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NexTraq is a GPS fleet management system that’s ideal for smaller fleets as it has no minimum vehicle requirements, installs hardware for free and doesn’t charge you an activation fee to get started. NexTraq’s features give the best fleet management software a run for their money too, with the software offering over 30 different alerts, powerful predictive maintenance tools, as well as a variety of safeguards to improve driver safety.
Yet, despite NexTraq’s strengths, its pricing scheme is opaque – forcing businesses to reach out directly for quotes. Unlike alternatives like Samsara (which is one of our best-rated fleet managers), NexTraq’s help center is only available from 7 am to 8 pm EST on weekdays, and on Saturdays from 8 am to 3 pm. This may be offputting for fleets operating outside of traditional working hours.
Unsure whether NexTraq is a good match for your fleet? We cover its safety and efficiency features, hardware, help center, and more, to help you understand how it weighs up to the competition. Scroll down for the full details, or if you want to understand costs now, fill in our quick form to receive tailored quotes from the top providers.
Pros
- Integrates with 25 fuel card brands
- Public pricing
- Monthly contracts
Cons
- Support isn't 24/7
- No crash reporting
- No panic button
NexTraq Vehicle Tracker: At a Glance
Not sure if NexTraq is right for you? We’ve rounded up the need-to-know information so you can determine its suitability right off the bat.
- Opaque pricing: Unfortunately, NexTraq does not list pricing details on its website. Therefore, if you’re after a quote you’ll have to reach out to the company directly.
- Apps: NexTraq offers apps for Android and iOS devices. NexTraq View was designed for fleet managers, while NexTraq Connect caters to workers and drivers.
- Alerts: NexTraq offers over 30 useful real-time alerts, including accident and driver behavior warnings, as well as more advanced safeguards like geofencing and cargo temperature alerts.
- Contract length: NexTraq offers a minimum three-year contract, like a lot of other fleet management solutions. Businesses can choose to break it early but will have to pay a premium.
- Support: NexTraq’s help and support channels are only open from Monday to Friday 7 am to 8 pm EST, and from 8 am to 3 pm on Saturdays, but there is also a useful knowledge center to help you resolve queries.
- Installation: One of NexTraq’s biggest perks is that it installs devices for free, so businesses only have to cover the cost of the hardware.
- Vehicle minimums: Unlike lots of other fleet managers, NexTraq doesn’t have minimum vehicle requirements. This, compared with its free installation makes the solution well-suited to smaller fleets.
Most suitable for…
- Companies managing small fleets, as NexTraq doesn’t have a minimum fleet criteria
- Food and beverage distributors, as NexTraq’s inventory temperature alerts makes it easier for companies to comply with regulations
- Fleets that are serious about improving safety, as NexTraq offers a number of safeguarding features, from comparative driver analysis and coaching to HD incident camera systems
Less suitable for…
- Fleets that regularly operate outside of traditional working hours, as NexTraq doesn’t offer round-the-clock help and support
- Businesses after transparent monthly rates, as NexTraq doesn’t currently list the price of its software online
- Businesses that aren’t looking to commit to a piece of software, as NexTraq has a three-year minimum contract
NexTraq Key Features
NexTraq isn’t short on useful features, and lots of them give its competitors a run for their money. We outline some of its top features, including its vehicle tracking and monitoring toolkit, to its safety and compliance staples.
Vehicle tracking
NexTraq uses GPS tracking to give dispatchers real-time insights into their fleet. The software refreshes every 30 seconds, so users can avoid getting caught out by lengthy delays. While this refresh time doesn’t quite beat Omnitracs – which offers near real-time tracking – it is more regular than most fleet managers, including Samsara, which updates location data every 30 to 60 seconds.
Read our Omnitracs feature and pricing review to learn more about the provider.
NexTraq’s software uses Google Maps to offer useful interactive mapping features, so users can choose which format they use to track their fleet. For instance, you can use the traffic view to identify any wait time your vehicles may have to incur, or you can use satellite view to see how your fleet’s route could be impacted by different types of terrain.
