Digitized fleet management systems are becoming more of an industry staple every day. After all, they streamline workflows, minimize downtime, and enhance insight generation, ultimately helping management identify opportunities to increase efficiency in their fleets. And compared to paper-based systems, they outperform in every meaningful metric. However, that doesn’t mean selecting the best product for the job is as simple as picking one at random — feature availability influences software value.
The kinds of features a fleet management system offers can ultimately affect vehicle uptime, fuel efficiency, and revenue generation. Here are six essential features fleet and maintenance managers should look for in 2025, from GPS tracking to customizable alerts and driver safety features.
1. Telematics-based tracking
According to Verizon Connect’s fifth annual Fleet Technology Trends Report, 69% of fleet management professionals use global positioning system (GPS) tracking technology. Around 62% have experienced efficiency improvements as a result.
Telematics-based GPS tracking offers even greater potential benefits because its data points are more granular, since it sends real-time updates on both a vehicle’s position and condition. Depending on the aftermarket add-ons in place, such as on-board diagnostics systems or sensors, for instance, telematics-based GPS may also provide data-driven insights into driver behavior, fuel efficiency, or trip quality.
Take Geotab, for example. It uses onboard telematics systems to monitor vehicle locations and speeds. And since it connects to the internet and has a web-based portal for analytics, companies can check in at any time.
But telemetry isn’t just for executives. The data it provides is highly valuable to maintenance teams, too, because it enables proactive repairs. Using sensor and location details, maintenance teams can optimize a vehicle’s repair schedules. And owners or operators can use their fleet management app to track vehicles as they move across the map. Depending on the application, end-user-facing features may also be available, enabling drivers to communicate with the home base, navigate after a midtrip disruption or find points of interest like rest stops.
2. Customizable alerts and notifications
Alerts that display on the dashboard in real time are essential to any fleet management software. Even though most trucking companies try to factor delays into their schedules, time is of the essence. So what use is a notification about a crash up ahead or an overheating component if workers don’t get a warning ahead of time?
But customization is just as important as the immediacy of these alerts because each fleet has unique pain points that need to be monitored. Controlling which alerts appear and who they are sent to can enhance communication and improve timeliness.
One fleet management system that offers such alerts is Verizon Connect. Whenever workers speed, idle, or drive outside operating hours, fleet managers receive a near-real-time notification in the cab. The system can even inform them if a vehicle registers a diagnostic trouble code or is actively being towed.
3. Fuel card monitoring
Business owners still relying on driver-provided logbooks of receipts or manually updated spreadsheets should look for a fleet management system with a fuel consumption monitoring feature.
Frankly, fuel fraud is a problem. According to Hemant Banavar, the vice president of financial products at Motive, companies in the trucking industry lose almost $1 million annually to it — the equivalent of 19% of their total fleet spend. But fuel fraud doesn’t just impact the bottom line. It skews vehicle data, adversely affecting maintenance scheduling, thereby reducing uptime.
Some fleet management apps combat this issue by allowing receipts to be uploaded via images. They then automatically perform the data entry, making it easier for leaders to spot suspicious transactions. Other apps have card monitoring systems and can analyze metrics like cost and fuel economy to determine the likelihood of fraud. They may even automatically reject or approve transactions.
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An example of this is fleet management solutions like AtoB, which stores fuel card usage data in a single digital space so decision-makers can conveniently distribute funds or cap spending limits. It can even identify fraud by comparing purchases to a vehicle’s fuel tank capacity or proximity to a pump.
4. Driver safety scorecards
Do operators know when their employees break harshly, swerve suddenly, accelerate recklessly, or idle for extended periods? Maybe not on their own, but their fleet management system should tell them. However, although 80% of companies collect fleet data, only 25% track driver metrics.
Driver scorecards are an excellent feature for any business — even those who don’t think safety is an issue for them. It helps them protect their workers, safeguard their vehicles, and preserve their brand reputation.
Motive is one of several solutions offering driver safety scorecards. It tracks risky behaviors like cell phone usage, stop sign violations, and tailgating, continuously updating scores. This way, drivers don’t need to wait for management’s input, they can use an app to improve their driving.
5. Geofencing with alerts
Geofencing is among the best fleet management software features available. Fleet operators can drag and drop nodes or select specific roads to define a geographic area drivers must remain within. This virtual boundary can help them optimize fuel efficiency or make trips shorter.
The geofence feature will also trigger notifications whenever trucks enter or leave the predefined area. If business owners receive an alert as soon as employees take unapproved routes or make unauthorized stops, they can enforce corrective action immediately.
Say a semitruck carrying $1.5 million worth of consumer electronics suddenly and unexpectedly deviates from its route even though the roads are clear and there are no rest stops around. They idle for just 15 minutes before returning. Without geofencing, this unplanned stop may go unnoticed. However, if managers get an alert when the deviation occurs, they can question the driver in real time. Later, once the cargo gets dropped off, they know to double-check the inventory’s count and authenticity.
Michelin Connected Fleet — formerly Nextraq — uses GPS-based geofencing to enable continuous monitoring in this way. With real-time notifications, those in charge always stay up to date on vehicle location and efficiency.
6. Artificial Intelligence tools
While artificial intelligence (AI) is a relatively new technology, many fleet management software developers have hopped on the bandwagon and now offer AI-powered features. For example, chatbots can provide immediate feedback to voice or text prompts. They can also optimize routes upon receiving news of an approaching crash site or hold conversations to help long-haul drivers stay awake.
Many fleet management software systems are leveraging computer vision technology by integrating AI into dashcams. Teletrac Navman is one such solution. It can analyze distracted driving, engine diagnostic data and idle time data to generate actionable insights.
Alternatively, predictive analytics models can forecast breakdowns. For instance, according to the American Transportation Research Institute’s Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking: 2023 Update, trucks travel 50,547 miles between breakdowns on average. However, with AI, vehicle-specific insights are possible, anticipating equipment failures and automatically scheduling maintenance to help avoid unplanned downtime and saving companies time and money.
Corporate and maintenance decision-makers should recognize the value of these six key fleet management system features. While each fleet is unique, predictive analytics, real-time alerts, fuel card monitoring, and GPS tracking generally have a positive impact regardless of fleet size.
