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We’ve sunk hundreds of hours into researching the top 20 vehicle tracking systems in the US and Canada, and found that Samsara is one of the best fleet management systems across the board.
In particular, Samsara stands out for tools that tend to help fleet businesses become more efficient, like automatic route optimizing and real-time tracking, as well as driver management tools and maintenance scheduling. The data from those functions can be captured in custom reports and alerts to help managers build a workflow that’s unique to their needs.
The bottom line? A ton of time and resources are saved for fleets, small and large. You’ll have to commit to a lengthy 3-year contract minimum, however, but the $27 per month starting price is competitive with the rest of the industry and there’s a month-long free trial you can use to find out whether it’ll suit you before you pay.
Read on for our full Samsara review below, or take a minute to fill out our free form for a custom Samsara quote.
Pros
- Great for optimizing routes to save time
- Great for vehicle tracking
- Customizable driver management tools
Cons
- 3 year minimum for contracts
- No free installation
- Driver ID token costs extra ($9.99 each)
- Price from: $27/Month
- Compliance: DVIR, IFTA, ELD
- Best for large fleets
- Great Routing & Dispatch Features
- 24/7 Support
- Free 30-Day Trial
Samsara Driver and Vehicle Management
Samsara stands out for its features across the board. Driver and vehicle management tools are no exception, and the system earned near-perfect scores in our tests due to a comprehensive set of abilities for addressing maintenance, fuel, and safety needs.
The system’s big rival Verizon Connect is a hair better overall, with more data stuffed into its reporting tools, but Samsara squarely beats Teletrac, Azuga, and many other fine fleet systems when it comes to features.
Live tracking the geographical positions of a fleet using Samsara. Source: Samsara
Vehicle maintenance and security
Samsara’s real-time vehicle diagnostics function can proactively spot issues like failing batteries and engine fault codes, alerting managers immediately to avoid a road breakdown and extend vehicle lifetime. Plus, hardware diagnostic reports can be auto-generated for your records.
We found Samsara’s preventive maintenance software (US only) makes a robust maintenance program easy to create and keep up with. Maintenance records will log all previous work completed on each vehicle, making it easy for managers of any fleet to see what’s needed next.
A powered equipment utilization report helps managers evaluate the daily use of vehicles, trailers or powered assets on a deep level. With it, users can analyze vehicle ROI and make wise investments for the future. Itemized lists track all active engine hours and distances traveled.
Drivers can submit DVIR reports directly from a mobile app with just a few taps. Samsara’s telematics will even track vehicle engine temperatures and cargo temperatures — two metrics that we found many fleet systems don’t bother to help with. Our researchers added up all these tools to reach an impressive 5/5 driver management score for Samsara’s system, beating most of the competition and tying with Verizon.
Samsara’s temperature tracking functions logs all temperature changes for its assigned vehicles or assets. Image source: Samsara
Fuel management
Saving fuel costs is a top reason to use fleet management, and Samsara delivers. Samsara’s Fuel Usage report logs plenty of data points including vehicle name, current driver, current fuel level, amount of fuel used, estimated cost, runtime, and idle time.
It can run on any custom time period, and can calculate fuel costs or a vehicle’s miles per gallon. With it, large fleets can save fuel costs by spotting and avoiding common fuel-wasting practices like iding or tanking up at a costlier gas station.
You’ll be able to pull up a graphical view that points out when and how long a given vehicle was speeding. Plus, speeding alerts can be set to let managers know as soon as possible, and idling alerts are available to further save fuel economy. A handful of fuel card integrations are available in the US only, including Wex, Fuelman, Comdata, EFS, and Fleet One.
Azuga is our pick as the best fleet system for fuel tracking tools, with driver ID tokens at no extra charge. However, Samsara is head and shoulders above most systems, while remaining better than Azuga overall.
Safety features
Samsara offers a few different types of Driver ID, the term for tracking each driver’s performance even when they switch vehicles. Managers can manually track drivers or use a camera ID, the driver app, or ID tokens. The tokens are the most effective, but will cost an extra $9.99 per driver.
However they track performance, managers can use the data to log safety scores, allowing them to see how each driver is doing in relation to the others, and potentially reward those with safer habits. Also, alerts can be triggered by events like speeding or harsh breaking.
Samsara has a panic button for no extra charge, and, in the US only, a crash reporting function built into its vehicle hardware telematics. The system has a few built-in theft prevention tools: GPS trackers like Samsara Gateways can monitor all of an operation’s equipment from a dashboard, while a site visibility tool uses AI to detect activity across multiple sites.
Learn more about how to use AI to optimize your fleet.
