Motive fleet management review

Connect your fleet to automate your operation

Website screenshot for Motive fleet management
(Image: © Motive)

TechRadar Verdict

With a strong feature set, Motive is a valuable entry into the fleet management market.

Pros

  • +

    Affordable

  • +

    Fuel management features

  • +

    Reduces accidents

  • +

    24/7 direct support

Cons

  • -

    Opaque pricing

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Motive, formerly known as KeepTruckin, stands as one of the top fleet management software providers, trusted by over a million registered drivers and 120,000+ companies. Established in 2013 and headquartered in San Francisco, Motive is renowned for assisting fleet operators in tracking their vehicles and maintaining electronic logs through reliable Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs).

Known for its premium fleet management software, Motive offers key features such as durable hardware products, including dash cams and GPS trackers, integrated solutions, advanced software, and telematics. 

Through Motive's integrated solutions, companies can effortlessly monitor their vehicles in real-time and retrieve historical data wherever they need it. The extensive data offered by Motive’s devices also allows trucking companies to audit driver logs, manage fuel costs efficiently, and reduce paperwork and administrative load. 

Motive fleet management: Pricing

Motive doesn’t promote a free trial that allows you to test out the platform, understand how it works, and identify if it is indeed a good fit for your business. However, it does offer demos and ample video tutorials to give you a clear idea of its capabilities.

Its pricing structure is flexible and the actual cost depends on the size of your fleet. While most fleet management companies offer three-year or five-year contracts, you can get shorter contracts with Motive which can help you keep your initial costs under control. 

Based on quite a few reviews left by different verified users online, Motive is apparently one of the most cost-effective fleet tracking solutions. However, note that the costs of procuring Motive hardware, such as its AI dashcams, are not clearly specified on the website, a concern raised by many business owners.

While it doesn’t publish its pricing information online, our previous research reveals the brand, then known as KeepTruckin, follows a freemium-based subscription model and has a four-tiered pricing structure:

Free: The free tier gives you access to basic features like electronic logs, vehicle inspections, documents, and messaging.

Starter: This is for the essential needs of your trucking business, priced at $20 per vehicle, per month.  It includes geo-fencing and ELD compliance features, going beyond the offerings of the free tier.

Pro: Costs $35 per vehicle, per month, and is aimed at companies with large fleets or those that need advanced analytics along with safety and efficiency features. Over and above the Starter plan, this package offers powerful reporting capabilities on vehicle diagnostics, facility insights, vehicle utilization, and IFTA reports. Other features like in-vehicle Wi-Fi hotspots, and driver coaching are also part of this package.

Custom: Motive offers a custom-designed package for companies that need comprehensive fleet management. This plan offers all the features of the Pro plan, plus driver workflow, custom inspections, premium support, onsite training, and other professional services. 

Motive fleet management: Features

For a micro-sized transportation company that has a fleet size of one or two trucks, managing vehicles, routes, drivers, and costs is not a hassle. However, when it comes to companies with bigger fleets, it is not only mandatory on the compliance end to maintain a proper electronic log, but it also makes perfect business sense to deploy a solution that offers you real-time data for managing costs and operations, allowing you to be in full control of things. 

Motive feature 1

(Image credit: Motive)

Motive’s solutions are flexible, hence it is ideal for all businesses regardless of their fleet size. It offers ELD and fleet management software, plus all the required hardware to create a robust tracking platform.

It also offers a powerful software with several compelling advantages, including two-way messaging for efficient communication, GPS tracking, and driver eLogs to prevent vehicle misuse or shrinkages. The system includes an easy-to-plug-in ELD device that seamlessly integrates with the Motive app. 

Motive has gained prominence in the trucking industry due to its user-friendly interface, which is easy to navigate for both administrators and drivers. Furthermore, since it is compliant with FMSCA requirements, it becomes a compelling choice for many fleet owners.

Motive driver app

(Image credit: Motive)

Motive plays a crucial role in automatically logging driving time, a key task for fleet management. Once the ELD is connected to the vehicle and the driver has paired their mobile app with the device, the sensors present in the ELD device detect the vehicle's movements, speed, and accurately track the Hours of Service (HoS).

Among the key features of this solution are: 

  • Routing and dispatch
  • ELD compliance
  • IFTA fuel tracking
  • Vehicle inspection
  • Vehicle diagnosis
  • Driver safety
  • Open API
  • Two-way messaging
  • GPS location tracking
  • Driver scorecards
  • Dashcams
  • Idle time tracking
  • Wi-Fi hotspot

Motive fleet management: Support

Motive provides various support avenues, including an online guide featuring installation how-to guides for Motive hardware. Users can stay informed about new features and updates through its blog and there's 24/7 email support available for all customers. 

Motive fleet management: Final verdict

Motive, formerly KeepTruckin, is one of the most widely-used outfits in the industry with over a million registered drivers. It provides an affordable and easy-to-use solution, making it one of the go-to services for many trucking companies. 

Featuring intuitive elements such as two-way messaging, driver logs, HoS tracking, BYOD capability, and seamless integration with various devices and services, Motive firmly establishes itself as a leading solution in the industry.

We've listed the best GPS fleet tracking solution.

Jonas P. DeMuro

Jonas P. DeMuro is a freelance reviewer covering wireless networking hardware.

With contributions from