Driver Tracking Software: Benefits and Leading Options in 2024
Knowing where your drivers are and how efficiently they’re completing their routes is a critical part of last mile delivery management.
That’s especially true with the rapid growth of ecommerce in the past few years – that market is estimated to grow to $6.3 trillion in 2024. With consumers less patient than ever about delivery times (46% have abandoned shopping carts due to delivery times), keeping track of last mile efficiency is a necessity.
Driver tracking software can give you the information you need to keep drivers on track, but how do you choose the right one?
Spoiler: the top driver tracking software for dispatch managers is Circuit for Teams, designed to provide advanced driver tracking, real-time route optimization, and seamless delivery management. On average, dispatchers save their business more than 20% per month on delivery expenses with Circuit for Teams. Experience the transformation in your delivery operations with a 7 day free trial – optimizing your fleet management has never been easier.
The 7 best driver tracking software solutions
This guide will give you a side-by-side comparison of top driver tracking software choices, but in case you want to skip to the point, here are the top seven:
- Circuit for Teams: Purpose-built for courier companies, small business owners and online retailers, Circuit for Teams is a comprehensive delivery management software that gives you everything you need to manage your team of drivers.
- OptimoRoute: A last-mile delivery optimization suite, OptimoRoute offers automated planning, live tracking and other tools to ensure deliveries arrive on time.
- Verizon Connect: This fleet tracking software gives you the status and activity of each vehicle in your fleet and helps analyze fleet performance.
- Samsara: Designed to increase safety, efficiency and sustainability, Samsara provides AI safety analysis and tools, real-time visibility, and streamlined workflows.
- Onfleet: Billed as a complete last mile delivery solution, Onfleet gives you route optimization, dispatch, communication and analytics tools.
- Motive: Offering driver safety, ELD compliance, tracking and spend management tools, Motive automates last mile delivery operations to make dispatching easier and more efficient.
- Tookan: Using optimized routes, automation and real-time tracking, Tookan aims to streamline last mile delivery management.
What Makes the Best Driver Tracking Software?
The last thing you want when investing in a new last mile optimization solution is to end up with something that doesn’t suit your business. Here are the most important considerations for a driver tracking system, based on the needs of dispatchers and drivers:
Route planning and optimization. This is the bare minimum for last mile software, but not all solutions handle it the same. Look for one that gives you flexible data fields to add simple or complex stops, the ability to set priority levels and other rules for adjusting routes, custom delivery zone mapping, and other features to make your dispatching easier.
Live route tracking. Your software should be able to track drivers with real-time progress and updates, edit active routes, and give you delivery stop status and confirmation updates as they happen.
Dispatcher and driver views. Keeping both dispatchers and drivers informed is critical to the success of each delivery. Look for fleet management software that offers both a dispatcher dashboard with live route management and a driver app to notify drivers instantly when a dispatcher makes changes.
Delivery analytics. Data’s great, but only if you can make sense of it. A good driver tracking software solution should give you analytics tools so you can see where you can save time and costs – and individual driver stats so you can help your team gain more successes.
API and integrations. Sometimes a from-the-box solution doesn’t make sense for your unique business needs. If you have third-party tools that need to communicate seamlessly, you need software with API integration that helps you build a bespoke solution.
What are the Benefits of Driver Tracking Software?
While much of the focus of driver tracking software is on the benefits to companies, the truth is both dispatchers and drivers enjoy big wins from this kind of solution. The biggest benefits include:
- Greater efficiency and lower fuel costs: important for any business, but especially smaller local companies and couriers who often run on razor-thin margins.
- Better transparency: driver monitoring leads to more responsible driving and more effort to make on-time stops.
- Driver safety: by giving dispatchers data on driving behaviors like speeding, rapid acceleration or harsh braking, driver tracking software gives you the opportunity to provide more training or constructive feedback to drivers. This can improve your company’s safety record over time.
- Maintenance notifications: tracking driving patterns along with mileage allows your software to tell you when a vehicle is likely in need of maintenance. This can prevent breakdowns that may result in more costly repairs.
- Driver satisfaction: allocating more even workflows and giving drivers more efficient routes helps them get their jobs done more easily.
The Best Driver Tracking Software Solutions at a Glance
The best driver tracking software for dispatch managers and small business owners
Circuit for Teams
The top choice for these users is Circuit for Teams. Using dispatcher dashboards, an app for drivers and automated customer notifications for ETA and tracking, this platform gives dispatch managers and small businesses the tools they need to manage their fleet.
