GPS solutions have seen exponential growth since the introduction of GPS technology. The playing field has been overwhelmed by brands vying to be the best. Nonetheless, healthy competition is beneficial for everyone. Different fleet trackers cater to specific requirements depending on fleet size. With corporate spending on research & development, fleet tracking devices are improving. Cutting-edge technology has made the GPS fleet trackers multi-tasking, with enhanced capabilities and customizations. These and many such features have resulted in cost & time benefits that have benefited the fleet owners.
This blog focuses on Matrack & Samsara, two significant companies in the fleet management arena in the crowded field of fleet trackers. It aims to provide information on the features of the GPS solutions offered by these two rivals and identify which one is the best. Matrack or Samsara offers the best fleet tracking devices? Read more to find out!
Matrack Fleet Tracking Devices
Website: www.matrackinc.com
MA OBD (XT-2469) Plug-In
An adaptable, simple-to-install diagnostic and monitoring tool is the XT-2469 OBD Real-Time GPS fleet tracker that can track the speed and location of your car. The device looks simple and ready to plug in and start driving. If an on-board fault exists, the XT-2469 allows you to receive OTC (Diagnostic Trouble Code) reports from your password-protected account.
Product Features
- Real-time Tracking and Travel Logs
A straightforward reporting system offers details on the location, engine status, address, battery life, distance traveled, and speed and direction.
- Customized Alerts
Depending on your needs, there are several configuration possibilities for an alarm system for your assets. Alert options are available for things like tow alerts, low battery, ignition, and speeding.
- Geofencing
Virtually define a perimeter around any place. Receive instant notifications of a perimeter breach. Each account may have a maximum of 10 geofences.
- IFTA Fuel Tax reports
As a part of IFTA regulatory compliance for inter-state commercial vehicles, the provision of calculated IFTA fuel tax reports based on your vehicle data is available.
- Arrival Tracking System
Provision of tracking your delivery while it is in transit.
- Maintenance Alerts
Configure your system to get notifications whenever you need vehicle maintenance.
- Diagnostic Reports
The OBD Plug-in fleet tracker provides a diagnostic status of your vehicle once connected to the computer in your car. This report can be accessed for free and given to your mechanic to speed up repairs.
The cost of the device is $85.00, with a monthly plan of $12.95
MA Hardwire (XT-2169)
The XT-2169 is a covert fleet tracker with an impregnable technology specifically designed for fleet and transport services. The GPS fleet tracker can be connected easily to the vehicle due to its small size, direct battery connection, and extensive feature set. It can keep an eye on speed, location, and idle times. Additionally, it can determine when a vehicle enters or leaves a specific area. The XT-2169 has garnered appreciation from users and is considered one of the best fleet tracking devices available in the market.
Product Features
- Real-time Tracking and Travel Logs
The status of the engine, the latitude and longitude of the selected event, the street address, the battery level, the speed, mileage, and direction are all included in the simple-to-read tracking and reporting system of this real-time GPS fleet tracker.
- Customized Alerts
Depending on your needs, variable alert system options are available for your asset. There are choices for notifications for tow alerts, low battery, ignition, and speeding, among other things.
- Geofencing
You can virtually draw a circle around any location and obtain immediate alerts for a breach of the perimeter. Each account is limited to 10 geofences.
- Dispatch Manager System
This system is designed to maximize your fuel economy and enables you to map out all jobs and deliveries into the Matrack GPS tracking platform. You can prioritize, allocate jobs and deliveries to different drivers and automatically map out the best routes for each job.
- IFTA Fuel Tax reports
Provision of computed IFTA fuel tax reports based on your vehicle data is available as part of IFTA regulatory compliance for interstate commercial vehicles.
- Arrival Tracking System
Provision of tracking your delivery while it is in transit.
- Maintenance Alerts
Configure your system to get alerts whenever you need vehicle maintenance.
- Blink Roadside Assistance
Matrack Inc. and BLINK Roadside Assistance have teamed up to offer you deeply discounted pricing on the fastest emergency services possible.
