Motive Fleet Management Review

Why Motive Is Best for Live Safety Analysis

Motive is focused on improving driver competence and minimizing risky behaviors. Its standard dashcam is the most informative and proactive in the industry. Unlike many competitors relying on AI alone to scan footage for poor driving, Motive’s expert safety team adds oversight to every clip. Because humans review all recordings, events a computer algorithm may miss ― like stop sign violations or sudden lane changes ― can be flagged and stopped.

We like how Motive’s DRiVE scoring system handles driver scorecards. It lets you group drivers into distinct categories, including urban and rural driving routes, trucks and vans, and different traffic volumes and road types, to add context to evaluations. For example, sudden braking maneuvers wouldn’t be unusual for city-based truck drivers, but they may be cause for concern for long-distance drivers. DRiVE won’t judge a driver with urban routes the same way it would a rural-based driver. We like that managers can pinpoint the safest drivers by vehicle type or environment.

We were impressed that Motive manufactures proprietary hardware, including refrigeration tools and GPS trackers. We also like that its driver behavior tools extend to fuel cards and a driver-specific mobile app focused on fleet health safety and compliance. For all these reasons and more, Motive is our choice for the best GPS fleet tracking system for companies concerned about safety. 

Motive’s DRiVE system scores a driver’s behavior over time while considering their environment. Source: Motive 

Usability

We liked Motive’s Fleet Management screen ― the centerpiece of the platform’s desktop interface. This intuitive interface is powered by Google, with traffic and weather overlays helping to explain late arrivals or unexpected idle time. Tabs down the left-hand side of the screen help managers switch between different Motive services quickly, including Maintenance and Cards. (The Cards tab tracks spending on a staff-issued MasterCard.)

The Maintenance screen handles preemptive and scheduled maintenance for services like oil changes while the Reports tab allows managers to run a report for every active fault code across their entire fleet. Reports can be exported and sent to the desktop, mobile app or a designated email inbox in comma-separated values or PDF format.

Motive’s well-laid-out dashboard helps fleet managers access functions quickly. Source: Motive

Motive Features

Advanced Dashcam

We loved Motive’s AI dashcam. Many competitors offer a dual-facing, high-definition dashcam, but none are this sophisticated. AI modeling detects and records high-risk driving behavior on the road, helping fleet managers monitor hard braking and acceleration, speeding and more. We like that the dashcam alerts drivers in real time using a color-coded light bar to provide near-instant feedback. This technology gives drivers real-time guidance on improving their driving while on the road.

The dashcam’s features also include in-cab audio, 104 hours of constant recording time, and the ability for drivers to activate recording voluntarily. Typically, engine-off recording will continue for 10 minutes, but that period can be extended if a driver takes a longer break or makes a delivery in an unsafe area. Fleet managers can disable the driver-facing camera during engine idling or when drivers are off-duty, such as when truck drivers sleep in their cabs.

Motive’s AI dashcam captures unsafe driving behavior and alerts drivers. Source: Motive

Omnicam

Motive’s AI Omnicam particularly impressed us. Fleet managers who want the ultimate in monitoring can use the AI Omnicam for simultaneous side, rear, passenger and cargo monitoring. The device is paired with a standard road-facing dashcam to provide a 360-degree view of vehicles and their interiors. This technology helps capture sideswipes and rear collisions that standard dual-facing dashcams miss. 

The AI Omnicam will likely be particularly valuable on construction sites or oil and gas installations; passenger transit vehicles will also benefit from this surround-view camera technology.

Motive’s AI Omnicam boasts AI-enabled hardware built for side, rear, passenger and cargo monitoring. Source: Motive

Human Behavior Analysis 

Motive goes beyond top-notch dashcam technology to provide a unique feature we haven’t seen in other fleet tracking services we reviewed: human behavior analysis. A team of 400 Motive safety experts scrutinizes all dashcam video footage, adding another layer of oversight. These experts can identify actions the dashcam might miss, such as stop sign violations or drifting between lanes, and grade them according to severity. They can also identify false positives and help train the AI system to improve accuracy. After flagging risky behaviors, the safety team will tag them as violations and alert drivers via the Motive driver’s mobile app with recommendations on how they can improve their driving standards. 

Motive aims to review every video clip within 10 minutes; the company says the team accomplishes this in 94 percent of cases. The footage is often reviewed within five minutes. 

Motive’s human oversight makes this platform an excellent option for businesses seeking to lower insurance bills and reduce accidents. Unsurprisingly, Motive has managed to negotiate insurance discounts through providers, such as Sentry Insurance and Progressive. 

Motive’s safety team reviews every incident video clip within 10 minutes and assesses a severity score. Source: Motive

Trailer and Equipment Tracking 

We like that Motive has specialized asset trackers to accommodate companies with more than vehicles in their fleet. These devices can help prevent and track fleet equipment theft.

The Asset Gateway is a silver tracker you attach to the roof of trailers and equipment. This solar-powered device offers minute-by-minute pings and location-specific notifications. (You can mount the device lower if necessary, although you’ll likely need a technician’s help.) The device can monitor cargo temperature but not engine temperature.

The Asset Gateway has a five-year warranty and can deliver geofence and dormancy alerts, including extended idle time. It generates reports that are accessible through the main Fleet Management dashboard. We like that the Asset Gateway can be used even if a towing vehicle doesn’t have a tracker ― an invaluable feature if you’re using a third-party trucking or logistics firm to transport your cargo.

