RAM Tracking Review: Affordable Fleet Management

With a suite of tools to monitor, manage, and schedule vehicles, drivers, and jobs respectively, RAM Tracking is one of the best value GPS tracking system providers around. While more streamlined than some competitors, small to medium-sized fleets will find its live map tracking, dedicated timeline view for reviewing routes, and simple driver communication via the RAM Assist app to be more than capable and incredibly cost-effective.

In this RAM Tracking review, we’ll explore the platform’s key features and assess how they stack up against competitors like GPS Insight and Verizon Connect.

RAM Tracking Review: Features

RAM Tracking has plenty of fleet management features worth exploring. To save on time we’ll be considering the most important among them, taking them each in turn.

Live Map view: Monitor fleet vehicles

The Live Map view shows your entire fleet in the frame by default. Each vehicle is indicated with a birds-eye view image of the individual vehicle type, such as a car or a lorry, in a similar manner to Quartix, alongside a box-out showing the driver’s name.

A small key icon sits next to the name, indicating whether they are moving (green), idling (orange), or switched off (red). You can also alter the map to show live traffic conditions or a satellite view if you prefer.

Below the map is the ‘Live Grid’, giving further details on each driver. Namely, the vehicle registration, any assigned groupings, the last updated location (street, town, county, and postcode are listed), speed and direction, the date/time of its last update, the key indicator, and the latest driving event that has occurred.

If you want to find a driver, you can easily click on either the map or grid to bring up their location on the map. From there, you can drop in on the street-view image to see what sort of area the driver is currently in and what they may be doing there.

If you want to assign a new job to a driver and need to find who is closest to a given address, you can use the ‘Map Search‘ tool. This allows you to input a postcode and get a list of the drivers who are closest to the location, with indicators for which are currently active (though more advanced options around job scheduling do exist via the RAM Assist tool that I’ll come to later).

Route Replay: Past route reviewing

Clicking ‘Route Replay’ in the top navigation bar with allow you to view old routes of an individual vehicle or multiple vehicles at once.

You’ll then need to select a date range from the past three years of available data and click ‘Retrieve Journeys’. From there, you can click a specific route to bring it up on the screen. Handily, these routes are listed under dates with the day of the week in brackets, which is handy signposting for fleets that take regular routes on specific days.

The route is plotted on the Live Map view using arrows that indicate 60-second intervals of varying speeds (shown via the arrow’s color, as referenced in the legend on the top right of the screen) and direction. The start and stop points are clearly shown in capitalized text inside yellow-blocked boxes and the whole route display is pretty self-explanatory.

This resembles route replay tools found on other fleet management software I’ve tested, including Verizon Connect and Quartix. However, with RAM, you can’t follow along with the routes like with those two software options. Instead, the route is static and presented in full, as seen in the image above.

RAM Tracking is more basic in this sense but ultimately this doesn’t change the utility of this past route assessment feature to check in on how effective drivers’ existing routes are; it simply lacks the same sort of presentation.

Timeline: Dedicated tool for viewing driving patterns

Another feature Quartix and Verizon Connect both include in their respective route replay tools is a timeline. This visually indicates how long passages of the route took and when driving occurred during the day.

With RAM Tracking, these timings are simply listed on the right-hand side within the Route Replay tool. However, unlike these two software, it also has a separate section dedicated to viewing a vehicle or multiple vehicles’ daily or weekly timelines.

As the above image shows, you’ll be able to access a daily timeline in a couple of clicks via the Live Grid. In the timeline, green represents periods of movement, blue represents periods of idling, and red represents periods of no movement.

You can also select to view a weekly timeline for a single vehicle. This shows the same information except each day is represented as an individual row. Handily, you can toggle on guidelines to help you see any ongoing trends around work start or end times, for instance. You can also toggle on stops at a saved location, shown in purple, to make it easy to see if and when a driver has turned up at one of your points of interest during the seven days.