The cost of the device is $50.00, with a monthly plan of $12.95
MA-HW Silver
The MA-HW GPS Solutions device acts as an asset tracking tool and a telematics system with unique added fail-safe capabilities. The hardware can be configured to update anywhere from once every 12 hours to once per minute. The MA-HW SILVER is essentially waterproof and tamperproof in addition.
Product Features
- Virtual Ignition Mode
This fleet tracker activates an internal battery coupled to a specific motion sensor in case of a power outage to continue sending tracking updates based on vehicle movement. Due to its inbuilt backup system, the MA-HW Silver can function without a power source for two weeks before needing to be recharged.
- Aggressive Tracking Mode
The primary purpose of an aggressive tracking mode is to prevent and retrieve stolen property. Tracking frequency can be increased by this tracking mode if your assets are stolen or go missing. This feature makes it possible for the Matrack team to track the movement of the lost assets notifying the appropriate authorities in time for the object’s location.
Additionally, the following features of the XT-2169 GPS fleet tracker are available in the MA-HW Silver
- Real-time Tracking and Travel Logs
- Customized Alerts
- Geofencing
- Dispatch Manager System
- IFTA Fuel Tax reports
- Maintenance Alerts
- Blink Roadside Assistance
The cost of the device is $135.00, with a monthly plan of $12.95
Samsara Fleet Tracking Devices
Website: www.samsara.com
Vehicle Gateway
The Vehicle Gateway GPS fleet tracker offers real-time fleet visibility and real-time GPS tracking. Advanced analytics, engine diagnostics, and ELD capabilities are available in the device. Samsara GPS is renowned for offering accurate real-time updates and GPS solutions.
To comply with ELD and FMCSA rules, it aims to help small and midsize fleet business owners track the physical position of their fleets and monitor the behavior of their drivers.
Product Features
- Real-time GPS Tracking
The GPS tracker provides a quick aerial picture of your on-the-ground assets. They help with navigation and aid in the recovery of stolen goods for law enforcement. Advanced GPS technology from Samsara simultaneously reads from several satellite systems, enabling it to provide precise, real-time location even under difficult geographic conditions.
- Total view over the operations, drivers, and vehicles
The Vehicle Gateway GPS fleet tracker provides a comprehensive and understandable view of your fleet by integrating data from numerous built-in and auxiliary sensors. The Vehicle Gateway ensures driver productivity, safety, fuel economy, and engine diagnostics.
- Smart Map Overlays
By keeping an eye on the weather, the amount of traffic, or the location of the closest charging station, you can help your drivers maintain their path or adjust to shifting circumstances.
- Live Location Sharing
You can get the real-time location of your vehicles with the live location sharing feature. These real-time location links will enable you to know the precise ETAs of your fleet.
- Geofencing
Receive alerts by text or email every time one of your assets enters or leaves a designated location or anytime there is unforeseen activity.
- Route Optimization
Create a plan for your routes, stops, and performance data, and then analyze it to look for trends and outliers that coaching can help to reverse.
- Route Planning Integrations
To centralize operations you can easily interface with several external dispatching and routing tools.
- Analyzing performance to monitor the following will enhance operations and cut costs:
- Analyze the trip data for your fleet. Find ways to improve your driving style to make the trip and the driver more efficient.
- Keep an eye out for volatile driving and vehicle speed. Find ways to make driving safer and fewer accidents happen.
- Make the most of the time you have at each location. When you have insight into how your drivers spend their days, you can spot improper or counterproductive behavior.
- Comprehensive solution ELD, dash cams, and more
The Vehicle Gateway GPS Solutions, which enable operators to implement ELD-ready hours of service recording, deploy Internet-connected dash cams for greater safety, connect wireless sensors to monitor reefers and cargo, and do much more, form the basis of Samsara’s whole solution.
- 4G LTE cellular connectivity at high speeds
The Vehicle Gateway provides a high-speed data platform perfect for mobile apps, dash cameras, and HD video to boost productivity and enable new in-cab software solutions.
The vendor has not disclosed the pricing.