Driver training
NexTraq understands that safe roads depend on safe drivers. As a result, the fleet manager offers lots of different driver trainer features, including 44 courses designed to improve driver safety, boost fleet performance, and address risky behavior. The provider also offers driver safety scorecards, which are reports that detail driver habits and performance.
In addition to NexTraq’s in-house driver training features, the software also with other services like real-time tracking, and in-cab alerts for unsafe driving behaviors, to make it easier for managers to offer the right level of training to drivers.
Alerts
NexTraq provides over 30 real-time alerts that businesses are able to customize to meet their distinct needs. For instance, the provider issues driver behavior alerts to notify drivers about dangerous driving practices like harsh braking or rapid acceleration. In the event of emergencies, the vehicle tracker also sends out real-time notifications and video recordings of fleet accidents, giving dispatchers the chance to respond promptly.
NexTraq’s incident dashcam provides fleet managers with real-time alerts and live GPS location. Source: NexTraq
Aside from safety alerts, NexTraq also has geofencing alerts to notify managers when vehicles exit predefined geographic areas. Like Samsara, the software also sends out cargo temperature alerts when stocks deviate from preset temperatures. This advanced alerting function is especially useful for fleets that have to comply with specific regulations, like trucks carrying refrigerated cargo.
However, if you’re after specific alerts like engine temperature warnings, we’d recommend using Samsara instead as the provider’s vehicle management features impressed our researchers the most. Learn more about NexTraq’s rival in our Samsara fleet management review.
Fuel management
As a fleet manager, you don’t want to be wasting a drip more fuel than you need to. NexTraq provides a number of different mechanisms to keep fuel use economical. The vehicle tracker provides fuel cards that monitor fuel consumption, helping you keep a keen eye on fuel usage for each vehicle.
The software also lets you monitor idle time, inefficient driving behaviors, and other metrics that could lead to fuel wastage. But NexTraq doesn’t leave it there, the provider also provides fuel efficiency predictions to identify areas for improvement, as well as fuel efficiency coaching to train drivers on how to be more frugal with fuel.
NexTraq fuel efficiency report gives you insights into expected fuel costs versus actual costs. Source: NexTraq
Vehicle maintenance
Staying on top of fleet maintenance is the number one way to prevent costly and potentially dangerous breakdowns from taking place. NexTraq offers a raft of in-house maintenance features, including maintenance reminders and diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) alerts to inform managers when vehicles need updates or urgent attention.
The tracker also offers lots of different reporting options, including vehicle and fleet health, vehicle status, and engine diagnostics, to help users keep on top of performance. Other preventative maintenance solutions include 12 months of historical fleet data – which managers are able to harness to plan for future maintenance – and a customizable vehicle inspection checklist to ensure drivers have all equipment in working order before they hit the road.
Compliance
To help businesses remain compliant with government regulations, NexTraq offers a range of mechanisms to support Hours of Service (HoS), Driver Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR), and International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) compliance. It also schedules routine maintenance checks and stores maintenance history.
NexTraq Help and Support
Every second matters in vehicle tracking. Unfortunately, NexTraq doesn’t offer round-the-clock support like Samsara and Azuga. However, it does let customers get in touch via phone, email, or web chat from Monday to Friday from 7 am to 8 pm EST, and on Saturdays from 8 am to 3 pm, so this won’t be a problem for companies working traditional hours.
In addition to these support channels, NexTraq has a wealth of online resources customers can check out to try and resolve queries themselves, including white papers, FAQs, and blogs. It also offers free weekly training sessions, helping to smooth any potential bumps on the road for new users.
How Much Does NexTraq Cost?
NexTraq does not publicly list its prices on its website. If you want to know how much the service will cost your business, you’ll have to reach out to a member of the company’s customer service team and ask for quotes directly.
However, while NexTraq keeps the cost of its software packages close to its chest, previous customers have reported a standard GPS tracking plan for around 20 vehicles costs $80 per unit, plus ~$17.95 per vehicle per month.
