Operating a business that involves a lot of vehicles can be tasking. It takes a heavy chunk of time for the maintenance, inspection, and management of one vehicle, suggesting that more vehicles will even take more time: time which could be used to pursue other productive activities for your business.
However, fleet management software makes these processes easier for vehicle fleets, saving time and improving your company's efficiency.
Who Needs Fleet Management Software?
Any business whose day-to-day activities rely on trucks, vans, forklifts, or other means of transportation needs a Fleet Management Software. These include truck operators, logistics service providers, construction companies, and many other industries that depend on multiple modes of transportation to carry out their businesses.
What Does Fleet Management Software Do?
A Fleet Management Software offers businesses an opportunity to be abreast of what is happening to their work vehicles. It provides a means to track vehicles, monitor drivers' behavior, optimize the driving route, measure fuel consumption, track delivery status, etc.
It also compiles and monitors maintenance dates, keeping track of the vehicles' periodic maintenance and miscellaneous expenses. This ensures that the business runs smoothly, improving its financial performance.
Best Fleet Management Software with Pros/Cons
There are various Fleet Management Software out there, most of which are software-as-a-Service (SaaS) or autonomous applications that offer ease of access with multiple devices ranging from laptops, tablets, and smartphones. This means that no matter the primary device you use for your business, these Fleet Management Software can work for you.
Here is a list of the best Fleet Management Software available now:
Fleetio
Fleetio is a web and mobile-based Fleet Management Software and is referred to as one of the best. It allows a fleet of any size to be easily organized and managed. In addition, it offers quick automation of companies' operations, which eventually saves time.
Furthermore, Fleetio provides location tracking of truck drivers, management of fuel consumption, maintenance of vehicles, and communication among fleets. Importantly, Fleetio can be used to keep an electronic record of important documents like insurance and registration papers.
Consequently, the data provided by Fleetio can improve fuel efficiency, labor management, and the cost of operation.
Fleetio allows for an unlimited number of vehicles and is cost-friendly with the annual Starter plan that costs a mere $3 per vehicle. The Pro annual plan, at $5 per vehicle per month and the Advanced annual plan, at $7 per vehicle per month, offer more progressively advanced features.
It is also worth noting that Keycafe, a cloud-based product that allows businesses to manage, store, and access keys, integrates with Fleetio. The integration allows drivers to automatically receive access to keys when assigned a vehicle. Since companies using Fleetio will manage many keys (trucks and cars) and drivers, the Keycafe integration is a clear value-add.
PROS
Affordable pricing
Easy vehicle linking
Location tracking
API integration
Fuel usage tracking
Preventative maintenance scheduling
Unlimited users
CONS
Requires a minimum of five vehicles (i.e., $25 per month on the Pro plan and $35 per month on the Advanced plan)
No purchase inventory on the pro plan
No parts inventory on the pro plan
Onfleet
Onfleet is a Fleet Management Software best suited for businesses that make real-time data on customers and deliveries their priority. In essence, it's perfect for small businesses.
Nevertheless, it provides one of the best customer experiences. Onfleet allows business owners to manage and analyze their local deliveries, and offers an integrated route optimization engine that tracks time and shows location and capacity. It also provides access to scheduled tasks for vehicle maintenance.
Moreso, it allows for GPS tracking of drivers and fleets, in-app communication with drivers and customers, and API integration to other online ordering systems.
With Onfleet, there's no limit to the drivers or vehicles that can be tracked; instead, the limit is on tasks, which can be increased based on the package chosen.
The pricing for Onfleet starts at $500 per month for the starter 'Launch' package with unlimited users. The more advanced package 'Scale' with added features and more tasks included starts at $1,150 per month.
PROS
Unlimited drivers
Third-party integration
Live driver tracking
In-app feature to communicate with drivers
Customer database
Barcode recognition
CONS
Expensive plans
Low-tier plan missing lots of features
Limited tasks for each plan
An independent app, but better with integration
Samsara
Samsara is a widely known Fleet Management Software that is user-friendly and is commonly used by businesses with large fleets. It provides fuel management and GPS tracking for drivers and fleets. It can also be integrated with dash cams and offers its drivers a mobile application called Samsara Driver App. This app allows business owners to communicate with their drivers, while also ensuring their safety.
