5 Best Courier Software Options

Courier fleet management

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Whether you’re looking to set up your own courier business or you already have an established fleet hitting the road, investing in good courier software is essential to maximizing both your daily work schedule and your profit margins.

Want your drivers to save money on fuel? Invest in courier software. Want to increase the number of deliveries you make a day without expanding your workforce? Invest in courier software. It really is a no brainer, and we’re here to tell you why.</>If you’re already set on investing in courier software, fill out our form at the top of the page to receive quotes from top suppliers.


Fleet Management

Investing in quality courier software will help your business become more efficient



What is Courier Software?

Courier software is essentially another term for fleet management software. It teams up with a clever piece of hardware that hooks up to your vehicles’ diagnostics. This mighty combination doesn’t just help you keep track of vehicle status; it also helps you manage delivery slots and keep tabs on your drivers’ driving habits.

All of this is essential when it comes to ensuring your courier business remains compliant with the electronic logging device (ELD) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules and regulations.

Most courier software systems work as a two way communication stream. This means you can send messages and updates from your phone, tablet or PC to your drivers’ device and vice versa, so long as there’s an internet, 3G or 4G connection.

Sending messages and updates is only the start. The best courier software offers a whole load of benefits that you should take full advantage of. These include:

Real Time Traffic Updates

How many late deliveries have you put down to bad traffic? We’re guessing a fair few. But not to worry – with courier software, your drivers will receive real-time traffic updates. The software will automatically reroute your drivers to the fastest roads, helping you keep your delivery schedule on track.

Driving Style

It’s alarming how awful acceleration and bad braking habits can have an effect on the condition of your vehicles. In other words, are you paying out far more than you need to on replacing and maintaining brake pads and tires? With courier software, you find out who’s been driving inefficiently and cut down on those costs.

Fuel Wastage

Do you know how much fuel your drivers are wasting by keeping the engine ticking over unnecessarily? Courier software will alert you to engine idle time, and enable you to keep track of details such as miles per gallon and fuel top ups. Are some drivers having to top up more than others? If so, why?

Schedule Management

Need to swap some schedules around to keep deliveries on track? No problem. You can use software apps to send out updates to your drivers on the road. You’ll also receive an alert each time a driver completes a delivery, so you’re completely up to date with the daily routing.

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The Best Courier Software

The best courier software will feature:

  • Cloud connectivity
  • A GPS tracker
  • A dashboard camera
  • Two way messaging
  • Electronic driver logs

But which companies supply the best courier software systems?

From our research, we’ve discovered the following companies offer the best courier software:

How do they rate against each other?

Software CompanyStar RatingBest For
ClearPath GPSContract-free
GPS InsightScalable
SamsaraSmall to medium fleets
OmnitracsLarge fleets
Verizon ConnectFeatureful

ClearPath GPS

ClearPath GPS seem to be doing a lot of things right, from their software design to their customer service. But what really puts them ahead of the competition is their contract-free service. It means you can leave them for another provider anytime – although we don’t see why you would. After all, their courier software provides you with 30 second updates on vehicle location, driver behavior analysis, and access to heaps of data reports.

Pros

  • Contract-free
  • Great customer service

Cons

  • App not as clean as the desktop version

GPS Insight

If you’re looking for scalability, GPS Insight could offer the best courier software for you. There are three editions to choose from: Standard, Pro and Enterprise. Even on a basic level, the system can provide you with plenty of fleet-related data.

Step it up to the Pro edition and you’ll benefit from unlimited users and Garmin integration. Invest in the Enterprise edition and you’ll even be able to integrate your geographical information system (GIS), and develop your own custom reporting.

GPS Insight Review

Pros

  • Accurate GPS data
  • User-friendly

Cons

  • Not easy to install yourself

Samsara

If you’re looking for solid courier software, you can’t really go wrong with Samsara. It’s a clever system – whether you’re looking to get the lowdown on driver and vehicle performance, or you want to ensure your drivers aren’t going over the legal ‘hours of service’. The Samsara system has had plenty of compliments from users, and with a per device per year tariff, payments are transparent.

