BigRoad Review 2026

Pros Explained

Rock-Bottom Monthly Cost. Twenty dollars a month is hard to beat. For an owner-operator clearing $150,000 in gross revenue and watching every expense, the difference between $20 and $40 per month adds up over a year. BigRoad keeps more money in your pocket than almost any alternative.

No Hardware Investment. Most ELD providers charge $100 to $250 for the device before you pay a single monthly fee. BigRoad includes the hardware with your service. If you are cash-strapped and cannot front that kind of money for equipment, BigRoad removes that barrier entirely. The device ships to you, you plug it in, and you start logging.

Month-to-Month Freedom. I have talked to too many carriers who signed two or three-year ELD contracts and regretted it within six months. The provider's service declined, their needs changed, or they just found a better option. With BigRoad, you are never stuck. That freedom has value beyond the dollar amount.

The Load Board Actually Works. Most ELD providers focus exclusively on compliance. BigRoad threw in a load board because they understand owner-operators are always looking for their next haul. Is it going to replace DAT? No. But for quick load searches while you are finishing up a delivery, having it right there in the app saves time and keeps you from switching between multiple platforms.

Easy Setup. Plug the device into your diagnostic port, download the app, pair via Bluetooth, and you are running. Most users report being operational in under 30 minutes. No technician visit. No complicated configuration. For operators who are not particularly tech-savvy, the simplicity counts.

Canadian Coverage. If you run cross-border or operate primarily in Canada, BigRoad handles both regulatory environments without requiring separate systems or subscriptions.

Cons Explained

Customer Service Is a Real Problem. This is not a minor complaint buried in a few reviews. It comes up constantly. Users report long hold times when they can reach anyone at all. Email responses take days. When you do connect with support, they often cannot resolve the issue on the first contact. One reviewer summed it up: "Cannot get anyone on the phone. Waited 3 days for email response." When you are sitting at a weigh station with an ELD malfunction and cannot reach anyone for help, those savings start looking expensive.

Bluetooth Connectivity Is Unreliable. The pairing between the ELD device and your phone drops more often than it should. Users report having to reconnect daily, sometimes multiple times per day. The technology works, until it does not. During a DOT inspection is a bad time to discover your device is not syncing with your phone.

App Stability Needs Work. Crashes, freezes, and glitches show up regularly in user reviews. "App crashes during inspections" is the kind of feedback that should concern anyone who needs their ELD to work every time, not just most of the time.

Limited Capability Ceiling. BigRoad does basic ELD compliance well. It does not do video integration, advanced analytics, API connections to other business systems, trailer tracking, or satellite coverage in dead zones. If you need any of those capabilities now or expect to need them as you grow, BigRoad will not scale with you.

Ownership Uncertainty. BigRoad has been acquired twice in five years. Fleet Complete bought them in 2019, then Powerfleet bought Fleet Complete in 2024. Corporate ownership changes sometimes improve products and sometimes degrade them. The service has stayed consistent through these transitions so far, but the corporate shuffling is worth watching.

66% Satisfaction Rate. Two-thirds of users are satisfied. That means one-third are not. Industry leaders like Samsara run satisfaction rates well above 80 percent. BigRoad's number is not terrible, but it is below average for the category.

Customer Service

Let me be direct about this: customer service is BigRoad's biggest weakness, and the data supports that conclusion.

User satisfaction sits at 66 percent. Compare that to providers like Konexial, which regularly tops 90 percent, and the gap is obvious. The iOS App Store shows a 3.9 out of 5 rating across nearly 3,000 reviews [^4]. Google Play runs about 3.8 out of 5 from roughly 14,000 reviews [^5]. These are decent numbers, but the specific complaints about support quality repeat across every platform.

The common themes: difficulty reaching anyone by phone, slow email responses, support staff who do not seem to understand the problem, getting passed between departments without resolution. One representative review: "The price is great, but you get what you pay for. Tried calling support multiple times - either can't get through or they tell me to restart everything."

BigRoad is not separately listed with the Better Business Bureau. Their parent company, Fleet Complete, is not BBB accredited. This is not necessarily damning, as plenty of legitimate companies skip BBB accreditation, but it does mean you cannot check their complaint history through that channel.

The practical implication: if you are comfortable troubleshooting technology problems yourself and do not expect to need much hand-holding, BigRoad's support limitations may not affect you. If you want someone to pick up the phone and help you through an issue quickly, you should probably look elsewhere or accept that support will be frustrating when you need it.

Who Should Use This

BigRoad makes sense for owner-operators who need ELD compliance at the lowest possible cost and can live with the tradeoffs.

The ideal BigRoad customer runs a single truck or a small fleet of two to ten vehicles. They watch expenses carefully and cannot justify $40 or $50 per month for an ELD when a $20 option exists. They are comfortable with smartphone apps and can handle basic troubleshooting without calling support. They do not need advanced fleet management features, just basic compliance and maybe GPS tracking.

Seasonal operators benefit from the month-to-month flexibility. Park the truck for three months over winter? Cancel the service and sign back up in spring. You are not paying for months when the truck is not running.

Carriers testing ELD solutions will appreciate the lack of commitment. Try BigRoad for a few months. If it works, keep it. If not, switch to something else without termination fees.

Operators running cross-border into Canada get a single solution that handles both US and Canadian ELD requirements.

Look elsewhere if you cannot tolerate tech glitches during DOT inspections, if you need reliable customer support when problems arise, if you are growing fast and will need advanced fleet management features within a year or two, or if you run in areas with spotty cellular coverage and need satellite backup.

Final Verdict

BigRoad earns a 4.0 out of 5 and our Best Budget Option badge because they solved a real problem: ELD compliance was too expensive for many owner-operators, and BigRoad made it affordable.

At $19.99 per month with free hardware and no contract, BigRoad removes the financial barriers that kept small operators from adopting compliant technology. The month-to-month flexibility is rare in this industry and genuinely valuable. The built-in load board adds practical utility beyond basic compliance.

The tradeoffs are real. Customer service is weak. Bluetooth connectivity is unreliable for some users. The app crashes more often than it should. The 66 percent satisfaction rate reflects genuine problems that affect a meaningful percentage of users.

Here is how I think about it: BigRoad is the equivalent of a basic, reliable used truck versus a loaded new model with all the options. It gets the job done. It will not impress anyone. You might have to fiddle with it more than you would like. But the price is right, and for operators who need to keep costs down, that matters more than bells and whistles.

If you are choosing between paying $20 per month with occasional headaches or $40 per month for better reliability and support, your financial situation should drive that decision. Neither choice is wrong. BigRoad works for operators who prioritize cost savings and can work through the rough edges. Premium providers work better for operators who value reliability and service.

For budget-conscious owner-operators who need basic ELD compliance without a major financial commitment, BigRoad delivers reasonable value at an unbeatable price point.