Model the return on a full telematics platform across fuel, safety, compliance and maintenance.
Telematics versus plain GPS
Telematics platforms go beyond dot-on-a-map tracking by pulling engine data (fuel burn, idle time, fault codes), scoring driver behavior (harsh braking, speeding), automating HOS compliance and feeding maintenance systems. That breadth is why this ROI model includes safety and compliance lines alongside fuel and maintenance: a platform that prevents one moderate accident or a handful of HOS fines has often covered its subscription for the year on that alone.
Grounding the inputs
Fuel and maintenance are the measurable, recurring savings. With ATRI reporting repair and maintenance at 40.4 cents per mile and fuel at 48 cents in 2025 (far higher at 2026 diesel prices), a 10-truck fleet running a million combined miles spends several hundred thousand dollars a year across the two categories, so single-digit percentage savings are large in dollar terms. The safety and compliance defaults are deliberately modest: adjust them using your own claims history and violation record from the DOT fine calculator.
Picking a platform
Per-vehicle pricing clusters around $25 to $45 monthly depending on features and hardware bundling, with contracts of one to five years. Our telematics guide compares over 45 providers on capability and typical pricing: get quotes from two or three, then run each through this calculator on identical assumptions so the comparison is fair.
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