Fleetio has published its 2026 Fleet Benchmark Report & State of Fleet Management, analyzing aggregated and anonymized data from 1.2 million vehicles across 17.5 billion miles. The dataset includes $7 billion in service spend and 9 million work orders.

The report also incorporates feedback from more than 600 fleet professionals across multiple industries.

Rising Costs Lead Fleet Concerns

Survey respondents identified several top challenges affecting operations:

• Rising costs (54.4%)

• Regulations and emissions mandates (46.1%)

• EV transition and infrastructure (35.1%)

• Technician shortages (32.5%)

• Parts and vehicle availability (28.9%)

Key Findings

AI Adoption Remains Limited

According to the report, 53.3% of respondents are researching or piloting artificial intelligence tools, while 5.6% report broad use. Half of respondents cited accuracy and reliability concerns as the primary barrier to adoption.

Older Vehicles Drive Higher Maintenance Costs

Vehicles more than 10 years old account for approximately 12.1% of total miles but 33.5% of total service spend. Estimated service cost per mile increases with age, from $0.20 per mile for vehicles aged 0–5 years to $1.10 per mile for vehicles older than 10 years.

The report notes that while aging assets can increase maintenance costs, extended service life and deferred replacement expenses may offset some impacts when vehicles are well maintained.

Maintenance Delays Tied To Coordination And Capacity

Respondents identified communication gaps (31.5%), technician availability (27.4%), and unscheduled service volume (25.2%) as the primary reasons maintenance falls behind schedule.

Data cited in the report shows a median time-to-start of 31 minutes for work orders, with a 6.7-day average. Delayed starts can contribute to extended downtime and reduced asset availability.

On-Time Maintenance Leaves Room For Improvement

While 44.3% of fleets reported performing maintenance on time reasonably well, only 9.7% described true consistency as a strength, indicating opportunity for improvement.

The full report is available here

Fleetio will host a webinar on March 5, 2026, featuring survey respondents discussing additional findings and operational strategies. Registration is available on the company's website