Samsara is one of the USA’s best ELD system providers, having more than 15,000 companies using its products.
The notable reason why the company is so popular is that Samsara delivers an integrated tracking system for your trucks and trailers. It uses a combination of sensors, GPS trackers, and AI-controlled dashcams to collect the data. But more importantly, the device and its associated driver app and office-based dashboard help to keep your fleet legal.
Plus, you get a range of different features for relatively low prices to help make your fleet one of the most efficient among your competitors.
Samsara also partners with many vehicle manufacturers, such as Ford Motors, to ensure their vehicles have compatible, onboard telematics devices. Therefore, with those vehicles, you don’t need an ELD to use the Samsara software.
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How Much Does Samsara ELD Cost?
Like many ELD providers, Samsara rates aren’t published on their website. Still, they make no secret of the approximate pricing structure, making it easy for prospective customers to check their products.
To make life easy, they only use one ELD, and most features are available for the basic monthly rate. Additional devices such as dashcams, tracking devices, and sensors cost more and have their own subscription rates on top of the ELD rates.
As with other ELD companies, you pay upfront for the hardware. Additionally, your driver needs a 4G tablet or smartphone to run the app, which uploads the data to the cloud for downloading by your operations department.
| Product | Hardware | Subscription per vehicle |
| Samsara VG34 Gateway Vehicle ELD | $130 | $380/year |
| Samsara AG24 ‘Internet of Things’ Asset Gateway | $290 | $180/year |
| Samsara AG46 Unpowered Asset Gateway | $100 | $96/year |
| EM21 Environmental Sensor | $100 | $60/year |
| EM22 Environmental Sensor | $140 | $60/year |
| CM31 Front Facing Dash-Cam | $300 | $400/year |
| CM32 Dual-Facing Dash-Cam | $400 | $600/year |
| Panic Button | $100 | Not published |
| Door Monitor | $100 | Not Published |
| Privacy Button | $100 | Not Published |
Prices are approximate as Samsara doesn’t publish prices on its website. Therefore, we compiled the Samsara ELD pricing data from various unofficial online resources. Use these figures as a basis for your research.
Samsara also offers a 30-day free trial for qualifying customers.
Samsara ELD Price Factors
The price you pay for a Samsara electronic logging device varies depending on what hardware features your company requires and various other factors.
- Usually, ELD companies charge extra for additional features; Samsara does not. The basic subscription cost of around $380/year (paid annually) covers most ELD solutions for your fleet, accessible from your Samsara dashboard. Additionally, some more advanced features cost more.
- The 30-day free plan is helpful for customers who don’t know if the product is for them and don’t want to waste money trying it out.
- Samsara ELD prices vary according to the length of the contract. The subscription prices shown in the table correspond to a three-year contract, but the company offers different prices for five-year terms. Also, the company provides other subscriptions with one or five-year contracts for tracking, dash-cams, etc.
- The size of your fleet affects the total cost. You must buy hardware and software for each vehicle, but Samsara offers discounts for various sized fleets and might allow monthly payments for fleets larger than five vehicles.
- Purchasing the hardware is an additional expense. Tracker and sensor hardware items cost around $100, with dashcams costing $300 to $400, depending on contract length and fleet size. Unfortunately, if the hardware subscriptions of $60 to $600/year expire, the devices stop running. So you can’t use them with other providers.
Contract Length Options
The initial 30-day trial offers free use of hardware and software. But, after expiration, you must choose to go somewhere else or subscribe to one of the suggested contract lengths.
You can take out subscriptions for the ELD for three or five-year durations. Of these two, the three-year option is standard in the industry, but it’s still longer than other ELD competitors.
Other devices on offer, such as the sensors and dashcams, come with contract terms of one and five years.
ELD Mandate – Samsara Compliance
The FMCSA ELD mandate has the status of federal law, and Samsara complies with this as its core responsibility. The mandate aims to improve and regulate road safety and commercial drivers’ working environment by reducing driver fatigue, minimizing road incidents, and enforcing Hours Of Service regulations using electronic logging devices (ELDs). The ELDs use e-log books for recording journey data to check compliance with Hours Of Service and other associated regulations. Federal officers can then inspect the data on the roadside and send the details directly to the FMCSA.
Samsara uses an FMCSA certified ELD system that pairs with the driver’s phone app. Using the app, the driver can set status, log shifts, specify the driver and produce automatic electronic reports. Further, the app also informs drivers of HOS by providing notifications and countdowns to the end of on-duty time. This easily accessed data, readily available on the driver’s phone, make compliance straightforward.
What Does The Samsara Solution Offer?
Apart from FMCSA ELD compliance, the Samsara features also improve your company’s fleet performance.
ELD Compliance
Most importantly, Samsara uses an FMCSA electronic logging device (ELD) to satisfy the mandate’s requirements. However, the company’s ELD does far more.
The ELD Gateway hardware plugs into the vehicle’s engine diagnostic port and retrieves its data from the engine diagnostics. These include diagnostic codes, engine condition, and speed.
The ELD also pairs with the driver’s app, located on a tablet or smartphone, which uploads the information to the cloud. The app generates automatic reports, logs the driver’s name, sets shift times, and alerts HOS compliance.
