FleetUp Review and Pricing

FleetUp Editor’s Score: 9.5/10

Why We Chose FleetUp for Customer Service

FleetUp is one of several GPS fleet management vendors we reviewed with 24/7 customer support. However, this company distinguishes itself from competitors by answering call queries 97 percent of the time. FleetUp also assigns customers an engineer to help integrate its services. We love that a company representative checks in with your business quarterly to provide ongoing assistance. 

This dedication, regardless of fleet size, and robust online self-help resources make FleetUp our choice for the best GPS fleet management service for customer support. FleetUp’s website states, “Customer experience is our passion,” and it showed in our investigation.

FleetUp’s desktop and mobile app interfaces help you monitor drivers while in the office or on the go. Source: FleetUp

Ease of Use

The FleetUp platform is user-friendly; it features a clean, crisp interface with the information and reports you want no more than a click or two away. The system is highly customizable, so you can configure it to quickly get the information your business needs most. On the whole, FleetUp’s dashboards are easy to navigate, and the hardware is plug-and-play. Setting up alerts is straightforward, as is monitoring your fleet in almost real time. 

FleetUp works in a standard internet browser; there is no separate PC or Mac desktop application. We appreciate that updates are carried out on the server side, so your IT team won’t need to check for patches. Two mobile apps — one for drivers and one for supervisors — can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.

While our review of Azuga explains why we selected that vendor as our best pick for ease of use in this category, FleetUp is a worthy competitor in this regard.

The FleetUp dashboard for fleet managers and administrators is intuitive and well organized. Source: FleetUp

Features

FleetUp is a data-rich fleet tracking platform that helps businesses quickly and easily save money by reducing fuel usage, lowering maintenance costs and improving driver safety. Here are some of the features that stood out to us.

Dashboard Tools

In our review of Force, we praised the platform’s uncluttered and intuitive interface. We have a similarly high view of FleetUp’s software, which has an easy-to-use desktop dashboard and robust reporting tools. The reports section displays the most crucial statistics from the past 30 days based on data generated from your vehicles and drivers.

The following sections are at the top of the dashboard:

• Advanced map: Get a live view of vehicles, containers and equipment, plus detailed information on issues such as compliance data, mileage, driving events, engine codes, odometer readings and engine hours by clicking on the map. (You can also access a classic-view map in the previous interface’s style.)
• Dashboard/reports: View timely statistics based on vehicle and driver behavior.
• Trips: Access the details of every trip made by every monitored vehicle.
• Compliance: Review statistics on legal compliance (like hours of service), ELD data and compliance with company policies (for example, unsigned logs and unsafe driving).
• E-maintenance: Manage preventive and reactive maintenance and get notifications of new diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs).
• Geofencing: Create alerts for when vehicles enter or exit predefined areas, and access current and historical instances.
• Alerts: Set notifications for system supervisors based on driver behavior and vehicle information. 
• Sharing: If you allocate company vehicles or assets to partners and want them to be able to monitor the property but not see your other vehicles and assets, you can set up partner accounts under this option.
• Job: Supervisors can add new jobs and assign drivers and vehicles to each.
• Chat: Initiate two-way live chats with drivers.
• Drivers: Access records of when drivers clock in and out and driver safety data.
• Dashcam: Receive reports of unsafe or hazardous driving when the dashcam detects them.
• Settings: Modify alert and device settings.

When you choose a section, you see further options in a second navigation bar underneath the main menu. The screen layout makes it easy to view vital information and perform tasks.

See where your vehicles are in real time with complete information on the FleetUp dashboard. Source: FleetUp

Customizable Alerts

We love that FleetUp’s built-in and customizable alert system is incredibly detailed and contains more than 30 options. When an alert is triggered, you and your colleagues can receive a notification by email, the FleetUp app, text message or a sound on the desktop dashboard. You can set the hours and days you receive alerts and who receives them.

That last point is particularly important. Suppose you set up a geofence alert — for example, to let a warehouse know your vehicle is nearby. In that case, you can instruct the platform to message only the appropriate person at the warehouse instead of all users. Also, knowing the vehicle is approaching gives the staff time to prepare for loading or unloading.

The process for setting up alerts is particularly user-friendly and streamlined. We were impressed at how the system takes you step by step through the customization process to deliver the precise alerts and configurations you need.

Supervisors can set up alerts for the following events and more: 

• Speeding
• Revolutions per minute (RPMs)
• Idling
• Rapid acceleration
• Hard braking 
• Sharp turning 
• Press of a panic button
• Plugging or unplugging of a FleetUp device

They can also set up alerts to monitor DTCs, engine temperature and low battery voltage.