Circuit for Teams pros:
- Powerful data analytics
- Route planning that makes complex multi-stop routes easy to map
- More efficient management of multiple drivers and depots
- Live route tracking
- API integrations with your existing tools
Circuit for Teams cons:
- While the platform holds a 4.8/5 rating on softwareadvice.com, a few users experienced glitches with the driver app which were quickly resolved.
Circuit for Teams pricing starts at $100/month and includes a 7 day free trial.
“This software is very easy to use and meant that we were able to easily arrange each route in an area that I did not know very well.” – Circuit for Teams user review
The best driver tracking software for large organizations needing an expanded tool set
Samsara
For big organizations who need all the bells and whistles (and aren’t afraid of long-term contracts), Samsara is a solid choice. Featuring a wide range of tools covering safety, telematics, facility/remote site visibility, integrations with payroll and tax software and more, enterprise customers can manage much of their operation with Samsara’s ecosystem.
Samsara pros:
- Huge ecosystem with integrations that pull many functions under one umbrella
- Video-based safety and site monitoring
- Vehicle telematics and equipment monitoring
Samsara cons:
- May not be suitable for small to mid-size organizations where a 3-year minimum contract isn’t as attractive
- Full suite of tools and integrations may be confusing for those who just need a few vital functions
Samsara pricing begins at $27 per vehicle per month and goes up with added features/tools.
Samsara’s suite of tools includes:
- AI dash cams
- Driver coaching
- Safety reports
- Real-time GPS
- Routing & dispatch
- Telematics
- And many more
For smaller businesses and couriers who need powerful route optimization, driver tracking, and API integration with their most important tools, Circuit for Teams is likely a better fit.
The best driver tracking software for enterprise
Tookan
Specialized for large enterprise customers, Tookan offers optimized routes, automation, real-time tracking and geo analytics tools for better productivity.
Tookan pros:
- Advanced fleet tracking tools
- Cash management for better transaction visibility
- Ordering platform and payment gateways
Tookan cons:
- Geared toward enterprise customers
- Some reviews cited tech issues like app crashes and slow customer support
Tookan tools:
- Dispatch dashboard with way bills, SMS gateways for communication with customers, payment gateways, geofencing and more
- A service app with task notification, optimized routes, proof of delivery and more
- Extensions to add more functionality as needed
- Advanced fleet tracking tools including maintenance alerts, behavior monitoring and analytics
Small businesses and couriers may not be able to take full advantage of all of the features and capabilities of Tookan software, which is built with enterprise customers in mind. Circuit for Teams, purpose-built for dispatchers and couriers, has a streamlined toolset to address their needs without overwhelm.
Which is the best driver tracking software overall?
While most driver tracking software solutions offer similar capabilities, the one you should choose will depend on your unique business needs and application. If you’re a large enterprise with a complicated delivery network and the need for POS integration, a solution built for enterprise may be your best choice.
But for small to mid-size organizations who need to get better visibility, plan routes more efficiently and improve their team’s driving habits, Circuit for Teams is the best choice. Built with your needs in mind, it offers the critical features you need without the add-ons and confusing pricing structure you don’t.
Buying FAQs for driver tracking software
What is driver tracking software and how does it help?
Driver tracking software gives you visibility into driver behavior and vehicle data to ensure your drivers have the most optimized routes – and complete them safely.
What methods can I use to track my drivers?
You have two main choices for driver tracking: GPS and mobile apps (which also use GPS). The difference between the two is the device used – GPS tracking is a small device attached to a vehicle, while the mobile app uses the GPS capability of a driver’s smartphone.
What are driver tracking apps?
Driver tracking apps feed dispatch and route information to drivers, provide directions to each stop on the route, and enable easy communication between the driver and dispatcher.
Why should I use driver tracking software?
These solutions offer many benefits to both dispatchers and drivers, including:
- Optimized routing for better efficiency and lower fuel costs
- Better customer service thanks to real-time tracking data
- Enhanced driver safety through monitoring behaviors like speeding or harsh braking
What should I look for in a driver tracking solution?
This ultimately depends on your business needs, but a few must-haves include:
- Route optimization
- Real-time tracking
- Performance and safety metrics
- Integration with existing tools and systems via API
- User-friendly dashboards and interfaces
