How much should your fleet spend on maintenance? Most fleet managers know their total number but have no idea whether it is competitive. The 2026 ATRI benchmark puts the industry average at $0.202 per mile — representing 8.9% of total operating costs — with annual repair and maintenance averaging $16,192 per heavy-duty truck. But averages hide enormous variation: top-quartile fleets achieve $0.12–$0.18 per mile while bottom-quartile fleets exceed $0.30. Vehicles over 10 years old cost 5.5x more per mile than vehicles under 5. LTL carriers doing 78% of maintenance in-house pay $45–$75/hour in labour; fleets outsourcing the same work pay $125–$175/hour. The gap between where you are and where you should be is not a mystery — it is a measurement problem. And it is a problem HVI's fleet analytics platform solves by tracking cost per mile, cost per vehicle, and reactive-vs-planned spending automatically from every work order, every inspection, and every repair — giving you the visibility to benchmark your fleet against these industry standards and close the gap.
Know Your Numbers. Beat the Benchmarks.
HVI calculates cost per mile, cost per vehicle, and reactive-vs-planned ratios automatically — benchmarked against 2026 industry standards. See where your fleet stands.
2026 Maintenance Cost Benchmarks by Vehicle Type
Where does your fleet sit? Use these ATRI and industry benchmarks to evaluate your own cost-per-mile performance.
Class 8 Tractor (OTR)
$0.202/mi ($16,192/yr)
$0.12–$0.18/mi
>$0.30/mi
Medium-Duty (Class 4–6)
$0.15–$0.22/mi
$0.10–$0.14/mi
>$0.25/mi
Service Van / Light Fleet
$0.08–$0.12/mi
$0.05–$0.08/mi
>$0.15/mi
Transit Bus
$22,000–$38,000/yr
<$20,000/yr
>$45,000/yr
Heavy Equipment (Hrs-Based)
$18–$35/hr
<$15/hr
>$40/hr
HVI calculates your cost per mile and cost per vehicle automatically from every work order — no spreadsheets, no manual data entry. See exactly where you stand against these benchmarks from day one.
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The 5 Cost Drivers That Separate Top and Bottom Fleets
The 60–150% cost gap between top-quartile and bottom-quartile fleets comes from five specific operational differences — each one measurable and fixable with the right tools.
1
Reactive vs. Planned Ratio
Bottom fleets: 55%+ reactiveTop fleets: <20% reactive
Reactive repairs cost 3–9x more than planned maintenance. Every 10% shift from reactive to planned cuts total maintenance costs 15–20%.
HVI fix: Predictive analytics + PM scheduling + daily inspection defect catch shift your ratio from reactive to planned systematically.
Industry avg: 61%Top fleets: 95%+
Every PM missed becomes a future emergency repair at 3–9x the cost. Moving from 72% to 85% compliance generates $1,800–$2,400 per vehicle in year one.
HVI fix: Multi-trigger PM scheduling (mileage/hours/calendar) with 90/60/30-day alerts and auto-generated work orders.
Paper fleets: 18–30 hoursTop fleets: 2–4 hours
Every hour of delay means the vehicle is either operating with a known defect (risk) or sitting idle ($500–$2,000/day lost). Faster resolution = lower cost + higher availability.
HVI fix: Inspection defects auto-generate prioritised work orders with photos, parts, and severity — routed to the right technician instantly.
10+ years: $1.10/mi maintenance<5 years: $0.20/mi maintenance
Vehicles over 10 years old account for only 12% of miles but consume 33.5% of maintenance spend. The replacement sweet spot is when annual maintenance exceeds 40–45% of market value.
HVI fix: Vehicle health scoring and cost-per-vehicle trending identifies replacement candidates with data — not guesswork.
5
In-House vs. Outsourced Ratio
Outsourced: $125–$175/hrIn-house: $45–$75/hr
LTL carriers do 78% in-house and have the lowest per-mile repair costs. Flatbeds at 45% in-house pay significantly more. Every repair type should be evaluated for in-house feasibility.
HVI fix: Work order analytics show which repair types are outsourced, at what cost, and whether bringing them in-house is financially justified.
