Fleet Management in North America 15th Edition

Fleet management (FM) is an ambiguous term used in reference to a wide range of solutions fordifferent vehicle-related applications. Berg Insight’s definition of a fleet management solution isa vehicle-based system that incorporates data logging, satellite positioning and datacommunications to a backoffice application. The history of fleet management solutions goesback several decades. On-board vehicle computers first emerged in the 1980s and were soonconnected to various satellite and terrestrial wireless networks. Today, mobile networks canprovide ubiquitous online connectivity in many regions at a reasonable cost and mobilecomputing technology delivers very high performance, as well as excellent usability. All of thesecomponents combined enable the delivery of vehicle management, transport management,driver management and mobile workforce management applications that link vehicles andenterprise IT systems. The same technology platform can furthermore also be used for regulatorycompliance and reporting.

Commercial vehicle fleets play an essential role in the economy in North America. Comparedwith other transport modes, road transport offers unparalleled flexibility in many regards, not theleast due to the extensive set of vehicle types available for various purposes. There areapproximately 34 million vehicles in fleet use on the North American market. The fleetmanagement solution market in North America has been in a growth period for many years. BergInsight expects the fleet management market to continue to show healthy growth in 2026–2029.The total number of fleet management systems in active use on the North American market isforecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.6 percent from about 19.2million units at the end of 2024 to reach 33.2 million units by 2029. The penetration rate in thetotal population of non-privately owned vehicles in commercial use is at the same time estimatedto increase from 56.8 percent in 2024 to 84.7 percent in 2029.

A handful of solution providers have emerged as frontrunners on the fleet management marketin North America and the top-5 players are all estimated to have reached the million mark interms of installed base. Canada-based Geotab is clearly in the lead, having several million activefleet management subscribers in North America alone. Samsara is the runner-up ahead ofVerizon Connect, CalAmp and Lytx, all based in the US. Additional solution providers withestimated installed bases of at least half a million units in North America include Motive, PlatformScience and Powerfleet. Platform Science has notably acquired Trimble’s global transportationtelematics business units while Powerfleet expanded its presence considerably through theacquisitions of both MiX Telematics and Fleet Complete. Other major players with decades ofexperience in the North American fleet management space include Zonar Systems and SoleraFleet Solutions. Zonar Systems was acquired by GPS Trackit which is now transitioning to theZonar brand. The remaining top-15 players with estimated installed bases of at least a couple ofhundred thousand units include Bridgestone Mobility Solutions, GPS Insight, One Step GPS,Gurtam and Teletrac Navman. Bridgestone is mainly represented by Azuga and to some extentWebfleet in the North American fleet telematics market. Solution vendors just outside of the toplist moreover include Linxup, IntelliShift, Forward Thinking Systems, Rastrac, MICHELINConnected Fleet, FleetMovil (Guidepoint Systems), Rand McNally, J. J. Keller and RavenConnected. Forward Thinking Systems has recently acquired the Position Logic platform fromKORE. Other notable fleet management players active in North America include PositioningUniversal, Radius, EROAD and ISAAC Instruments.

Most vehicle manufacturers now offer factory-installed telematics devices and various degreesof fleet management functionality for their vehicles – either independently or in partnership withestablished FM solution providers. The OEM telematics initiatives have intensified over the years,and large installed bases can now be found on the North American market, not the least forsystems powered by established aftermarket fleet management solution providers. Examples ofmanufacturers which have introduced OEM fleet telematics systems in North America include Volvo Group, PACCAR, Daimler Truck, International, Hino, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, Ford andGM. Basic telematics services such as remote diagnostics are increasingly included for free forthe first years after purchasing a vehicle. Extended coverage and additional fleet managementservices are commonly offered as subscriptions. Several of the commercial vehicle OEMs haveover time extended their partnership strategies and started working with additional aftermarkettelematics partners, enabling fleet customers to choose the systems which best match theirspecific needs. Some OEMs such as Ford and GM have also in recent years introduced newproprietary fleet telematics solutions offered as alternatives alongside growing selections ofpartner-powered offerings. Notable fleet telematics providers active in the OEM space in variousways include Platform Science, Geotab, Verizon Connect, Samsara, Radius, Zonar Systems andPowerfleet. Platform Science’s Virtual Vehicle platform represents one of the most noteworthydevelopments in recent time. The Virtual Vehicle open OEM platform is adopted and backed byseveral of the most important brands in heavy trucking in North America. Additional partnershipsbetween commercial vehicle manufacturers and specialised fleet management solutionproviders are expected to be unveiled in the near term.