Furthermore, you can also see multiple vehicle timelines at once with the same outlined features. This is limited to 24-hour windows but that is sensible, in my view, since stacking multiple days from different drivers in the same view would get visually confusing and cluttered.

This dedicated timeline tool is a unique feature amongst the fleet management tools I’ve tested at the time of writing. Other options have a timeline tool as part of their route replay offerings, as mentioned, but they don’t allow for comparisons with other driver routes or routes across multiple days. They do have a tracking log, in the case of Quartix, or a driver log in the case of Verizon Connect, but these are reports rather than visual timelines.

Reporting: Range of reports

RAM offers several different reports including single reports on individual drivers, group reports on multiple drivers, summary reports for top-line details about your fleet, and financial reports (both individual and group). For all report types, you can schedule them to run at certain times or click on each of the sections in the navigation bar to configure and run them instantly.

Looking at the ‘Group Reports’ section, for instance, we can simply click on the drivers we want to be included in the report, what period of dates to look into, what format to deliver the report in and what email addresses to send it to.

RAM Tracking’s ‘driver behavior’ report, as seen in the image below, is an example of how these reports are displayed. Like the interface as a whole, the report presentation is somewhat uninspiring in a visual sense but displays all the metrics you need for a given report.

In this case, that includes event incident numbers (speeding, idling, harsh breaking, harsh acceleration), distance traveled (in kilometers and miles), and time (spent driving, idling, and total). There’s also a driver score based on the time spent driving and the number of each incident, to give a quick idea about which drivers are performing best.

Alerts: Configurable notifications of usage, events, and maintenance

Like most fleet management software, RAM Tracking lets you set several alerts to bring your attention to certain events. That includes notifications for:

• Location
• Curfew hours usage
• Towing
• Private mileage
• Impact (for incidents)
• Maintenance
• Idling
• Overspeed
• Extended stops
• Ignition on/off

To set one up, select “RAM Evolution” in the navigation bar and select the type of alert you want to set up (one out of on-screen alerts, email alerts, distance alerts, and curfew hours).

For instance, to set curfew hours for a vehicle, the on-page options look as follows.

Maintenance scheduling: Simple but effective

Relatedly, it’s worth highlighting that RAM Tracking allows fleet managers to set up maintenance schedules for each vehicle based on time intervals, mileage, or engine hours. This helps ensure that all vehicles receive regular servicing, reducing the risk of unexpected breakdowns and extending vehicle lifespan.

You’ll be notified when these services are due. Once complete, you can log these tasks in the maintenance service history of each vehicle.

Ram Tracking Review: RAM Assist Platform and Driver App

RAM Tracking has a separate tool called RAM Assist. It acts as a more advanced fleet management with features aiding job scheduling, driver communication, and deeper operational oversight.

Accessible via a dedicated portal for fleet managers, and its mobile app for drivers – incidentally, managers can assign users with different levels of visibility and access – RAM Assist provides a range of features designed to streamline workflow and improve productivity. Below is a breakdown of its key features, including its latest Job Assist tool:

Job Assist

The newest addition to the RAM Assist platform is Job Assist. It allows managers to create detailed job orders with specific instructions, deadlines, and priorities (levels of urgency). Jobs can be assigned to drivers based on proximity, availability, or skill set.

Thereafter, drivers with the app downloaded will get notifications about their new assignments or changes to existing jobs, to keep everyone on the same page.

Both managers and drivers can then update and monitor job statuses such as ‘Pending’, ‘In Progress’, ‘Completed’, or ‘Cancelled’. To show evidence that a job is complete, drivers can provide proof via RAM Assist with documentation, images of signatures for deliveries or any other relevant photos, plus any notes about the job in writing.

Driver communication

As alluded to, the RAM Assist interface allows for easy, direct communication between drivers and managers with its in-app messaging feature. Relevant messages can be linked to specific jobs to avoid misunderstandings, and there’s a full message history stored on the system, too.

