Samsara Fleet Management Review & Pricing 2023

Samsara is one of the best fleet management systems across the board. It has superb efficiency tools including automatic route optimizing and real-time tracking. It also offers extensive driver management capability, with custom reports and alerts.

It makes managing the maintenance needs of large fleets easy. And since it has price constraints like lengthy 3-year contract minimums and a $27 per month starting price, the economies of scale make it an even better value for a large fleet.

Top-notch support includes 24/7 phone support in addition to email and a chatbot.

Samsara earned 4.7 out of 5 points overall in our tests, tying it with Verizon Connect as the best fleet system our team has researched. And the team has sunk hundreds of hours into researching the top 20 systems in the US and Canada, so we would know.

Read on for our full Samsara review below, or take a minute to complete our form for a custom Samsara quote.

In this guide:

• Samsara Driver and Vehicle Management
• Samsara Vehicle Tracking
• Samsara ELD Compliance
• Samsara Pricing and Value
• Samsara Help and Support
• Samsara Installation and Other Features
• Methodology: How We Rated Samsara
• Verdict
• FAQs

We understand the importance of price when selecting a fleet management system, so check out the best deals below:

Samsara is great for large operations due to its wide feature range and lengthy contract minimums, but it remains a top pick for small businesses as well. The interface is easy to navigate, with 24/7 support to quickly push you past any speed bumps.

Plus, the company's services include asset tracking, field service, and dash cams, among much more. Samsara has the breadth of functionality that makes it very likely the best pick for companies that are switching away from their current fleet management system — whether because it's too clunky, too pricey, or too limited.

Samsara is a popular platform too, with a wide range of clients. In 2022 it logged 35 billion miles driven by its customers – that's nearly four times to Pluto and back.

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.

Samsara's temperature tracking functions logs all temperature changes for its assigned vehicles or assets. Image 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. Hardware diagnostic reports can be auto-generated based on Samsara's telematics.

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.

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 our team found many fleet systems don't bother to help with. Our research 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.

November 2023 update: Samsara recently announced another safety tool: “Virtual Coach,” a coaching aid that gives drivers “video-based AI insights” in order to help them learn from recent mistakes. This is similar to a feature Motive offers: Read our Samsara vs Motive comparison to learn more.

Fuel Management

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.

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 cut down fuel use. 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, which can encourage safer habits. Also, alerts can be triggered by events like speeding or harsh breaking. A Safety Trends feature offers a graphical representation of harsh event data that's great for visual learners.

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.

This collection of features can be deployed to give Samsara's users a robust, multi-layered safety protocol. This contributes to Samsara's 5/5 driver management score, which matches or surpasses every fleet system we tested.

For safety-conscious fleets, 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, according to an August 2023 report.

Samsara fleet map lets managers view trips with both a lefthand sidebar list and a map. Image source: Samsara

Samsara Vehicle Tracking

Samsara scores a stellar 4.9/5 for tracking, due to an impressive breadth and depth of features.

First, its fleet reports cover a host of topics. The Driver Record gives managers real-time insight into route arrivals and departures, vehicle assignment, DVIR completion, and much more. Custom locations are tracked, letting managers 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.

Refresh rates are typically between 30 secs and one minute, making Samsara more than capable (those looking for faster refresh times may want to consider the pared-down US Fleet Tracking system, as it comes with blazing fast 5-second refresh rates).

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, earning it a 5/5 score, 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 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.

We rate Samsara's ELD 4.6/5 points after considering its price, reporting functions, mobile app, installation and support. This makes Samsara the best ELD solution on the market, with Matrack ELD coming in a close second.

Samsara Pricing and Value

Like many fleet systems, Samsara doesn't make its pricing public. Instead, the total cost will vary by fleet size, contract length, and features chosen. That said, our research team has estimated typical costs for a Samsara plan at between $27 and $33 per vehicle, per month for a software subscription. We estimate that hardware may cost between $99 and $148, with lower prices for longer contracts.

These prices are around the industry average cost for fleet systems, and include 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. Verizon also has a three-year contract minimum, while our third ranked fleet provider Teletrac has a more attractive one-year minimum.

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”

Our Samsara reviews rated the system 2.5/5 for price. This matches Verizon's score but is lower than Teletrac's 3.4/5 price rating, due to Teletrac's short one-year contracts.

