Are you struggling to monitor driver behavior and keep track of your fleet vehicles? Maybe you’re thinking about installing telematics in your vehicles but aren’t sure which fleet telematics software will work for your fleet. You’ve come to the right place.
Advanced tracking and monitoring software can help you keep your vehicles — and drivers — organized and working efficiently so that it’s easier to control the costs associated with fleet activities.
In this article, we discuss how telematics provides essential data about your fleet vehicles so you can streamline your operations, and then we’ll give you an overview of some of the best fleet telematics software available.
Table Of Contents
- Why Telematics Software Is Essential For Fleet Success
- Best Fleet Telematics Software
Why Telematics Software Is Essential For Fleet Success
Telematics is a combination of three different technologies — Global Positioning System (GPS), wireless communication (e.g., cellular and WiFi), and onboard diagnostic hardware.
These systems work together to provide near real-time data about the location, operation, and condition of a given vehicle (be it a work truck, work van, semi, or construction equipment).
You may wonder if all that information is really necessary for the success of your fleet-based business. It is. In fact, it’s essential for the overall success of your fleet in the 21st century.
Why?
Because telematics works with the other foundational technologies — fleet management software and fuel card software — to help you control the ever-increasing costs of keeping vehicles on the road.
Failing to use the right tools to manage these major expenses could cost you tens of thousands of dollars a year depending on the size of your fleet.
The best first step to control spending in your business is to implement a fuel card into your workflow. Doing so can help you see how fleet funds are being spent and provide you with the controls you need to keep costs as low as possible.
If you need to stop overspending on fuel and fuel-related costs, introduce a fuel card (and fuel card software) into your workflow before you do anything else.
Once you have a better understanding of where fleet money is going, you can implement telematics into the mix to provide even more insight into spending and fleet operations.
Best Fleet Telematics Software
1) Samsara
Source: samsara.com
Samsara is approved by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and offers access to a variety of data, including:
- Near real-time traffic conditions
- Route information
- Analytics
- Diagnostics
- Electronic logging device (ELD) compliance
- And more
Samsara also comes with optional dashcam functionality, which you can use to monitor driver behavior on the road.
Armed with that information, you can design customized safety training programs to help reduce wear and tear on your vehicles, prevent costly accidents, and cut down on avoidable maintenance caused by rough use.
2) Geotab
Source: geotab.com
Geotab is a cloud-based telematics solution that enables fleet tracking and puts driver safety front and center.
Once the Geotab hardware and software are installed, you give each driver a key fob that contains near-field communication (NFC) technology that will direct Geotab to start tracking data for their vehicle.
At the end of the trip, your drivers will receive a risk and safety score based on factors including:
- Seat belt use
- Speeding
- Cornering degree
- Acceleration
- Braking
- After-hour vehicle use
Geotab also comes with an intuitive mobile app that enables drivers to enter work hours and stay in touch with you while in transit. You can also use the app to provide real-time feedback and instruction to drivers.
3) Verizon Connect
Source: verizonconnect.com
As with other entries on this list of best fleet telematics software, Verizon Connect takes advantage of cloud-based GPS and tracking to provide you with a live map view so you always know the location, status, and movement of your vehicles.
Verizon Connect also allows you to schedule jobs, plan upcoming routes, create custom reports, and filter data by vehicle, driver, and fuel card (just to name a few) so you can gain insight into how your fleet-based business is doing.
If drivers are having trouble completing entries in their electronic logging device (ELD), you can add hardware to each vehicle so that the software can store everything you need for ELD compliance reporting.
Verizon Connect also integrates with the numerous fuel card solutions as well as all tax rules put forth by the International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA).
4) Azuga
Source: azuga.com
The Azuga fleet telematics software is designed with small fleet-based businesses in mind. Transportation, equipment rental, manufacturing, and pest control companies will enjoy its intuitive user interface.
When it comes to tracking vehicle information, Azuga provides data on such variables as:
- Idle duration
- Acceleration
- Braking
- Cornering
- Speed consistency
- Other risky behaviors
If you encounter such behavior, you can use Azuga to send messages and videos to help them change the way they’re driving (both in the short and long term).