Samsara fleet map lets managers view trips with both a lefthand sidebar list and a map. Image source: Samsara
This collection of features can be deployed to give Samsara’s users a robust, multi-layered safety protocol. This contributes to Samsara’s perfect 5/5 score for driver management, which matches or surpasses every fleet system we tested – and, since driver safety is a core reason why managers begin using fleet software, Samsara’s perfect score stands out all the more.
For safety-conscious fleets that need a driver monitoring system, this is a core benefit that can justify a switch to Samsara and away from their current provider. One Samsara client, Liberty Energy, reported a 50% reduction in collisions thanks to AI-powered in-cab alerts.
Samsara Vehicle Tracking
We’ve found that optimizing fleet journeys is the top benefit of using a fleet management system, so Samsara’s stellar tracking tools are a big reason it stands out.
First, Samsara’s fleet reports cover a host of topics, while the Driver Record gives managers insight into route arrivals and departures, vehicle assignment, DVIR completion, and much more. Refresh rates are typically between 30 seconds and one minute, so managers can stay up to date in near-real-time.
Custom locations are tracked – a function that helps managers quickly build routes, set scheduled arrival times, and track historical performance in order to figure out ways to optimize the route in the future. A dispatch feature helps managers identify the best vehicle to complete a dispatch, and the system can calculate departure times and automatically optimize routes (for up to 20 stops at a time) as well.
Samsara’s telematics include AI-powered real-time custom alerts for SMS and email. Managers can be notified when a vehicle arrives at a set location or if a container temperature exceeds a given amount.
Managers can view mileage data easily and set geofencing measures, while drivers will benefit from traffic and weather alerts. Verizon has slightly more advanced feature options, but Samsara has a great set of tools to meet any fleet’s tracking needs.
Read more about the Best Route Planning Software on the market.
Samsara provides precise location data quickly
Looking to switch your fleet management system? Samsara ranks highly for its vehicle tracking capabilities, reporting, and route optimization. It has a 30-second refresh rate, custom location tracking, and detailed fleet reports for both driver and vehicle. Samsara provides a well-rounded fleet tracking system and is a great option for receiving pertinent data about your fleet quickly and efficiently.
Samsara ELD Compliance
Almost all commercial motor vehicles in the US are now required to use an electronic logging device to track their hours of service.
The Samsara Driver App allows drivers to view the FMCSA-regulation-compliant data of their hours of service that has been recorded by devices with access to their vehicle engines. The drivers won’t need any special hardware to view the reports, just an Android or iOS tablet or phone.
Since drivers will have Samsara’s automatically compiled report in front of them, they’ll be able to avoid the recent ELD regulatory fines when pulled over for a roadside inspection. Operators will have access to all their driver’s HOS and records of duty status on the same platform as their drivers’ GPS data, sensor data, DVIRs, and documents, making any audits painless. Or as painless as an audit can be, at least.
Our researchers think Samsara has the best ELD solution on the market, after considering its price, reporting functions, mobile app, installation and support.
Samsara Pricing and Value
Like many fleet systems, Samsara doesn’t make absolutely all of its pricing public, and says the total cost will vary by fleet size, contract length, and features chosen. That said, we have estimate that the typical costs for a Samsara plan at…
- Between $27 and $33 per vehicle, per month for a software subscription.
- Between $99 and $148 per vehicle for hardware, with lower prices for longer contracts.
These prices are around the industry average when it comes to paying for a fleet system — the similarly feature-packed Verizon Connect system starts at a slightly lower $23.50 per vehicle, per month price point — and includes five-year warranties for most key hardware. However, Samsara’s contracts are fairly long: They come with a three-year minimum, and deliver the best hardware deals at 60 months in length.
Samsara won’t offer free installation aid, and doesn’t have a set cancellation policy (it varies by fleet).
However, Samsara does offer a free trial. They’ll mail their hardware units for free, allowing fleet managers to install the devices and try out the software for 30 days. After that, you’ll pay “per device, per year.”