Samsara Review

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • Accurate reporting

Cons

  • App doesn’t log data if only running in background

Omnitracs

The Omnitracs courier software can handle medium to large fleets. Helping you manage compliance, data, productivity and safety, you’ll have all the information you need to ensure your courier business is running efficiently and compliantly. With advanced route planning clever enough to consider vehicle size, order type, and even worker hours, Omnitracs is certainly worth the investment.

Pros

  • Advanced route planning technology
  • Scan and upload vehicle documents

Cons

  • Not designed for small businesses

Verizon Connect

Verizon Connect enables you to do three things: fleet tracking and management, field service and scheduling, and ELD and compliance. It truly is an immersive one-stop-shop for all your fleet tracking needs. You’ll be able to access the system from anywhere, benefit from detailed mapping, and your workers should be able to get to grips with the dashboard fairly swiftly.

Verizon Connect Review

Pros

  • Intuitive to use
  • Fuel card integration

Cons

  • Customer service hit and miss

How We Test Vehicle Tracking Systems for Businesses

We tested 29 market-leading vehicle tracking systems to evaluate them in terms of functionality, usability, accuracy, and aesthetics so we can make the most useful recommendations to US businesses.

Our rigorous testing process means these products have been scored and rated in six main categories of investigation and six subcategories – in fact, we covered 51 areas of investigation in total. We then gave each category score a ‘relevance weighting' to ensure the product's final score perfectly reflects the needs and requirements of Expert Market readers – and that's our algorithm in a nutshell!

Our main testing categories for vehicle tracking systems are:

Price: the cost associated with using the vehicle tracking software, including upfront costs, subscription fees, hardware costs (if applicable), and any additional charges for advanced features or add-ons.

Tracking: the core functionality of the vehicle tracking software, which involves monitoring and tracking the location and movements of vehicles in real-time, such as GPS tracking, route optimization, and geofencing.

Driver Management: the features and tools provided by the vehicle tracking software to manage and monitor driver activities. This can include driver behavior monitoring, driver performance reports, driver identification.

Vehicle Management: the functionalities that allow for the efficient management and maintenance of vehicles, such as vehicle health monitoring and maintenance scheduling.

Product Features: the additional functionalities and capabilities offered by the vehicle tracking software beyond basic tracking and management, such as real-time alerts and notifications or driver routing and dispatching.

Support: the resources, assistance, and guidance provided by the vehicle tracking software company to users, including phone support, email or chat support, and online forums.

 


FAQs

Is there free courier software?

The best courier service software is always going to demand a monthly fee. Often, companies will require you to pay an upfront cost for hardware and installation, plus a monthly fee for the software and data hosting. If you don’t want to tie yourself into a contract, vehicle tracking companies such as ClearPath GPS offer a commitment-free service.

Are there courier software apps?

Yes – these days, most courier software is available in app form. While most are available to download onto your iPhone or iPad, not all are available to download onto Android devices, so make sure you double check. You’ll also find courier software is available for PCs, making it easy for you to keep tabs on your drivers from your desktop computer.

How much does courier software cost?

The cost of courier software varies based on the size of the fleet and how many features you require. Many companies split their prices based on basic, pro and enterprise packages. You can expect to pay in the region of $3 to $25 per month per vehicle for a basic plan or between $30 to $55 for a more advanced plan. Don’t forget, you’ll need to consider installation cost – you can often work this into your monthly plan, or pay for it upfront.

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Written by:
Julia Watts author headshot photo
Specialising in business software, Julia writes jargon-busting guides about VoIP, fleet management, dash cams, fuel cards, and more. Having spent almost a decade writing for entrepreneurs and reviewing business solutions, she loves helping exciting ventures – big or small – to flourish.
Reviewed by:
James thinks all businesses can improve if they use the right technology. At Expert Market, he utilises his 4+ years experience as a researcher to offer specialised advice on a wide range of categories from CRM to Fleet Management.