Handily, managers can also send out mass messages or notifications to all drivers for company-wide announcements or emergency alerts. While driver-manager comms is a common feature of most vehicle tracking software, broadcast alerts aren’t something that is always an option.

Scheduling and customer management

The RAM Assist platform has a visual calendar to schedule jobs, view upcoming tasks, and avoid overlaps or conflicts. I found its visual style, laying out driver schedules side-by-side, helps in organizing concurrent driver shifts and should allow for better management of workloads.

You can also adjust job assignments and schedules by dragging and dropping jobs where you want them, as the below image shows. And you’ll get an alert if any job scheduling conflicts occur, too.

And it integrates these job creation and scheduling tools with customer management features, too. You can maintain a centralized database of customer information for easy access and job assignment if you frequently deal with repeat customers. This allows you to track the history of services provided to each customer for better relationship management.

And related to scheduling, you can send customers automatic notifications regarding job confirmations, estimated arrival times, or delays. When a job is complete, you can also allow customers to provide feedback after job completion to help improve your service quality.

It’s worth noting that GPS Insight and Verizon Connect offer job scheduling and customer management tools similar to RAM Assist. They provide features that include job creation and assignment, customer data management, mobile apps for drivers, and integration with other business systems. However, the likes of Quartix do miss out on these valuable job/customer management features.

Driver vehicle maintenance checks

Drivers can perform and record daily vehicle checks using the RAM Assist mobile app. They complete digital forms covering essential inspection points, ensuring that any issues are identified promptly. Managers can create custom checklists related to the maintenance tasks they want to be carried out for consistency in inspections and record-keeping.

If a defect or potential problem is identified during an inspection, they can report it immediately through the app. Similarly, in the event of a breakdown or accident on the road, drivers can use RAM Assist to notify management instantly, too. This real-time communication means maintenance needs can be addressed quickly.

API and third-party integration

RAM states that you can integrate RAM Assist with other software systems, including CRM or accounting tools like Xero. This can be either through access to APIs for custom integrations, or with ready-to-go integrations.

It’s worth noting that the RAM Assist app also integrates with map applications so that drivers can get directions to job locations.

Ram Tracking Review: RAM Mobile App

RAM Tracking App: Web app on mobile

The RAM Tracking app offers a similar experience to its web-app, by providing a streamlined version of its fleet management tools for remote monitoring and interaction with drivers and vehicles. Its key features include:

• Home screen: Displays a list of all vehicles with options to access the live map, find the nearest vehicle, search for specific vehicles by registration, driver, or location, and filter the view based on various criteria such as driver, registration, or event type.
• Live Map: Provides real-time tracking of all vehicles on a map, enabling users to see current locations and movements. You can do actions such as quickly locating the nearest vehicle to a specific point and saving frequently visited locations for easy access.
• Vehicle details: Offers detailed information about individual vehicles, including their last known location and event details.
• Route Replay: Allows users to view historical journeys of a vehicle by selecting a date range (up to three years back), displaying the route taken on the map with breadcrumb trails.
• Vehicle reports: Generates various reports—up to nine types depending on the hardware and settings—such as travel, stop, idle, summary, and detailed reports, helping in analyzing vehicle usage and driver behavior.
• Call/Text Driver: Directly contact drivers through the app for seamless communication.

Ram Tracking Review: Prices and Plans

RAM provides custom-priced software packages on a case-by-case basis (as is the industry norm). Its pricing varies depending on the number of fleet vehicles, contract length, and the particular package chosen.

Unfortunately, that means we don’t the exact pricing of its packages for US businesses. Although, our past research into the British arm of RAM Tracking (which previously had public pricing) told us that its Lite plan started from £8.99 per vehicle, per month, which is around $10.99 per vehicle, per month. Still, we can’t be sure that’s the same pricing model used today. What we can be sure of is what each plan consists of:

It’s worth noting that RAM also offers a lifetime device warranty, free installation, a 30-day free trial, and a 14-day cooling-off period – a user-friendly cancellation policy most providers do not offer.