We also like that you can send an alert to clients with the vehicle’s estimated time of arrival (ETA), which is particularly useful for keeping open, clear channels of communication with customers. You can send these alerts via email or text message, both of which contain a link to a live map showing the vehicle’s location and the time the driver is expected to reach the customer.

You can set up customized alerts for specific geographic areas. Source: FleetUp

Vehicle Maintenance and Management

FleetUp’s e-maintenance feature skillfully handles preventive maintenance scheduling by notifying fleet managers, drivers and mechanics of regular checkups. This proactive approach will reduce breakdowns and keep your vehicles on the road longer. You can set up servicing events, like oil and oil filter changes and checks on the transmission fluid, brakes, tires, cooling system, alignment, belts and hoses, brake fluid and more. You can choose servicing intervals by miles driven, engine hours or time intervals. 

We like that FleetUp’s hardware detects DTCs in each vehicle, presenting the DTC in the vehicle’s record next to a plain-language description of what might be wrong. 

You can also inspect every vehicle’s maintenance history anytime. When a vehicle goes in for service, you can assign a maintenance category, add notes to the record, and run reports on maintenance costs.

The e-maintenance dashboard on FleetUp helps keep your fleet in top shape. Source: FleetUp

Mobile Apps

There are two excellent FleetUp mobile apps: one for drivers and one for supervisors. 

• FleetUp Admin: The supervisor app, FleetUp Admin, provides many of the same functions as the desktop control panel. It lets supervisors do the following:
  • Access real-time data and dashcam videos 
  • Set up alerts for specific events and incidents
  • Track fuel consumption and costs
  • Manage maintenance schedules and expenses
  • Generate reports on various aspects of the fleet’s operations
  • Engage in two-way communication with drivers
  • View the fleet on a map 
  • Share trip data and ETAs with clients

• FleetUp Driver: The driver app provides everything your drivers need to focus on putting the miles in and spend less time on paperwork. It’s superb at streamlining workflows for greater efficiency and helping to train drivers (more on driver training functions below). The app lets drivers perform these functions:
  • Log hours of service for legal compliance
  • Complete driver vehicle inspection reports (DVIRs)
  • Clock in and out
  • Specify if they’re operating a vehicle for personal use
  • Note if they’ve retired to the sleeper berth
  • Chat with dispatch to receive jobs and select vehicles
  • Complete and share DVIRs with mechanics and managers
  • Safely upload, organize and archive documents in the FleetUp cloud 

FleetUp’s mobile apps are available for office staff and vehicle operators. Source: FleetUp

Route Optimization and Driver Efficiency Tools

Many of the platform’s route optimization and driver tools can be accessed via the dashboard and FleetUp’s user-friendly apps.

• Route optimization: The route optimization feature on the driver app helps your company cut miles driven, reach destinations faster and increase the number of daily trips. For recurring journeys, you can use the desktop software to set a preferred route; this information will be fed to the driver app. FleetUp also helps drivers avoid toll roads, travel along roads permitted for their vehicle type, and steer clear of road restrictions or anticipated traffic.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) driver coaching: The driver app offers AI-voice coaching to warn drivers of unsafe behavior and pending compliance violations, thereby reducing the need for manual coaching. This function is a valuable way to help vehicle operators eliminate risky or wasteful behaviors.
• Driver safety scores: Drivers and their managers can monitor driver safety scores to assess individual drivers’ performance and identify opportunities for training.
• Fuel efficiency: You can improve your fleet’s efficiency and reduce fleet idle time by training drivers to avoid bad habits. On the Fuel tab within the Dashboard/Report section of the control dashboard, supervisors can see which drivers waste the most fuel because of poor driving behaviors, including idling, hard braking, rapid acceleration, high RPMs and speeding. Based on that information, companies can identify drivers who need more training and those who should be rewarded for efficient driving.

FleetUp’s fuel analysis report is designed to help you identify which drivers cost you fuel with excessive idling. Source: FleetUp

Equipment

FleetUp offers two GPS tracking devices: one standard model and one enhanced model that measures temperature and humidity to prevent cargo damage and spoilage. The vendor’s dashcams feature cab-facing and road-facing cameras that start recording when the built-in AI detects an unsafe event. The video is transmitted to the control dashboard for later review. We like that the AI rates each incident as low-risk, high-risk or critical. FleetUp has significantly improved its AI to better categorize events and risk levels, helping managers make sense of the videos they receive.

We were impressed that supervisors can connect directly to the dashcams to get a live view of the driver and their road conditions via 4G. 

