The High Price of Fleet Maintenance

Fleet maintenance is one of the largest controllable expenses for trucking and refuse fleets. Every breakdown leads to lost revenue, higher repair costs, and disruptions to operations. According to the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), truck maintenance costs have risen to $0.202 per mile, accounting for 8.9% of total fleet operating expenses.

For refuse fleets, maintenance costs range from 5% to 10% of total operating expenses, largely due to heavy loads, frequent stops, and harsh conditions​..

But here’s the big problem—most fleets still rely on reactive maintenance, addressing issues only after they cause breakdowns. This approach is expensive, inefficient, and unsustainable.

What if you could prevent costly failures before they happen?

This is where AI-powered predictive maintenance solutions come into play—helping fleets cut costs, improve uptime, and optimize every mile.

The Hidden Costs of Fleet Maintenance

Fleet managers often underestimate the true cost of maintenance failures. Here’s a breakdown of how unplanned downtime and inefficient repairs impact your budget:

  • Roadside Assistance:
    Every emergency repair costs between $350 to $700 per call​.
  • Truck Rentals:
    Replacing an out-of-service vehicle costs up to $3,000 per month​
  • Lost Productivity:
    Each hour of downtime costs $448 in lost revenue on average.
  • Parts Waste:
    Inefficient diagnostics lead to unnecessary part replacements, increasing repair costs.
  • Increased Labor Costs:
    Mechanics waste valuable hours troubleshooting without real-time fault-to-fix guidance​.

In short, without predictive maintenance, fleets lose thousands of dollars per vehicle annually.

Red Semi-truck broken down by the side of the road

How FleetHD’s Predictive Maintenance Software Lowers Repair Costs

Instead of waiting for breakdowns, FleetHD leverages real-time vehicle health monitoring to prevent failures before they happen. It integrates data from engine diagnostics, telematics, fault codes, wireless sensors, and maintenance schedules into one powerful platform.

1. Real-Time Truck Diagnostics & Fleet Monitoring

FleetHD automatically detects and prioritizes critical maintenance issues before they escalate.

  • Monitors all vehicle makes, models, and trailers—no need for multiple systems.
  • Aggregates sensor data from brakes, tires, engine, transmission, and fuel systems.
  • Reduces unplanned downtime by alerting fleet managers before small issues become costly failures​FleetHD Demo Meeting No….

 2. Fault-to-Fix Workflows: Get the Right Repair the First Time

Traditional fleet maintenance software bombards managers with too many fault codes. FleetHD eliminates the noise by:

  • Prioritizing alerts based on severity, fault type, and location.
  • Providing step-by-step repair instructions, including wiring diagrams and VIN-matched parts​. 
  • Preventing repeat failures by tracking recurring issues across fleet history.

Result? Fleets using FleetHD cut repair times by 19% and reduce maintenance costs by 30%​

3. Fleet Analytics & KPI Tracking for Smarter Maintenance

FleetHD provides real-time fleet health metrics, including:

  • Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) – Increased by 28% for FleetHD users​Sales_Sheet_Marketing C….
  • Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) – 19% faster repair times with guided fault diagnostics​Sales_Sheet_Marketing C….
  • Fleet Maintenance Cost per Mile – Lowered through smarter part replacements and fewer emergency repairs​

Instead of guessing when repairs are needed, FleetHD uses AI-driven insights to track performance trends across your entire fleet​. 

4. AI-Driven Predictive Maintenance to Reduce Downtime

What makes FleetHD different from traditional fleet maintenance solutions? It predicts failures before they happen.

  • Uses AI-powered fault analysis to detect failing components early.
  • Predicts remaining vehicle life based on fleet-wide data.
  • Optimizes maintenance scheduling, ensuring trucks get serviced before a breakdown occurs​.

With FleetHD, fleets move from reactive to proactive maintenance, saving thousands in repair costs per year.

Case Study: How FleetHD Helped a Major Fleet Reduce Downtime by 33%

FleetHD customers have seen massive reductions in downtime and repair costs:

  • 30% reduction in maintenance costs​.
  • 50% increase in mean time between failures (MTBF)​
  • 25% reduction in vehicle downtime​

One major FleetHD customer, Coca-Cola Consolidated, saw a 33% increase in uptime and extended mean time between failures from 4.5 days to 28 days​.

FleetHD customers experience:

  • Fewer breakdowns.
  • Faster, more accurate repairs.
  • Lower fleet maintenance costs.
Real-Time Vehicle Health Insights

Why FleetHD is the Best Fleet Maintenance Software for Trucking & Refuse Fleets

Unlike other fleet management solutions, FleetHD is an open-platform maintenance system that integrates with any telematics provider​.

Key Benefits of FleetHD’s AI-Powered Maintenance Solution:

  • Predictive Maintenance – Prevent failures before they happen.
  • Smart Alerts – Focus only on critical issues instead of endless fault codes.
  • Fleet Data Unification – View all maintenance data in one centralized dashboard.
  • Total Truck & Trailer Coverage – Works across all vehicle makes and models
  • Fleet Uptime Optimization – Reduce downtime and increase vehicle lifespan.

How Much Could FleetHD Save Your Fleet?

If you could cut fleet maintenance costs by 10%, how much would that impact your bottom line?

FleetHD has helped fleets save millions of dollars by reducing downtime, optimizing repairs, and increasing fleet efficiency​.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the best fleet maintenance software for trucking companies?
The best fleet maintenance solutions offer predictive maintenance, real-time diagnostics, and repair workflow automation. FleetHD provides all of this in a single unified platform.

2. How much does truck maintenance cost per mile?
According to ATRI, truck maintenance averages $0.202 per mile, which represents 8.9% of total operating costs​.

3. How can fleet maintenance software reduce downtime?
Fleet maintenance software like FleetHD prevents breakdowns by monitoring fault codes, vehicle diagnostics, and sensor data in real time.

Final Thoughts: The Future of Fleet Maintenance is Predictive

The industry is shifting away from reactive repairs toward AI-powered predictive maintenance.

Fleets that embrace real-time diagnostics and intelligent repair workflows will reduce costs, increase uptime, and optimize every mile.

FleetHD is your all-in-one solution to take fleet maintenance to the next level.

Contact us today and start saving thousands per truck annually!