Motive Is Overkill: The Best GPS Tracking Alternative for Small Fleets

If you are reading this, you probably already suspect that Motive (formerly KeepTruckin) is overkill for your business. You aren't running 18-wheelers cross-country. You don't need complex IFTA tax reporting. And you certainly don't want to be locked into a 3-year contract just to see where your vans are.

Using Motive to track a local service fleet is like buying a semi-truck to deliver a pizza. It's expensive, complicated, and entirely the wrong tool for the job.

Most HVAC, plumbing, and landscaping fleets under 50 vehicles need a Motive alternative that focuses on what actually matters to them: arrival times, technician accountability, and theft recovery. In this guide, we'll break down the math on why switching from enterprise giants like Motive or Samsara to a dedicated small-fleet solution can save you thousands of dollars immediately.

Motive vs. Samsara vs. Spytec: The "Feature Bloat" Problem

Motive and Samsara are the titans of the trucking world. They are excellent products if you need strict ELD (Electronic Logging Device) compliance. But for local businesses, their feature set is a liability, not an asset.

If your drivers operate within a 150 air-mile radius and return to base daily (the "Short-Haul Exemption"), you do not need an ELD. Yet, when you sign a contract with Motive, you are paying a premium for that technology whether you use it or not.

→ Compare fleet tracking plans starting at $8.95/mo

The Contract Trap Nobody Warns You About

Here is the part that catches most fleet owners off guard. With Motive and Samsara, it isn't just one 3-year contract. Every single unit you add starts its own separate 3-year agreement. Buy three vans in January and two more in June? You now have two overlapping contract cycles with different end dates.

Over time, this creates a web of staggered contracts that makes it nearly impossible to leave without paying early termination fees on at least some of your units. The longer you stay and the more you grow, the harder it gets to extract yourself. It is a business model designed around making it painful to leave, not rewarding to stay.

Spytec GPS has no per-unit contracts. Add 5 vehicles today, remove 3 next quarter. Your subscription adjusts. You are never locked in.

The Math: Saving $7,000+ on a 15-Vehicle Fleet

Let's look at the real cost difference. Enterprise contracts are often opaque, but typical quotes for Motive or Samsara range from $35–$45 per vehicle per month, often with hardware fees attached. Spytec GPS is transparent: plans start at $8.95/vehicle/month when paying annually, with free hardware included.

Here is what the savings look like for a typical 15-vehicle plumbing or HVAC fleet over one year:

That is nearly $8,000 that stays in your business—enough to buy a new work van or fund an entire marketing campaign. And unlike the enterprise providers, you aren't locked into paying that rate for 3 years if your needs change. Stop paying the "Feature Bloat Tax."

4 Reasons Service Fleets Are Choosing Spytec

1. Freedom from 3-Year Contracts

The number one reason small businesses leave Motive is the contract trap—and the staggered per-unit contracts make it even worse. If your business is seasonal, or if you need to downsize your fleet, you shouldn't be forced to pay for GPS trackers on trucks you no longer own. Spytec offers true month-to-month flexibility. We have to earn your business every 30 days. Read more about why 3-year fleet contracts are a trap here.

2. Installation Speed (The "No Mechanic" Rule)

Enterprise solutions often require scheduled downtime for professional installation. For a small fleet, downtime is lost revenue. Spytec focuses on "self-serve" hardware:

• OBD Trackers: Plug in under the steering wheel in 10 seconds.
• Hardwired Trackers: Simple 2-wire hookup (power/ground) that takes 15 minutes.

You can equip your entire fleet on a Saturday morning without paying a single mechanic. Read our guide on choosing between OBD and Hardwired trackers here.

3. Dash Cams Without the Lock-In

Dash cams have become essential for service fleets. A single false liability claim can cost your business tens of thousands. Both Motive and Samsara offer dash cam solutions, but they come bundled into the same rigid contract structure—adding a camera to a vehicle means adding another multi-year commitment.

Spytec's Pulse Vision AI Dash Cam gives you dual-facing video, AI-powered incident detection, and built-in GPS tracking. You get the same protection against "he-said/she-said" accident disputes and the same driver safety monitoring, but on the same flexible terms as our trackers. No 3-year contract required.

4. Dispatch-First Features

Our dashboard isn't cluttered with HOS logs or fuel tax charts. It's built for dispatchers who need to:

• See all vehicles on a live map instantly.
• Share "Live ETA" links with waiting customers (reducing "Where is he?" calls).
• Get alerts for speeding, hard braking, or geofence entries.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I switch if I'm still in a Motive contract?

This is a common challenge. We recommend the "Parallel Deployment" strategy. Since Spytec hardware is free and plans are affordable, many fleets start by putting Spytec trackers on new vehicles as they are purchased, or on a sub-section of their fleet. As your enterprise contract expires on older vehicles, you simply swap them over. This avoids a massive upfront buyout while immediately lowering your blended average cost.

Do I lose features by switching?

You lose the features you likely weren't using: ELD compliance, IFTA reporting, and complex engine diagnostics for semi-trucks. You gain features built for service work, like a cleaner mobile app for managers and a dashboard built around dispatching instead of compliance.

Is the coverage as good?

Yes. Spytec GPS uses the same top-tier 4G LTE cellular networks as the big providers, giving you full nationwide coverage across the US, Canada, and Mexico. If your smartphone has service, our trackers will work.

What if I need dash cams on only some of my vehicles?

No problem. With Spytec, you can mix and match—put Pulse Vision AI Dash Cams on your highway-heavy vehicles and standard GPS trackers on the rest. There is no requirement to commit your entire fleet to one package, and no per-unit contract tying you down.