How Does RAM Tracking Compare With Other Fleet Management Systems?

We’ve compared RAM Tracking’s features with other fleet management software we’ve tested or researched across this review. But it is worth pausing to compare exactly how it differs from other top-rated options on the market.

Here’s a quick summary of several other software, featuring reported or previous pricing, some key features, and what we think it is best for. After that, we’ll dive into exactly where we think RAM Tracking performs well and where other providers have it beat.

RAM Tracking: What does it do well compared to the competition?

Dedicated timeline visualization for driver routes

RAM Tracking offers a dedicated timeline tool which is something I’ve not encountered from its competitors.

While both Quartix and Verizon Connect include timelines within their route replay features, which may be enough for some fleet managers, RAM Tracking provides a separate section specifically for viewing daily or weekly timelines of individual or multiple vehicles, as discussed previously.

This allows fleet managers to easily compare drivers’ activities across different days, while the color-coded system enables quick identification of patterns, such as consistent start or end times. Overall, it’s a small aspect of the software but something I think is an appealing difference-maker for RAM users.

Reportedly lower prices, customer-friendly policies, and flexible packages

Perhaps the biggest potential boon of RAM Tracking over other fleet management providers is its reportedly low-cost packages. As stated, we can’t be certain about its low prices, but if it’s old pricing in the UK is anything to go by – starting from £8.99 per vehicle per month – then RAM is incredibly affordable compared to some competitors.

We believe the likes of Verizon Connect, Samsara, and Azuga tend to cost between $35 and $50 per vehicle, per month. Verizon Connect in particular has a reportedly wide range of prices depending on the package: as low as ~$20 per vehicle, per month to figures above the $100 mark.

RAM Tracking is also known for its customer-friendly policies, like its 30-day free trial and a 14-day cooling-off period. Plus, its package deals can come in commitments between 1 and 5 years. These offerings provide businesses with flexibility and reduce the risk associated with adopting a new fleet management solution. For instance, Verizon Connect requires a minimum three-year contract commitment.

RAM Tracking: Any missing features versus fleet competitors?

Lack of automatic route optimization

While RAM Tracking provides job scheduling and route replay features, it lacks automatic route optimization capabilities. This means that fleet managers may need to manually plan and assign routes to drivers without the benefit of software-generated suggestions for the most efficient paths.

In contrast, competitors like GPS Insight and Verizon Connect offer automatic route optimization, which calculates the most efficient routes based on factors such as distance, traffic conditions, and delivery windows.

The absence of any automatic route optimization in RAM Tracking may require additional time and effort from managers and/or drivers to plan routes effectively. Its route replay tool means you can assess the effectiveness of routes over time, but it’s a more hands-on task than it could be. Similarly, you could simply integrate RAM Assist with a third-party navigation app to do this task for your drivers, such as Google Maps or Waze.

Fewer Advanced Reporting and Analytics Features

RAM Tracking offers essential reports but it may not match the depth and sophistication of reporting available from some competitors (perhaps unsurprisingly given its reportedly lower cost).

For instance, Verizon Connect provides an extensive range of customizable reports across categories like journey, activity, safety, fuel, vehicle health, and work orders. It also offers advanced dashboards that visualize key metrics and trends, aiding in strategic decision-making in an easy-to-digest manner. Similarly, GPS Insight provides 39 different reporting subsections with customizable graphics on its dashboard, including detailed driver scorecards and violation reports.

Its maintenance tasks are another notable example of where RAM Tracking is slightly behind other competitors.

While it lets you log maintenance works and get alerts for when services are due (in a preventative sense), it doesn’t offer predictive alerts based on vehicle diagnostic data like Verizon Connect. This predictive approach over RAM’s preventative approach can help reduce risk, reduce vehicle downtime and ultimately extend the lifecycle of your vehicles and cut costs further in the process.