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Fleet Management · head to head

Motive vs Truckbase

Motive logo

Motive

Fleet Management

ELD compliance, AI dashcams and spend management for North American commercial fleets

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Truckbase logo

Truckbase

Logistics

Transport management system for small and mid-size North American truckload carriers with a published price floor

From
$290/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Motive contracts are multi-year and per vehicle with hardware embedded, so a fleet that shrinks keeps paying for units that are sitting in a yard.; Truckbase only the 290 USD monthly minimum is published; the per-truck, per-driver and per-load rates behind it are all consultative, so comparing quotes against another vendor is guesswork.
  • They diverge on capability: Motive covers ELD compliance, Truckbase covers Dispatch board.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Motive and Truckbase actually diverge.

Attributes where Motive and Truckbase differ
AttributeMotiveTruckbase
Starting priceOn request$290/month
Pricing modelquotePer truck per month
CategoryFleet ManagementLogistics

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Motive

  • ELD compliance
  • AI dashcams
  • GPS tracking
  • Driver safety scoring
  • Vehicle diagnostics
  • Spend management

Only in Truckbase

  • Dispatch board
  • Driver mobile app
  • Settlements
  • Invoicing and factoring
  • ELD integration
  • Document management
  • Accounting sync
  • Flexible billing meters

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Motive

  • A trucking fleet that must run FMCSA compliant electronic logs and wants cameras from the same vendornot Truckbase
  • An operator facing an insurance renewal that requires evidence of a driver coaching programmenot Truckbase
  • A construction fleet tracking both vehicles and unpowered assets such as trailers and generatorsnot Truckbase
  • A fleet suspecting fuel card misuse and wanting transactions matched against vehicle locationnot Truckbase

Truckbase

  • A twenty-truck carrier running dispatch on a whiteboard and settlements in a spreadsheetnot Motive
  • A seasonal agricultural hauler whose driver count triples for three months and would be penalised by per-driver billingnot Motive
  • A carrier whose invoices are late because paperwork arrives days after deliverynot Motive
  • An operation that wants ELD location flowing into the TMS without a second data entry stepnot Motive

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Motive

  • Contracts are multi-year and per vehicle with hardware embedded, so a fleet that shrinks keeps paying for units that are sitting in a yard.
  • Driver facing cameras generate real workforce resistance, and fleets in tight labour markets have lost drivers over the rollout rather than the technology.
  • Installation and calibration across a distributed fleet takes weeks of vehicle downtime, which is rarely costed into the comparison at the point of purchase.
  • The rebrand from KeepTruckin means older documentation, integration guides and third-party references are inconsistent, which slows technical work on connections.
  • Coverage depends on cellular networks, so remote route segments produce gaps in tracking and delayed log uploads that drivers then have to reconcile.

Truckbase

  • Only the 290 USD monthly minimum is published; the per-truck, per-driver and per-load rates behind it are all consultative, so comparing quotes against another vendor is guesswork.
  • The published minimum is billed annually, so a carrier wanting month-to-month flexibility pays more or commits for a year up front.
  • Scope stops well short of enterprise TMS: complex LTL rating, multi-leg intermodal and cross-border customs are not covered, so growing carriers face a migration later.
  • It is a small, venture-stage software company in a market where carriers expect a system to last a decade, and vendor continuity is a legitimate concern for an operational system of record.
  • Reporting and analytics are basic compared with established TMS products, so carriers wanting detailed lane profitability analysis end up exporting to spreadsheets anyway.

Pricing, plan by plan

Motive

On request
  • Motive$undefined/year
    • Per-vehicle subscription over a multi-year term
    • Hardware supplied within the agreement rather than purchased outright
    • Dashcams, asset trackers and spend management priced as separate lines

Truckbase

$290/month
  • Minimum commitment$290/month
    • Billed annually
    • Free live virtual onboarding and implementation
    • 24-hour US-based support
  • Per driver, per load or flat annual$undefined/month
    • Alternative billing meters for fleets with more drivers than trucks
    • Per-load billing for non-asset operations
    • Flat annual rates for seasonal carriers with high turnover
  • Carrier Partner Program$undefined/year
    • On-site training
    • Dedicated engineering access for custom development
    • Enterprise terms, quoted

Which should you pick?

Choose Motive if

  • You need eld compliance.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want ai dashcams.
Motive review

Choose Truckbase if

  • You need dispatch board.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want driver mobile app.
Truckbase review

Questions people ask

Is Motive or Truckbase better?
Neither clearly leads. Motive starts at On request and Truckbase at $290/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Motive or Truckbase?
Motive starts at On request and Truckbase at $290/month.
Does Motive or Truckbase run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Motive best used for?
Motive is most often used for a trucking fleet that must run fmcsa compliant electronic logs and wants cameras from the same vendor, an operator facing an insurance renewal that requires evidence of a driver coaching programme, a construction fleet tracking both vehicles and unpowered assets such as trailers and generators, a fleet suspecting fuel card misuse and wanting transactions matched against vehicle location. Of those, a trucking fleet that must run fmcsa compliant electronic logs and wants cameras from the same vendor and an operator facing an insurance renewal that requires evidence of a driver coaching programme are not what Truckbase is typically brought in for.
What can Motive do that Truckbase cannot?
Motive covers ELD compliance, AI dashcams, GPS tracking, Driver safety scoring. Truckbase covers Dispatch board, Driver mobile app, Settlements, Invoicing and factoring.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Motive: Is Motive the same company as KeepTruckin?

Yes. KeepTruckin renamed to Motive in 2022. The products and account relationships carried over.

Truckbase: What is the minimum cost?

290 USD per month billed annually, which Truckbase publishes; typical deployments sit higher depending on fleet size.

Motive: Can hardware be bought outright?

It is normally supplied inside a multi-year subscription rather than sold, which is why the exit cost of a shrinking fleet is high.

Truckbase: Is there a setup fee?

No. Live virtual onboarding and implementation are included, with in-person training available for larger fleets.

Motive: Does it work outside the United States?

Canada and Mexico are supported, including Canadian electronic logging requirements. Coverage elsewhere is limited.

Truckbase: Can I be billed per load instead of per truck?

Yes. Truckbase offers per truck, per driver, per load, flat annual and custom billing shapes.

Motive: Are the driver facing cameras optional?

Yes, road facing only configurations are available, and fleets worried about driver retention often start there.

Truckbase: Does it integrate with my ELD?

Yes, it pulls location and hours of service from major ELD providers including Samsara and Motive.

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