FleetUp’s AI-powered dashcams have dual cameras. Source: FleetUp

Pricing

There are four package options with FleetUp:

• FleetUp Standard: This plan includes fleet management software and GPS vehicle tracking with tools such as detailed trip reporting and advanced geofencing.
• FleetUp Compliance: Besides the Standard features, you get electronic monitoring to ensure your drivers operate within federal guidelines.
• Fleetup Advanced: This plan adds remote maintenance monitoring, fuel analysis and engine diagnostics.
• FleetUp Professional: This package combines the above plans for the most complete software suite.

There is no pricing on the vendor’s website, but the company told us these plans are priced between $20 and $40 per vehicle per month.

Additionally, there are two equipment packages (FleetUp Equipment Standard and FleetUp Equipment Advanced) and three add-ons for asset management (FleetUp Asset Container, FleetUp Asset Reefer and FleetUp Portable). These will almost certainly increase your price.

If you prefer, FleetUp will set you up with a fleet and telematics professional who will tailor the system to your business’s exact needs. These are the initial implementation costs:

After the implementation, these are the costs for your professional:

Although FleetUp is happy to demo the system before you sign up, the company doesn’t offer a free trial or advertise information about minimum contract lengths. This makes it harder to gauge the value of the services and whether your organization will get enough return on investment. [See the additional costs to keep in mind with commercial auto insurance.]

Implementation and Onboarding

Here’s what you need to know about FleetUp’s implementation and onboarding: 

• Initial setup: Once you’ve signed up with FleetUp, you’ll log in to the desktop dashboard and enter the password provided in your introductory email. You can then create accounts for each driver in your company. 
• Personal representative: We love that you’re appointed a personal FleetUp representative who can help you start implementation and onboarding. 
• Equipment: FleetUp will send you plug-and-play hardware that connects to your vehicles’ OBD-II ports. The vendor estimates an installation time of 10 minutes per device. We appreciate that customers can access FleetUp’s YouTube channel for step-by-step instructions.
• API: FleetUp’s Open API platform integrates with in-house and third-party systems to provide extra efficiency and greater interoperability with other apps. Extensive supporting documentation is available, similar to the REST API offerings from rivals Azuga and Force. We like that if you need help integrating the API with your other software, you can book time with a FleetUp engineer to assist you in achieving your desired outcome. No other provider we reviewed offers this service — another reason the company’s customer support impressed us. 

Customer Support

FleetUp goes above and beyond the 24/7 support that some of its peers offer. While it’s great that the company provides phone, email and online chat around the clock, we were particularly impressed by its response rates: Representatives answer 97 percent of calls and typically respond to emails within 30 minutes.

FleetUp also makes representatives available for an additional layer of personalized support — another reason FleetUp’s customer service shines brighter than competitors’. 

• Implementation assistance: Every business is paired with a company representative who will steer your organization through installation and onboarding and continue to check in with your team quarterly to ensure you’re getting the most out of FleetUp’s services. 
• Integration assistance: You have access to engineers to help with any technology integrations. 
• Fleet optimization assistance: Plus, you can (for an added fee) be connected with a telematics professional who will seek to learn all about your business so they can recommend how to optimize your fleet’s performance. This support person can help set up your system’s telematics and monitor staff and maintenance schedules. 

Additionally, FleetUp’s online support resources include blog posts, user guides, reference cards, videos, whitepapers, FAQs and data sheets.

Limitations

One drawback of FleetUp is that it doesn’t offer a free trial. While it’s nice that the vendor can provide a free demo, it would be better if potential customers could try the system with one or two vehicles before committing their company to a contract, especially when the vendor isn’t upfront about pricing. If you’re looking for a low-risk fleet management service, check out our review of ClearPathGPS. This vendor offers a 30-day rolling contract with a 30-day risk-free guarantee.

FleetUp is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau, which may be a red flag for some organizations. However, this isn’t the only GPS fleet management provider we reviewed that hasn’t received BBB accreditation, and this vendor does score highly on many customer review sites.

Methodology

To determine the best GPS fleet tracking services, we closely examined various providers based on the type of equipment offered, software capabilities, scalability, ease of use, pricing and refresh rates. We also considered customer service and online user reviews. When searching specifically for the best vendor for businesses concerned about customer support, we paid particular attention to opportunities for one-on-one guidance, online resources, and contact methods and availability. FleetUp was the clear choice because it combines the typical customer service access you would expect with multiple chances for hands-on help.

Bottom Line

We recommend FleetUp for …

• Businesses that are looking for ways to reduce fleet costs associated with labor, maintenance and fuel.
• Organizations that need dedicated customer support.
• Companies that want to share ETAs with clients, suppliers and partners.

We don’t recommend FleetUp for …

• Companies that require suppliers to be BBB-rated.
• Businesses that want to test the software before signing a contract.