Manage Data Retention Settings

Use Self-service Data Retention in the Fleet Dashboard to control how long different types of company data stay available, including Dashcam media, Safety, Compliance, Maintenance, Messaging, and Location data.

Overview

Self-service Data Retention helps fleets:

  • Manage how long different types of data are stored.

  • Set a separate retention period for Dashcam media without changing the retention period for other Safety data.

  • Understand when Dashcam media may no longer be available in Safety workflows if retention settings do not match.

Before you begin

  • Only Fleet Admins can manage data retention policies after the feature is enabled for their account.

  • If you do not see these settings, contact Motive Support to enable Self-service Data Retention for your fleet.

Available retention periods

Data typeAvailable retention periods
Dashcam media14 days, 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 180 days, 1 year, Indefinitely
Safety14 days, 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 180 days, 1 year, Indefinitely
Compliance180 days, Indefinitely
Maintenance90 days, 180 days, 1 year, Indefinitely
Messaging30 days, 180 days, Indefinitely
Location30 days, 180 days, 1 year, Indefinitely

Change data retention settings

  1. Log in to the Fleet Dashboard and click Admin.

  2. Go to Admin > Platform > Security and Data. 

  3. Scroll to the Data Retention section and click Edit.

  4. Use the dropdown menus to choose retention periods for Dashcam media, Safety, Compliance, Maintenance, Messaging, and Location.

  5. Click Save.

How Dashcam media retention works

Dashcam media can be managed separately from other Safety data. Dashcam media includes videos, images, and thumbnails.

If your Dashcam media and Safety retention settings do not match, you may see a warning in the Fleet Dashboard.

What happens when retention settings do not match

  • If Dashcam media expires before Safety data, the media is no longer available in Safety, speeding, or coaching workflows after its retention period ends.

  • If coaching data or Safety events expire before their Dashcam media, the media can no longer be accessed.

Notes: 

  • Once data is deleted based on your selected policy, it is permanently removed and cannot be recovered.
  • Messages within a conversation are deleted on a rolling basis as they reach the selected retention period.
  • Entire conversations are deleted when the most recent message exceeds the selected retention period.

FAQs 

Can I recover data after the retention period expires?

No. Once the retention policy deletes data, it is permanently removed from the Fleet Dashboard and cannot be recovered.

Can I set Dashcam media retention separately from Safety retention?

Yes. Dashcam media has its own retention setting, separate from the Safety setting.

Why can’t I view Dashcam media for a Safety event?

This can happen if Dashcam media expires before the related Safety data. It can also happen if coaching data or Safety events expire before their Dashcam media. In those cases, the workflow may still exist, but the media is no longer accessible.

How can I delete older dashcam media or camera-related history?

Go to Data Retention settings in the Fleet Dashboard and shorten the retention period for the relevant data type. Shortening Dashcam media removes older dashcam videos, images, and thumbnails. Shortening Safety removes older Safety data such as Safety and speeding events, Safety Score history, and coaching history.

Who can update data retention settings?

Only Fleet Admins can manage data retention policies after the feature is enabled for their account.

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