your particular vehicles or assets when making an enquiry.
Get Fleet Management Today
We've rounded up the top fleet management software providers and explained some of the essential features and jargon terms to understand. The next best step is to under stand how much a fleet management solution for your business could cost you.
To keep things simple, you can use our simple form to gather quotes from the top FMS vendors. It only takes a few moments to fill in the details about the size and needs of your business. Then, you can get free, zero-obligation, customized quotes from vendors, including the ones on this page.
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