30 questions to ask a telematics vendor

All 30 questions are below, free to read. Submit the form for full answers, red-flag guidance, and convenient PDF.

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The 30 Questions

Capte's answers to these questions come from staying with clients past the contract, including in the field — up to and including replacing failed hardware overnight when it mattered. This guide reflects what we've learned actually matters to the people running the equipment, not just the people buying it.

Hardware ownership & fleet compatibility

  1. Does your platform require us to use proprietary hardware, or can it work with our existing devices?
  2. Can your platform read data from legacy vehicles, industrial machinery, and non-standard equipment — not just modern commercial vehicles?
  3. How does your platform handle a fleet that mixes combustion vehicles, electric vehicles, and industrial equipment?
  4. Can your platform provide real-time visibility inside our depot or warehouse, not just on the road?
  5. Will the platform still function if we add new vehicle types or assets that are not on your current compatibility list?

Alerting, diagnostics & operational intelligence

  1. Does your platform detect developing vehicle or equipment faults proactively, before they cause a breakdown?
  2. How does your platform manage alert volume — and how do you prevent alert fatigue for our operations team?
  3. Does your platform provide role-specific dashboards for maintenance teams, operations managers, and executives?
  4. Can predictive alerts and diagnostics cover all asset types in our fleet, including industrial equipment and non-vehicle assets?
  5. Can predictive alerts and diagnostics cover all asset types in our fleet, including industrial equipment and non-vehicle assets?

Pricing transparency & contract terms

  1. What is the minimum contract length, and is there an automatic renewal clause?
  2. What is included in the per-vehicle monthly cost, and wh at is an add-on that costs extra?
  3. Are there activation fees, installation fees, or charges for devices that are not in active use?
  4. What are your early termination terms, and what does the exit process look like?
  5. How do you handle billing disputes, and can you show us your process for resolving them?

Data ownership, portability & security

  1. Who legally owns the data generated by my fleet, and does your contract assert any co-ownership or usage rights?
  2. Can I export my full historical data at any time, in a format I can actually use?
  3. What happens to our data if we cancel our contract, and how long do we have to export it?
  4. Where is our data stored, what encryption standards are in place, and what third-party security certifications does your platform hold?
  5. Is our data ever used to train third-party AI models, shared with partners, or sold in any form?

Support, onboarding & account management

  1. What does the onboarding process look like, and who owns the project on your side?
  2. Will we have a dedicated account manager, and what is their typical account load?
  3. What are your support SLA commitments by issue severity, and what happens when a critical issue surfaces outside business hours?
  4. What is your hardware failure process, and how quickly are malfunctioning devices replaced?
  5. Can we speak directly with a customer who has had a significant support challenge, and how it was resolved?

Scalability, integration & long-term fit

  1. Does your platform integrate with our ERP, dispatch, and maintenance management systems — and are those integrations pre-built or custom?
  2. Can your platform scale to support a significantly larger fleet without requiring re-implementation or new hardware?
  3. How does your platform manage API updates and software releases — and will releases break our integrations?
  4. What does your product roadmap look like for the next 12 months, and which roadmap items are included in our existing pricing?
  5. What does your product roadmap look like for the next 12 months, and which roadmap items are included in our existing pricing?

Built from field experience with transit fleets

Capte builds monitoring for the equipment standard fleet automation can't reach: mixed-age vehicles, mixed-manufacturer fleets, and hardened field environments. The questions in this guide come from that work. They're the ones we see agencies wish they had asked before signing a contract.

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