Samsara’s long contracts and opaque prices don’t do it any favors: If you need to avoid a three-year commitment, consider going for Teletrac, since we rate it highly overall and it has short one-year contracts. Request a no-obligation price quote today to find out exactly how much a Samsara setup would cost for your fleet, and identify the best deal for your business.
| Price From The typical lowest starting price. The lowest price available for your business will depend on your needs. | Rating Based on price, tracking features, driver management, vehicle management, product features, and help & support | Price rating | Contract length | Warranty | Free trial | Free demo | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | SPONSORED  | Best Samsara Alternative  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
| 2.5 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.8 |
| 3-year minimum | 1 year, or monthly | 3-year minimum (initial) | 12-60 months | 1 year | 3 years | Monthly | Monthly | 6 months initial | 1 year | 3 years | 12-60 months | No contracts | Monthly or higher | 1-3 years | 12 months | Monthly | 1 year | Monthly or 1 year | Monthly |
| 5 years for most hardware | 5 years | Factory warranty for US; none for CA | First 12 months | 1-3 years | Lifetime | Lifetime | 1 year | 1 year | 1 year – lifetime | 1 year | Lifetime | Lifetime | Up to 3 years | 1 year | Lifetime | 1 year | None | 6 month – lifetime | 1 year |
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We understand the importance of price when selecting a fleet management system, so check out the best deals below:
Samsara Installation and Other Features
Samsara’s cloud-based software works with the two types of telematics hardware units that the company offers: OBD-II plug-in devices and hardwired devices, which professional installers can permanently connect to the vehicle’s electrical system.
Mobile apps are also available for drivers, with tools for dispatching and routing, messaging, safety leaderboards, and all compliance needs. With 4.7 stars on iOS and 4.5 stars on Android, the driver app has an impressive customer approval rating when compared to its rivals.
Samsara’s IFTA Mileage report serves up useful tax details including jurisdictions, taxable miles, total miles, and tax-paid gallons. The service even integrates with third-party GPS navigation services including TomTom, Garmin, Navman, Magellan, and Bad Elf — few fleet systems offer that much flexibility, since every system comes with built-in GPS tracking tools.
The brand also offers an asset tracking solution complete with ruggedized tracking units, as well as two types of high-definition dash cams – a front-facing CM31 to watch the road ahead and a dual-facing CM32 to film the driver inside the cab in addition to the road.
Perks like Samsara’s mobile app and various integrations make its product features stand out as more helpful than competitors. Even the impressive fleet management service Teletrac lacks GPS integrations and a panic button, both of which Samsara offers.
Samsara’s compliance tools allow drivers to track their hours of service with tablets or smartphones. Image source: Samsara
Samsara is great for large operations due to its wide feature range and economic long-term contracts. We found the interface is easy to navigate, with 24/7 support to quickly push you past any speed bumps, so it’s simple for small businesses with few resources to pick up.
Plus, the company’s services include asset tracking, field service, and dash cams for truckers. Samsara has a breadth of functionality that makes it attractive for companies that are switching away from their current fleet management system — whether because it’s too clunky, too pricey, or too limited.
Samsara offers plenty of hyper-specific services and integrations, too: Fleets with refrigerated food to worry about can look into reefer monitoring systems, which include Samsara temperature sensors in the cargo area. School bus drivers are covered under Samsara’s K-12 solutions, and government, transit and construction vehicles have their own solutions as well. Even snowplows can track which streets they’ve already cleaned, with a coverage map updated in real-time.
Samsara Help and Support
Samsara offers all the live support options that a fleet needs: Email, chatbot, and around-the-clock phone service are all offered to customers. Not every fleet system offers 24/7 support, but it isn’t uncommon, either, with services from Verizon to Linxup matching Samsara’s hours.
The fleet system also offers an online knowledge base that users can use to figure out the answers to common questions with articles and videos.
Users will have to rely on those resources when self-installing their hardware, as Samsara doesn’t provide installation aid. This isn’t uncommon, as Verizon doesn’t offer help with set-up either. Unlike Samsara, Verizon lacks chatbot support, so we scored Samsara higher for support. We gave Samsara a 4/5 support score, compared to Verizon’s 3.5/5 score. Teletrac beats both systems with a 4.5/5 score, due to installation aid that’s offered to all fleets of ten vehicles or more.
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 several rounds of testing to see their real strengths and weaknesses. In this case, we put 29 fleet management products to the test across 51 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 main categories of investigation and six additional subcategories; this covers 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, 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 areas 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 this testing process regularly, to ensure our results remain reflective of the present day.
Verdict: Samsara Is a Great Pick for Long Haul or Last Mile Fleets
As far as capable fleet management systems go, it’s hard to look past Samsara. The system covers all the most popular and necessary fleet management features: Routing and dispatch, fuel tracking, compliance, maintenance, and driver safety, among others.
It’s easy to use, comes with 24/7 phone support, and can maximize any fleet’s efficiency, small or large, thanks to a wealth of features that includes terrific vehicle tracking and maintenance functions as well as great driver management. Plus, if your business could benefit from integrated field service management and asset tracking, you’ll be able to get all three from the same supplier.
Samsara has one big competitor that matches its impressive features, Verizon Connect. Get a Samsara quote below — or check out custom quotes from all the best fleet systems.
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