Reducing Long-Term Maintenance Costs and Downtime

Among the pain points that come with fleet, there are two specific operations frustrations that can cause long-term stress. The constraints of stretched budgets and keeping vehicles in service longer than planned are areas that require immediate addressing to avoid scrambling for an answer when downtime is unavoidable.

While it would be remiss to say that say that downtime can be eliminated entirely, fleets can take steps to reduce how often it happens and how much it costs when it does. The goal here is to not be running at 100% efficiency (let us know if you're there though) but rather what steps can help agencies move from reacting to problems to preparing for them.

Is Preventive Maintenance Still the Baseline?

The question is not whether there will be challenges, there always will be, but rather how the fleet responds when an unexpected event exposes a hole in the process. That gap often shows up in maintenance records before a driver may notice it on the road.

This is where consistent PM compliance can help agencies avoid higher-cost repairs later, especially when vehicles are being kept beyond their intended lifecycle. As every fleet knows, units are less forgiving when maintenance is delayed, and missed service on a high-mileage vehicle that is already past replacement age can increase the chance of a more expensive repair.

So, is preventive maintenance still the threshold for fleets? Yes, but only if it is treated as more than a task to complete. PM should also create a record of how the fleet is caring for its vehicles, especially when questions come up after an incident.

As retired fleet operations director Larry Campbell once pointed out, that documentation can matter beyond the shop.

“If the unit was involved in an accident, the check sheet shows that your maintenance program keeps the units in safe operating conditions,” Campbell explained. “This has been asked for at times when we are involved in an accident.”

PM should be the starting point for understanding:

• How an asset is performing.
• How closely the fleet is following its own standards.
• Whether a work order was completed.
• Whether intervals still fit how the vehicle is being used.
• If certain departments are consistently late releasing vehicles for service.
• If the same issues are showing up across similar asset classes.

Use Data to Spot Costly Trends Earlier

At this point, fleets probably feel like Jan Brady, but instead of 'Marcia, Marcia, Marcia,' it's 'data, data, data.' We get it, data seems to come up in every conversation, however, it keeps coming up for a reason. And if your fleet isn't taking full advantage of the data coming in, it's time to get on that.

But what does "taking advantage of the data" look like in relation to finding holes within the fleet that could tie into maintenance and downtime?

It can start with tracking repeat repairs, downtime by asset class, repair cost per mile, and vehicles that are becoming too expensive to keep in service. A single repair may not raise concern on its own. But when the same asset keeps coming back for related work, or when several units in the same class are showing similar downtime patterns, that is information the fleet can use.

Those trends can help identify whether the problem is tied to the vehicle, the spec, the operating conditions, or the lifecycle plan. They can also help separate an isolated maintenance issue from a broader operational pattern.

A useful report should make the problem assets harder to miss:

Find Out When Keeping a Vehicle Costs More Than Replacing It

Having the data front and center also means presenting it to the right people, whether that is finance, procurement, department heads, administration, or elected officials. The audience may change depending on the structure of the agency, but fleet still has to show how an aging asset is affecting the operation.

That evaluation should also include input from the people closest to the repair work. Kevin Reinartz, CPFP, fleet operations manager for the city of Farmers Branch, Texas, previously pointed to technician feedback as part of the replacement discussion, especially when determining whether a vehicle can still be repaired affordably.

“I’ll get my technicians involved to see if this vehicle is something that is able to be fixed in a relatively affordable manner, or if it’s something that can be purchased quickly,” Reinartz said.

Those conversations also carry more weight when the relationship is already in place. If leadership only hears from fleet when there is a problem, the discussion can feel reactive instead of proative.

When fleet managers have been sharing fleet information, from data updates to connecting vehicle performance to department operations, the case for replacement is not starting from zero. It becomes part of an ongoing conversation about how to keep services running, instead of a last-minute request for the fleet.

Some good advice in this areas comes from Kelly Reagan, fleet administrator for the City of Columbus, Ohio, division of fleet management who pointed out the need to know the fleet's mission, applications, vehicles and equipment, and duty cycles. “Be the squeaky wheel that gets oiled,” Reagan said. “You ask, and you ask, and you ask until you can’t ask any more and you get the funds you need.”

When looking at future acquisitions, compare the overall operating cost of one vehicle with another. Purchase price matters, but it does not tell the whole story. Fuel use, maintenance needs, downtime, parts availability, and expected lifecycle all affect whether a vehicle is the right long-term investment.

The goal here is to give leadership a clearer picture and, instead of saying an asset is old or has high mileage, the fleet can show what it is costing the agency to keep it in service.

Parts Planning Can Make or Break Downtime

Aging fleets and supply chain issues make parts availability a big part of the downtime conversation. Stocking critical parts, standardizing specs where possible, and improving communication between procurement and maintenance can all help reduce downtime.

Yes, in a perfect world, the fleet budget is limitless. So while it is easy to say “stock up on critical parts,” the reality is that for most fleet-related needs, there is a limit.

Find your limit by:

• Reviewing which parts most often keep vehicles out of service.
• Identifying which assets are most critical to daily operations.
• Looking at which parts have long lead times or repeated availability issues.
• Comparing the cost of stocking a part against the cost of the vehicle sitting down.
• Considering whether the asset is staying in the fleet long enough to justify keeping that part on hand.

This is also where standardization matters as the more variation a fleet has, the harder it might become to stock efficiently. Standardizing specs where possible can help reduce parts complexity and make it easier for the shop to respond when repairs are needed.

Of course, communication between procurement and maintenance matters here as well. If every parts request looks the same, it could become harder to prioritize the part that is keeping a mission-critical vehicle out of service.

Many fleets are sharing the same problems in these areas and, while there isn't a one-size-fits all fix, several requirements can be used as a solid baseline when making transitions or looking to improve the operation as a whole. But remember: take it one step at a time; some of the greatest achievements were a result of a slow and steady pace.

Just keep that checklist front and center.