Additionally, Samsara offers a 4G phone subscription in the USA and Mexico as part of the system. But, you can also use it offline, when the app stores data until it has a signal, or using WiFi when the app finds a hotspot.
Vehicle Tracking
The Samsara system is excellent at vehicle routing and dispatching. You can see the truck’s real-time position at a glance on a virtual map. Therefore, it’s no longer necessary to phone your drivers to find out their locations. The ELD does this using top-of-the-range GPS sensors, which determine verification of vehicle use and distance traveled, from which it calculates fuel efficiency. The GPS even notes driver behavior and other vital information.
Smart Dashcams
With Samsara, dashcams become an advanced safety tool. They use artificial intelligence to record what happens on the street and in the cab, depending on whether you have single front-facing or dual-facing HD dashcams.
The dashcams store up to 100-hours of footage and upload it to the cloud storage location. The AI analyzes traffic and driver performance and provides intelligent alerts to the driver. Also, it monitors driver distractions, detects rolling stops and aggressive driving, to offer safe and efficient driving suggestions.
The recorded data is admissible as evidence in the event of an insurance claim or to determine driver liability in an accident. Consider how valuable the smart cam’s AI would be in identifying an accident’s responsible party.
However, not all driving incidents end in an accident, so the AI also tags poor driving behavior so that the driver can receive additional training. Or, if the driver avoided a possible accident, he would receive praise and possible reward.
WiFi Hotspots
Samsara ELDs provide an in-cab WiFi hotspot linked to its 4G reception. The feature offers 500Mb/month/vehicle of data transfer. This feature serves many functions: encouraging the driver to use productivity apps such as Work Order, CRM, HD video, and company-based message and email.
Trailer & Reefer monitoring & tracking
Samsara also supplies GPS trackers and monitors for trailers and other assets. The app shows the trailer’s availability, location, speed, and temperature. While some tracker models also support anti-theft and door status.
If you use Thermo King units, Samsara also offers remote control temperature adjustments and other reefer trailer management options.
IFTA Fuel Tax reporting
Samsara’s app notes the distance traveled and the cost of fuel in each jurisdiction. Drivers can upload fuel receipts and other documents to maintain each vehicle’s performance report. Thus, providing details on the IFTA fuel tax calculations to help your overworked office staff. And you can guarantee the data is correct and easily audited too.
Driver Coaching Tools
For on-the-job training and advice, Samsara uses driver coaching tools to provide real-time feedback on avoiding speeding and other driving issues.
Samsara ELD Device Advantages
- The main advantage is to maintain compliance with the law.
- Monitors and highlights the vehicle’s idle time, allowing you to reduce fuel costs.
- Automatically logs vehicle movements, routes, and other parameters to help reduce your logistics staff’s manual filing.
- GPS tracks vehicle routes, allowing better logistic management, streamlined operations, reducing time delays and fuel wastage.
- Maximizes your fleet’s productivity by lowering operational costs, reducing insurance premiums, and decreasing liabilities. Thus, increasing your overall profits.
- Monitors and tags engine fault codes allowing you to monitor engine performance in real-time and swiftly take action.
- Identify your high-risk drivers, allowing you to plan additional training for those while rewarding the best drivers.
- ELD logged data and dashcam footage shows driver performance and road conditions in an insurance claim or accident.
- Automatically calculates IFTA reports for submission and auditing.
- Vehicles carrying FMCSA certified Samsara ELD have lower insurance premiums because they reduce theft risk and improve driving performance.
Samsara Reviews
Most of Samsara’s customers are extremely happy with the performance and capabilities of the company’s ELD. Here are a few recent US customer reviews compiled from Trustpilot, one of the world’s leading open online review platforms.
- Bob Harris says the customer service is good, and he is notified about fleet accidents almost immediately.
- Jamie researched several ELD companies and found that Samsara was by far the best. The company sent hardware for the free trial, contacted him weekly, and taught him how to use the devices. They responded to questions immediately and helped set up an entire fleet.
- Steve Franks from Canada has used Samsara for years and says it’s one of his best decisions. He especially likes the dashcam footage as it proved his drivers did everything correctly in an accident.
- Kevin Moore suggested that Samsara GPS is way beyond any other provider.
- Craig Worrell thanks Samsara for being an excellent partner and helping with the initial setup and follow-on guidance.
- Tom Warren admits to being a “non-techy,” but Samsara staff helped make things easy.
- Todd from Canada thinks the Samsara ELD is simple to use and supplies loads of information.
- Steve Stoehr says you won’t be disappointed. His company has used Samsara for over a year and considers their product to be excellent.
- Jonathan Fujii considers that Samsara was prompt when answering his questions.
- Charlie admits that even though Samsara, like every company, has issues, they step up and sort the problems.
Next Steps
Even though Samsara ELDs and their associated software help keep your fleet FMCSA compliant and offer additional features to increase operational efficiency, it can be difficult to choose between the various ELD providers.
If you want to learn more about Samsara ELD costs, get in touch with us today by completing the form at the top of this page.
Also see: KeepTruckin ELD Cost