Ultimately, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that the very best fleet providers cost the most, and it's important to consider the ROI in time and money saved that will come with it. Request a no-obligation price quote today to find out exactly how much a Samsara set-up would cost for your fleet, and identify the best deal for your business.

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 (although it still ties with main rival Verizon Connect's ratings).

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.

Samsara earned a good 4/5 product feature rating, due to its helpful mobile app and integrations. This beats our third-overall service Teletrac, which lacks GPS integrations and a panic button and holds a 3.8/5 score, and it is below Verizon's 4.9/5 score, due to that system's detailed fuel reporting tools.

Samsara's compliance tools allow drivers to track their hours of service with tablets or smartphones. Image source: Samsara

Additional Samsara Products

Samsara Asset Tracking

Samsara's asset tracking solutions go beyond the fleet to help managers keep tabs on all their high-value equipment. From the dashboard, managers can search their assets by name, by location or by type of asset in order to ensure everything is where it should be. By tracking all assets in real-time, operations can be both more secure and more streamlined, improving efficiency and revenue.

Geofencing alerts can be set to warn managers if a powered or unpowered asset should enter an unauthorized location, deterring theft.

Other alerts can be set for any powered assets, letting managers know when they're turned on, how long they run, and how much time they spend on a job site. Powered asset trackers are ruggedized, waterproof, and come with a backup lithium-ion battery in addition to charging through a direct power source. Unpowered asset trackers' batteries can last up to 3 years, assuming about two check-ins per day.

Interested in tracking high value assets as well as your fleet of vehicles? Check Samsara's free asset tracking price quotes here.

Samsara Dash Cams

Samsara also offers two high-definition dash cams. The CM31 is front-facing, covering the road ahead, while the CM32 is dual-facing, covering both the driver (with an infrared LED to counter poor lighting) and the road. The cameras automatically upload footage to the cloud, and at any given time hold the past 24 hours of footage (extended to 48 hours for the CM32) allowing fleet managers to comb through for footage they need to keep.

Check out dash cam quotes here if you're interested in boosting your capability.

Industry-Specific Solutions

Samsara’s raft of vehicle hardware and software includes plenty of other services that are integral to specific businesses.

• Truckers with refrigerated units to worry about can look into reefer monitoring systems, which include Samsara temperature sensors in the cargo area.
• Those with trailers can make use of Samsara's trailer tracking software.
• School bus drivers are covered under Samsara’s K-12 solutions.
• Government, transit and construction vehicles all have their own solutions as well
• Public works fleets (like snowplows) can now track which streets they have traversed, using a coverage map updated in real-time.

If your fleet operates within these industries and finds its current fleet management system too cumbersome or too costly, Samsara will offer the custom-fitted features and easy-to-use interface that makes the choice to switch providers simple.

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.

Methodology: How We Reviewed Samsara

We spoke to fleet managers to understand their core needs, experiences and priorities, such as seeing all vehicles at all times, keeping drivers safe, and staying as efficient as possible. We then reviewed the top 20+ fleet management software providers in the industry, including Samsara reviews, to see how they help serve those needs.

Tech.co's team of hands-on testers and researchers focused on six main areas of research in order to analyze all the elements of a fleet management system:

• Price: Cost elements including plans, contracts, warranties, and free trials or demos.
• Tracking: Routing elements including dispatch tools, geofencing, custom locations, and alerts.
• Driver Management: Driver features like messaging, crash reporting, and other safety tools.
• Vehicle Management: Vehicle features like theft prevention, maintenance scheduling, fuel cards, and diagnostics.
• Product Features: Software functionality like integrations, mobile apps, and types of hardware.
• Help & Support: Installation aid, support hours, and types of support (phone, email, or chat).

After scoring each of the 20 top systems in the US and Canada in each of these areas, using a number of tests and checks, our research team condensed all category scores into one 5-point overall score for each provider. Some scoring categories are weighted more heavily than others, to reflect what fleet managers told us was more important to them, such as a good value for the price.

Scores on Tech.co are never conflated with any affiliate partnerships we might have in place: we receive fees from some providers to thank us when we make introductions to their software, but all our testing is impartial, and high scores cannot be bought. Samsara scores a 4.7/5 overall, reflecting that it is one of the leading providers in the industry.

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