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If you're looking for fleet software, you've probably come across Fleetio and Samsara.
Both are established platforms, but they approach fleet operations differently. And that matters when you're deciding whether to stay with your current system, move to a broader fleet platform or choose software built more specifically around maintenance.
Gearbox takes a different approach again.
Rather than asking which platform is "best" in general, it is more useful to ask what each one is actually built to do.
A broad fleet management and maintenance platform, with tools covering vehicles, equipment, maintenance, inspections, parts, reporting and more.
A connected fleet platform built around telematics and a broader operational ecosystem, with maintenance integrated alongside areas such as safety, routing, compliance and driver operations.
Focused on fleet maintenance, bringing maintenance, inspections, work orders, parts, people and asset history together, with a strong focus on understanding maintenance activity and costs at the asset level.
Fleetio is built to give fleet teams a central system for managing vehicles and other assets, maintenance and the information around them.
Its current platform includes maintenance planning and work orders, inspections, parts and other fleet management capabilities. Fleetio also offers different subscription plans designed for different fleet sizes and levels of functionality.
For a fleet looking for a broad fleet management system with maintenance capabilities, Fleetio is a well-established option.
One thing to consider is how much of the platform you actually need.
A broader platform can be useful when you need many different fleet management functions. But if your primary challenge is getting maintenance under control and understanding what your assets are costing you, it is worth looking closely at how the maintenance workflow and cost information are presented and used by your team.
Samsara approaches fleet software from a different starting point.
Its platform is built around connected operations and telematics, with maintenance sitting alongside other fleet functions. Its maintenance offering includes preventive maintenance, DVIRs, work orders, parts inventory and maintenance reporting, with the wider Samsara ecosystem providing real-time vehicle and operational data.
That makes Samsara particularly relevant to fleets that want to consolidate telematics and fleet operations into one connected platform.
The trade-off is that you are buying into a much broader fleet technology ecosystem.
If your priority is a dedicated maintenance system rather than a wider connected fleet platform, it is worth comparing how much of that wider functionality you actually need.
Gearbox starts with the maintenance operation.
Maintenance, inspections, work orders, parts, people and asset history are connected around the asset, giving fleet teams one place to manage the work and the information behind it.
Maintenance can be scheduled based on miles, engine hours or days, with telematics data available to keep usage readings current. Defects can flow into work orders, while parts and labor can be recorded against the job.
That creates a complete maintenance history for each asset and, importantly, gives managers a clearer view of what individual assets are costing to maintain.
The focus is deliberately practical: give the people managing the fleet the information they need to manage maintenance, while giving managers a clearer view of asset performance and cost.
There isn't a universal winner. The right choice depends on what you are trying to solve and how much of your fleet operation you want the software to cover.
If you want a broad fleet management platform with maintenance at its core.
If you want connected fleet operations built around telematics and want maintenance as part of that wider ecosystem.
If your priority is fleet maintenance and you want a clear view of the work, the asset history and the costs behind each asset.
Before choosing a new fleet platform, ask:
If the main issue is maintenance visibility, missed work, disconnected records or a lack of understanding of asset costs, make sure the software addresses those problems directly.
More functionality is not automatically better. Consider what your drivers, technicians, fleet managers and finance team need to do every day, and how much administration the system creates.
The best system should not simply give you another place to store information. It should give you better information about your fleet and help you make better decisions about maintenance, cost and asset performance.
Gearbox was built around the day-to-day reality of fleet maintenance.
More than 20 years of experience is reflected in the way maintenance, inspections, work orders, parts and asset history work together. The platform also works with the systems fleets already have, including telematics and accounting, so you can connect the information you need without replacing everything around it.
And when you need help, you get direct support from people who understand fleet operations.
If you're comparing Fleetio, Samsara or another fleet platform, we'd be happy to show you how Gearbox works across your fleet.