Here’s some important pricing information you should know about NexTraq:
- There’s no minimum fleet size requirement or maximum limit
- Businesses pay for NexTraq software on a monthly basis
- Businesses cover the cost of NexTraq hardware upfront
- NexTraq installs hardware for free for fleets of five and above
- NexTraq doesn’t charge an activation fee
- NexTraq’s contracts last for a minimum of three years
- Additional safety features like outward-facing cameras and dual-face cameras come at a premium
Wish fleet management pricing could always be transparent? Fill in our quick-and-easy form to receive custom pricing estimates from the leading fleet management providers.
Does NexTraq offer a free plan?
No, NexTraq does not currently offer a free plan for its fleet management service. However, you can schedule a free demo of its mobile apps NexTraq View and NexTraq Connect by contacting a member of its team.
While you can’t get started with NexTraq at no cost, its free hardware installment and software activation still means that its barrier to entry is lower than alternatives like Verizon Connect and Samsara, which both charge for installation.
NexTraq Installation
Most fleet managers charge businesses to install their hardware, or give them the choice to self-install. NexTraq separates itself from the competition by offering an installation service for free, as long as your business manages over five vehicles.
NexTraq customers also have the choice to self-install with the provider’s plug-and-play devices. However, if you need hardwired devices to be installed NexTraq will send out trained professionals to assist with the process, thanks to their partnership with the nationwide hardware installations service CB Direct.
We take our impartial research and analysis seriously, so you can have complete confidence that we're giving you the clearest, most useful recommendations.
After conducting an initial exploration to identify the most relevant, popular, and established tools in the market, we put them through their paces with a research framework designed in-house to see their real strengths and weaknesses. In this case, we analyzed 20 fleet management products across 51 different areas of investigation.
Based on years of market and user needs research, we've established a fleet management testing methodology that scores each product in six core assessment areas and six additional subcategories, covering everything from the driver management features to value for money and customer support, as well as much more.
Our main testing categories for fleet management systems are:
- Price: the cost associated with using the fleet management software, including upfront costs, subscription fees, hardware costs (if applicable), and any additional charges for advanced features or add-ons.
- Tracking: the core functionality of the fleet management software, which involves monitoring and tracking the location and movements of vehicles in real-time, such as GPS tracking, route optimization, and geofencing.
- Driver Management: the features and tools provided by the fleet management software to manage and monitor driver activities. This can include driver behavior monitoring, driver performance reports and driver identification.
- Vehicle Management: the functionalities that allow for the efficient management and maintenance of vehicles, such as vehicle health monitoring and maintenance scheduling.
- Product Features: the additional functionalities and capabilities offered by the fleet management software beyond basic tracking and management, such as real-time alerts and notifications or driver routing and dispatching.
- Support: the resources, assistance, and guidance provided by the fleet management software company to users, including phone support, email or chat support, and online forums.
When it comes to calculating a product's final score, not all testing and research categories are weighted evenly, as we know some aspects matter more to our readers than others, which are merely "nice to have." After hundreds of hours, our process is complete, and the results should ensure you can find the best solution for your needs.
At Tech.co, we have a number of full-time in-house researchers, who re-run testing and research processes regularly, to ensure our results remain reflective of the present day.
Verdict: Is NexTraq a Good Fit For You?
NexTraq is a feature-rich fleet management solution that prides itself on fast-tracking updates, bountiful alerting options, and useful apps for dispatchers and drivers. With zero fees charged for activating and installing the system and no minimum fleet limit in site, the provider will be a good fit for smaller companies – especially if they’re relying on the technology for the first time.
However, even if your fleet management needs are more advanced, NexTraq’s fleet efficiency, driver safety, and compliance features should be able to cut the mustard. NexTraq keeps its pricing strategy close to its chest, however. So, if you’re curious about how much the fleet management solution will cost you we recommend reaching out to its team directly.
Or, if you’re open to trying other fleet managers, you can use our simple comparison tool to receive custom pricing estimates from the leading providers in the game.