5) One Step GPS
Source: onestepgps.com
Combined with a smart fleet fuel card, One Step GPS can help you achieve precise fuel efficiency as well as unmatched vehicle and account security.
You’ll enjoy full visibility into fuel use, maintenance issues, driving behaviors, and other metrics that can help you run your business better.
One Step GPS even comes with the ability to monitor:
- Power take-off (PTO) usage on any vehicle
- Oil changes
- Maintenance events
- Registration renewals
- State inspections
- And other important health and safety data
Paired with fleet management software and a robust fleet fuel card, One Step GPS gives you everything you need to drive your business to success.
6) Lytx
Source: lytx.com
Lytx provides video telematics and fleet management solutions for fleets of all sizes and types.
Key features include:
- Drivecam event recorders
- Machine vision and AI
- Driver coaching
- Video search
- Driver ID
These tools, along with other fleet management and compliance tools, empower you to create a safe driving culture, reduce accidents, and improve overall fleet performance.
7) Intellishift
Source: intellishift.com
With Intellishift, you’ll have all the information you need to make informed decisions about fleet activities, improve safety, and enhance efficiency throughout your entire operation.
Core features include:
- Vehicle telematics (i.e., real-time tracking, location, speed, and other vehicle data)
- Driver behavior monitoring
- Fuel management and optimization
- Maintenance scheduling and tracking
- Driver and cab-facing dashcams
You can even access more advanced features, including geofencing, driver scorecards, and integrations with other common software to make your job – and your driver’s job – much easier.
8) Motive
Source: gomotive.com
Motive offers a long list of features, including:
- ELD compliance
- AI dashcam
- Driver coaching
- Vehicle inspections
- Messaging
- App marketplace
- Trailer and equipment tracking
- Vehicle tracking
- Spend management
- Vehicle utilization
- Vehicle diagnostics
- Driver workflow
- Open API
- Refrigerator monitoring
With Motive, your safety, operations, and finance teams will be better equipped to manage drivers, vehicles, equipment, and other fleet-related expenses from a single platform.
Motive can even help you reduce manual workloads across the board by automating and simplifying a wide variety of tasks.
And, with the addition of a smart fuel card, you’ll have all the data you’ll need to maintain visibility and control of all your vehicles.
9) InTouch GPS
Source: intouchgps.com
With InTouch GPS you’ll know where your vehicles are 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and how they’re being operated by your drivers. This allows you to control your fleet in real time and tackle issues as they happen.
Instant alerts (to your smartphone or email) can inform you if a vehicle leaves a certain area, a driver is speeding, or the engine is idling excessively.
You also get customizable reports so you can view the specific data you need to help drive your business forward.
Paired with a smart fuel card (and the software that comes with it), you’ll have all the data you need to manage costs, boost productivity, and explore new ways your fleet can save money both now and in the future.
10) GPS Trackit
Source: gpstrackit.com
GPS Trackit is an end-to-end solution for fleet-based businesses of all sizes.
This fleet telematics software includes:
- Video recording from a tamper-proof dash cam to help you capture what matters
- Electronic logging device and hours of service compliance
Asset monitoring and location - Temperature monitoring (of both the cargo container and the engine compartment)
And, with operational data from all vehicles combined with a fuel card solution, you’ll be able to identify ways to reduce fuel costs across the board.
Telematics Software + Coast = Success
Fleet telematics software can provide insight into a vast array of important data. But all of that information is just numbers unless you use it to analyze the way your fleet runs and make changes on the road.
Nowhere is this more true than when it comes to fuel management.
If you’re struggling to keep fuel costs low (or as low as possible), telematics can only do so much.
To really control one of the largest expenses that your fleet-based business has, pair tracking data with the Coast fuel card to give your drivers the tools they need to operate their vehicles as efficiently as possible.
Coast’s online expense management platform even provides real-time information and allows you to set spending limits, issue cards, and authorize payments with just a few taps or clicks.
The Coast fuel card is the perfect partner for your fleet management and telematics software and can help you keep your business on the road to success.
For more information, visit CoastPay.com today.
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