The current state of the economy has taken its toll on many industries. The reason for
this is likely tied up in the toll it has taken on fleets across the country. With the dramatic
increases in inflation, fuel, equipment, and labor costs, companies are struggling to keep up.
This is forcing a higher cost onto the consumer directly for just about every good and service
across the board. This is unlikely to settle for quite some time. Manufacturer delays are so
common now that fleets have been forced to focus on preventative maintenance as their top
priority.
Maintenance costs were down in the year 2020 due to the COVID19 pandemic. As things
started reopening and customers started placing more orders, maintenance costs increased in
2021. Now that we are halfway through 2022 we are seeing even greater maintenance costs
across the board. There has been a 20.4% increase in repair costs since the year 2020 just to
2022. This is more than a little inflation that companies could have anticipated. In order to help
get in front of the small problems that could exist and in order to prevent them becoming large
maintenance items, companies are now recommended to check their APUs more often than
ever. APUs help reduce idling with can help to prevent large maintenance items in the long-run.
Repairs have become so costly that they are now placed in order of priority. Repairs that
are a safety concern are taken care of immediately. Drivers need to be kept safe while on the
road at all times in order to protect themselves and others. Repairs that impact the reliability of
the vehicle are next in line. Finally, convenience items are taken care of last. If you are worried
about the ongoing maintenance of your fleet, we highly recommend taking the preventative
maintenance approach.