AG26
The AG26 Powered Asset Gateway Plus is a perfect fleet tracker for keeping an eye on high-value mobile assets, off-road vehicles, specialized refrigerated trailers, and heavy machinery. It has many built-in power options, sensors and interface attachments, and waterproof and ruggedized housing. It is a component of Samsara’s comprehensive sensor system, which unites fleet management, safety, and compliance solutions on a single platform for equipment monitoring.
Product Features
- Location Visibility
Operators can quickly locate trailers, off-road vehicles, and equipment in the yard with the help of Samsara’s location visibility for powered and unpowered assets, which helps to expedite utilization and enhance customer service.
- Calculate and Improve Utilization
Samsara detects underused trailers and equipment that could be transferred to places or jobs with higher demand and more lucrative opportunities by gathering and evaluating inventory and usage data.
- Find and Recover Lost or Stolen Assets
Operators can quickly identify and react to theft or illegal use thanks to Samsara’s simple-to-use geofences and warnings. Law enforcement can easily retrieve stolen goods thanks to Samsara’s real-time location tracking.
- Learning Refrigeration
The AG26 may link to additional wireless temperature sensors on refrigerated trailers to record trip history and deliver real-time alerts, lowering the number of claims for temperature-related loss and damage.
- Integration with Samsara Wireless Sensors
The AG26 has comprehensive reporting and alerting software and is compatible with Samsara’s simple-to-install wireless temperature, door, and cargo sensors.
- Integration with Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems
Fleet managers and drivers can monitor tire health in real-time using Samsara’s pre-built integrations with Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS). This integration reduces the risk of tire-related accidents and downtime, extends tire life and fuel efficiency, and streamlines maintenance.
- Meet the requirements of large machinery and off-road vehicles.
Samsara provides extra alternatives for monitoring large machinery and off-road vehicles. The Industrial Gateway offers visibility into extra I/O, such as gauges and outside sensors, in addition to surface engine statistics, problem codes, and diagnostics. In particular distant areas, a high-powered auxiliary antenna is provided for communication.
The vendor has not disclosed the pricing.
Conclusion
Matrack fleet trackers offer unique features like the dispatch manager system that precisely organizes and allocates jobs in addition to route mapping. The arrival tracking system for the client to track their consignments. Blink roadside assistance for emergency response services makes it stand out from the competition.
Samsara has a multi-featured vehicle gateway system that can monitor diagnostics, driver productivity, and fuel efficiency. GPS tracking is done through multiple independent satellite systems including GPS and GLONASS Samsara. The Samsara app store that enables third-party applications to run on their platform is a dynamic feature.
While Matrack GPS fleet trackers score in areas of technical support and pricing, Samsara GPS Solutions uses technology and sophisticated fleet tracking tools to cater to all types of fleets. Both brands are feature rich depending on your requirement, you can choose the ones that meet your requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is a fleet tracking device?
A: A fleet tracking device is a GPS-based system that helps businesses track the location, speed, and other important metrics of their vehicles in real time.
Q: How does Matrack compare to Samsara in terms of features?
A: Both Matrack and Samsara offer similar features, such as real-time location tracking, geofencing, and driver behavior monitoring. However, Samsara offers additional features like video-based safety monitoring and advanced reporting.
Q: How does Matrack compare to Samsara in terms of customer support?
A: Both companies offer 24/7 customer support, but Samsara is known for its highly responsive customer service team.
Q: Which fleet tracking device is better – Matrack or Samsara?
A: It ultimately depends on the specific needs and budget of your business. Matrack is a more affordable option that offers basic features, while Samsara is a more advanced solution that offers additional features and highly responsive customer support. It is recommended that you compare the features and pricing of both companies to determine which one is best for your business.
James Johnson is a former truck driver who now works as a writer, specializing in the trucking industry. With over 15 years of experience on the road, James has a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities faced by truck drivers and the trucking industry as a whole. His writing focuses on issues such as safety, regulation, and the latest industry trends. His work has been featured in several trucking publications and he has received recognition for his contributions to the industry. In his free time, James still enjoys being around trucks and often attends truck shows and other industry events.