Unfortunately, Samsara doesn’t publish their pricing. Their pricing is tailored for a custom solution for any business’s needs.
PROS
User-friendly
Real-time vehicle diagnostics dashboard
Real-time GPS tracking
Route tracking
Provides snapshots, both current and historical
Allows API integration with other software
CONS
Compared to other Fleet Management Software, Samara doesn’t have inventory tracking
Contracts are 3-5 years long
No published pricing
Verizon Connect
Verizon Connect is a Fleet Management Software that offers international coverage, and can be used by small and medium-sized businesses. Verizon provides excellent services to its customers, notably real-time driver tracking, fuel management, scheduling with a user-friendly calendar, and analyses of operational costs. It also provides a mobile app for its drivers and customers to communicate.
Unfortunately, Verizon Connect doesn’t publish their pricing. Their pricing is tailored for a custom solution for any business’s needs.
PROS
Assets tracking
Field service & scheduling
Fuel tracking
Electronic signature
CONS
No free version
Difficult to cancel your contract with them
AUTOsist
AUTOsist is a cloud-based Fleet Management Software that includes an affordable application for both mobile and desktop users. It allows individuals and business owners to track their vehicle's maintenance schedule and provides parts' inventory count, fuel tracking, and work orders. With the app, business owners can produce reports on their monthly or annual maintenance costs.
AUTOsist has an affordable starter plan 'Maintenance package' with limited features for $5 per vehicle. Their mid-tier plan offers more advanced features such as GPS tracking and starts at $27 per vehicle per month, while their most comprehensive package also offers safety cameras with advanced features for $54 per vehicle per month.
PROS
Service/repair history
Fuel tracking
Repair tracking
Run custom reports
Free option for one vehicle
CONS
No GPS tracking
Rhino Fleet Tracking
Rhino Fleet Tracking is a Fleet Management Software that provides real-time tracking for managing a fleet. It also includes detailed fuel and route tracking, and an option to set up alerts for drivers. These alerts can notify business owners of the driver's activities; these could be accidents or unscheduled stops.
Rhino fleet tracking prices start at $16.95 per vehicle per month, which provides you access to the full suite of their features.
PROS
GPS tracking
Driver activity tracking
Equipment tracking
Safety alerts
Maintenance schedule
CONS
Software refresh is slow
No subscription plans to choose from
Factors in Deciding the Best Fleet Management Software for Your Business
When you want to acquire Fleet Management Software for your business, certain factors need to be considered. Here are the most important factors to look out for:
Cost
While some Fleet Management Software offer a free trial and some have plan levels, it is best to select the software plan that is best suited for your business and is cost-effective.
Customer Support Availability
Customer support is vital in selecting a Fleet Management Software because, in cases of issues with the apps or software, it can save you a lot of trouble.
Integrations
Fleet Management Software is best optimized when fully integrated with other business tools or apps. An example is the dashcam integration some fleet softwares possess. If the software can seamlessly integrate with dashcams or mobile phones, it helps fleet managers get real-time updates on the vehicles and drivers.
Features
Some Fleet Management Software have GPS tracking while some don't. The same can be said for service history tracking and many other features; therefore, depending on what features your business needs, it is essential to consider what the Fleet Management Software offers.
Ease of Use
A user-friendly Fleet Management Software is best for any fleet manager because, to use the software to its maximum capacity, it must be easy to adopt for both managers and employees.
Choosing the right software for your business requires time and effort. Before selecting a subscription plan, take the time to properly research the software, and its pros and cons.
Conclusion
It is clear that a Fleet Management Software can greatly benefit any business that utilizes vehicles in its daily operations. Every business will have a different list of requirements, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to the right software for your business.
If smart key management is an important requirement for your business, you can find out more about how Keycafe helps vehicle fleets operate more efficiently.
To learn more about the Keycafe system and how it integrates with Fleet Management Software, contact our sales team today for a demo!
