Q&A: Reactive repairs cost 9x more than proactive

Do you think trucking executives underestimate the impact of maintenance and downtime on their operations?

Executives know maintenance matters, but many still lack a clear view of its operational and financial impact. In our new State of Fleet Maintenance Report, 80% of fleet professionals named rising maintenance and repair costs their top operational challenge, above driver recruitment and retention (60%) and fuel cost management and fraud prevention (50%). In addition, 29% of respondents estimated their teams spend 11 to 20 hours per week on manual data entry, reconciliation and information transfer between systems. That time lost in manual data entry can delay decisions and keep organizations reactive.

How often is a roadside failure truly a surprise versus something that could have been foreseen with better data or planning?

Roadside failures often feel like surprises because the signals needed to act are spread across systems. 67% of survey respondents identified the inability to predict which vehicles are at risk of failure or unplanned downtime as the single most-cited maintenance pain point. Only 20% said they had deployed proactive or condition-based tools, leaving many organizations to manage failures after they happen.

So the issue is not necessarily a lack of data. It is that data does not consistently reach the right person in time to prioritize a repair.

Is downtime a bigger risk for small fleets than for larger carriers?

Downtime is a risk for operations of every size, but the impact shows up differently. Larger fleets face the higher absolute cost, but for smaller carriers, the relative impact can be greater because margins are tighter and one vehicle can represent a meaningful share of available capacity. A single breakdown can trigger expedited parts, emergency labor, towing, missed work and service disruption.

The question is whether the operation has enough visibility to identify issues early, prioritize the right work and avoid turning a manageable issue into an expensive out-of-service event. Earlier action protects uptime and operating margins.

How could catching maintenance issues earlier lead to increased uptime and utilization?

Catching issues early can give maintenance teams more time to schedule the right work before a defect becomes a breakdown or out-of-service event. 47% of respondents said delayed maintenance had led directly to roadside breakdowns or out-of-service events. In a disconnected operation, an inspection defect or fault code may sit in one system while the maintenance team works from another.

H&R Agri-Power Inc.’s experience captures the issue. Fleet Manager Luke Crawley shared with us, “Before Motive Maintenance, what happened on the road and what happened in the shop were two separate records. Now inspections, fault codes and work orders will be able to run through a single system so problems surface sooner, more of our assets stay in service, and we will finally see the real cost of operating our fleet.” That is how connected workflows can improve uptime and utilization.

Can proactive maintenance lower repair costs in the long run?

Yes. Proactive maintenance can reduce exposure to the costs that make reactive repairs expensive. Industry research cited in the report found that reactive repairs cost three to nine times more than planned preventive maintenance, while expedited parts shipping can cost three to five times the standard rate. Unplanned downtime adds lost productivity, estimated at $448 to $760 per vehicle per day.

How would you advise an exec at a small carrier, with a limited budget, to keep up with maintenance without draining too many resources?

For a small carrier, start with the handoffs that create the most delay: driver-reported defects, fault codes, work orders and vendor invoices. A connected workflow can help prioritize important repairs and reduce duplicate data entry without adding another point solution.

Measure how much time is spent moving information and how often delayed work leads to downtime. Then focus on one high-impact process, such as turning an inspection defect or fault code into a work order.