How HVI Helps You Beat the Benchmarks
HVI is not a reporting tool that shows you numbers — it is an operational system that moves your numbers toward top-quartile performance. Start free and begin tracking from day one.
Automatic Cost-per-Mile Tracking
Labour, parts, and vendor costs captured at work order close. CPM calculated per vehicle, per department, per fleet — no manual data entry. See exactly which vehicles are above and below benchmark.
Reactive vs. Planned Dashboard
Real-time split showing what percentage of maintenance is reactive vs. planned. Track the ratio weekly and watch it shift as PM compliance and predictive analytics take effect.
Vehicle Health Scoring
Each vehicle receives a composite score based on defect frequency, cost trajectory, and age-adjusted benchmarks. Vehicles exceeding the replacement threshold auto-flag for review.
Inspection-Driven Cost Prevention
Daily DVIRs with AI defect detection catch problems at $400 shop repairs instead of $1,900+ roadside emergencies. Every defect caught early is a cost benchmark improvement.
You Cannot Improve What You Cannot Measure
The fleet spending $0.30/mile on maintenance is not spending 50% more than the fleet at $0.20/mile — on a 100-truck fleet doing 80,000 miles per vehicle per year, that is $800,000 in annual waste. The difference is not talent, not luck, and not fleet age alone — it is visibility. Top-quartile fleets know their cost per mile per vehicle, their reactive-vs-planned ratio, their defect-to-repair time, and their PM compliance rate. They know which vehicles are above benchmark and which repair types should move in-house. HVI gives you this visibility from day one: automatic cost tracking from every work order, benchmark comparison built into the dashboard, and the inspection and PM infrastructure that systematically moves your numbers toward the top quartile. Start free today — or schedule a demo and see your fleet's cost data benchmarked against 2026 industry standards.
Benchmark Your Fleet. Close the Gap.
Cost per mile tracking. Reactive-vs-planned dashboards. Vehicle health scoring. Industry benchmarks built in. Trusted by 25,000+ users.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is a good maintenance cost per mile for a Class 8 fleet?
The 2026 ATRI industry average is $0.202 per mile ($16,192 per truck annually). Top-quartile fleets achieve $0.12–$0.18 per mile through structured PM programs, predictive maintenance, and in-house repair optimisation. If your fleet is above $0.25/mile, significant optimisation opportunity exists. HVI tracks CPM automatically and benchmarks against industry standards.
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Q: What percentage of maintenance should be reactive vs. planned?
Top-performing fleets run less than 20% reactive maintenance. Industry average is approximately 45% reactive. Every 10% shift from reactive to planned saves 15–20% of total maintenance costs because reactive repairs cost 3–9x more than the same job done proactively. HVI's PM scheduling and predictive analytics systematically drive this ratio toward the optimal target.
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Q: When should I replace a vehicle instead of continuing to repair it?
The data-driven threshold: when annual maintenance cost exceeds 40–45% of the vehicle's current fair market value with an accelerating defect trend. Vehicles over 10 years old cost 5.5x more per mile ($1.10 vs $0.20) and account for 33.5% of total fleet maintenance spend despite representing only 12% of miles. HVI's vehicle health scoring identifies replacement candidates with specific cost trajectory data.
Q: How do I calculate my fleet's actual cost per mile?
Total maintenance costs (labour + parts + vendor invoices + tyres) divided by total miles driven — calculated per vehicle, per month. HVI captures every cost element at work order close and calculates CPM automatically. Manual calculation requires pulling data from multiple systems and reconciling monthly — HVI does this in real time with no manual data entry.
Q: Does in-house maintenance really save money?
Yes — significantly. In-house labour rates ($45–$75/hr) are 40–60% lower than outsourced shop rates ($125–$175/hr). ATRI data shows LTL carriers doing 78% in-house have the lowest per-mile repair costs across all sectors. However, not all repair types belong in-house — specialised work (transmission rebuild, ECU programming) may be more cost-effective outsourced. HVI's analytics identify which repair categories should move in-house based on your actual cost data.
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