Motive also has a battery-powered Asset Gateway Mini asset tracker. This device weighs less than 20 ounces and measures under six by three inches. It captures data every minute and can store a month’s worth of log data with various location and temperature sensors communicated across 4G cellular networks.

Motive’s Asset Gateway Mini provides real-time tracking of equipment and assets. Source: Motive

Drivers App

While many GPS fleet tracking platforms offer a mobile app, Motive is unique in providing separate driver and supervisor apps with distinct functionality. The serviceable admin app helps fleet managers monitor and control their fleets. However, Motive’s dedicated driver app impressed us. 

The driver app has a streamlined interface with four key section headings: Compliance, Maintenance, Messages and Performance. Drivers have everything they need to follow the ELD mandate, log their HoS, communicate with colleagues and customers, and stay on top of vehicle maintenance issues. The app integrates well with other Motive features, such as its fee-free MasterCard fuel card, which can help reduce fleet fuel costs. 

The app has dedicated buttons for logs, support and documentation. Drivers can take photos of vehicle damage and upload them to fleet managers. The app offers inspection prompts proactively while an extensive list of checkable parts includes air lines, dents and fuel levels.

Motive’s dedicated driver app helps drivers stay on top of HoS regulations and manage their schedules. Source: Motive

Motive Cost

We were disappointed that Motive doesn’t reveal even ballpark pricing information. Reports say its ELD device costs $150, GPS tracking prices start at $25 per vehicle, per month, and dashcams start at $15 per device, per month. However, we couldn’t independently verify these prices, and pricing will likely vary by fleet size. You’ll need to contact the company for a quote.

However, we like that Motive doesn’t lock users into three-year contracts as many rivals do. It offers annual contracts with five-year warranties on proprietary monitors and dashcams.

Motive doesn’t offer a free trial but will provide a demo to interested businesses. 

Motive Setup

Motive’s setup is straightforward. You can quickly add new drivers and vehicles to the software. We like that it offers more than the obligatory OBD II port for installing its GPS tracker. You can also install it using a six-pin, nine-pin or Mack connector. We appreciate that trackers have a five-year warranty and boast a 500MB storage capacity. They can track locations to a specific building, which means geofence boundaries can be as small as a single yard or garage. There are also automatic notifications if the device gets disconnected. 

If you need help during installation further, an extensive directory of guides and information is available on the Motive website, including webinars. An engineer will likely only be needed if you’re installing a trailer tracker through a seven-way cable connection.

Motive Customer Service

We appreciate that Motive offers 24/7 phone support along with chatbot and email assistance and an online help form. This 24/7 support is an excellent perk in an industry that often provides limited customer service hours. 

We also like Motive’s online Help Center, which breaks web support into categories for drivers, managers/admins and installers. This searchable resource directory is extensive but text-only ― there are no YouTube tutorials or podcasts here. There is support for the Motive Open API, with over 110 third-party apps already provided by the likes of Tomorrow.io, Volvo Construction, John Deere, Komatsu, CAT and FuelBI.

The Motive Driver app has received 4.5 out of 5 scores from both Capterra and Apple’s iOS App Store. More concerningly, the company is not Better Business Bureau (BBB)-accredited and has a dismal 1.06 out of 5 score from customer reviews on the site. Additionally, Motive users have raised concerns about billing issues and the inability to resolve customer service queries quickly.

Motive Drawbacks

• Opaque pricing: Unnecessarily opaque pricing is a significant drawback for some companies. If transparent pricing is your priority, read our review of Force Fleet Tracking. This vendor costs $20 per vehicle, per month. 
• No free trial: Many businesses will hesitate to commit to a contract without a free trial. If a free trial is a deal-breaker for you, read our GPS Trackit review. This service has a 30-day rolling contract that can serve as a trial period. 
• No BBB accreditation: While it’s not unusual for a vendor to lack BBB accreditation, we like it when our top picks are rated highly. For example, our review of Samsara details the vendor’s BBB accreditation and A+ rating.
• No short message service (SMS) alerts: Motive doesn’t support SMS alerts for geofence infringements or idling events, which could reduce the immediacy of responses from admins. Read our review of ClearPathGPS to learn about a vendor with robust alert options, including text alerts.
• No Mexico support: Motive’s platform is compatible with Canadian rules and ELD regulations but unsuitable for use in Mexico. In contrast, vendors like Verizon Connect have hardware that works across the United States, Canada and Mexico. 

Methodology

Finding the right GPS fleet tracking system can be challenging, so we did some of the hard work for you. We spent hours researching and analyzing the best GPS fleet tracking systems to identify the top solutions on the market. We looked at hardware, features, pricing, contracts, usability, refresh times and customer support. We got hands-on experience with demos and product videos when possible. When searching for the best GPS fleet tracking system for live safety analysis specifically, we focused on driver safety features, dashcam safety functions, and unique tools to enhance safe driving, accountability and training. 

Overall Value

We recommend Motive for …

• Fleet managers who want real-time safety updates along with conventional telematics tracking for fleet vehicles.
• Managers who want to rank drivers according to their environments instead of comparing long-distance truck drivers to urban van drivers.
• Companies keen to gain granular oversight on employee fuel spending.
• Businesses where trailer tracking is required with permanent power supplies.

We don’t recommend Motive for …

• Companies that want to try out software before committing to a long-term fleet tracking contract.
• Businesses that want to provide customers with live driver updates or two-way customer messaging.
• Businesses that want clear, upfront pricing.