First-Ever Breakout of Maintenance Costs by Trucks, Vans, & SUVs

In a first-ever maintenance study to break out maintenance costs by truck categories, PHH Vehicle Management Services has ascertained that expenses have remained relatively stable, for all truck categories, for the past 12 months. It also concludes that new technological enhancements being introduced in new-model trucks will furthermore help hold down fleet maintenance costs for the immediate future. The study, conducted for Automotive Fleet magazine, analyzed the maintenance expenses for 40,701 trucks over seven mileage ranges. The vehicles analyzed in the study sample broke down as follows:

• 669 compact pickups,
• 4,545 full-size pickups,
• 952 compact sport/utilities,
• 156 full-size SUVs,
• 8,397 full-size cargo vans,
• 43 full-size passenger vans,
• 8,299 cargo minivans, and
• 17,640 passenger minivans.

Although the costs of parts and service have remained relatively flat over the past year, PHH Vehicle Management Services notes that enhancements being implemented at the manufacturer level are sure to have an impact on future costs and fleet policies. For instance, the fleet industry has already seen the benefits of synthetic lubricants being used in certain applications. These synthetic lubricants have all but eliminated the need to change transmission fluid or engine coolant under normal driving conditions in certain vehicles. Other products such as platinum-tipped spark plugs have a much greater life expectancy – 100,000 miles (versus the traditional 30,000). High-tech rubber compounds being used to manufacture tires have less rolling resistance, which reduces friction, and the tires last longer. New vehicle technology being implemented by certain manufacturers will offer the information fleet managers need to become more accurate in scheduling necessary maintenance. As an example, for the first time on light trucks, GM has implemented an Oil Life Monitor System on its 1999 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. This system monitors specific computer inputs such as engine revolutions, operating temperatures, actual engine run time, and other inputs to calculate when the oil should be changed. Some vehicles may establish new maximum oil-change intervals of up to 15,000 miles, while other vehicles that experience extended periods of idling time could potentially need to increase their oil change frequency. The benefits of these new technologies are numerous. In addition to the obvious benefits of reduced oil change frequency, less driver down-time, and lower operating cost, there are other benefits that are not so obvious. For instance, because the oil change light is a constant reminder that service is needed, there should be fewer instances when major engine damage occurs as a result of driver neglect. In addition, improved compliance should result in more consistent odometer input information, which is critical in accurately forecasting and budgeting maintenance cost. And the positive impact on the environment is substantial. Potentially millions of quarts of waste oil can be eliminated every year, not to mention the reduction in used oil filter solid waste. “The general trend of the new technologies is positive for reducing maintenance costs. But because each manufacturer is taking its own path on what new technologies to implement on its vehicle lines, it becomes more and more important to know what technology is used in what product line, especially if you want to knowledgeably cut costs by doing only the maintenance that is necessary,” said Bruce Horan, product manager of maintenance offerings at PHH Vehicle Management Services. “We recommend that you double check your preventive maintenance policies to make sure they’re in line with the reality of the newer vehicles. You don’t want to over-maintain a vehicle, but at the same time you don’t want to miss key maintenance events and damage the vehicle, increase safety risks, or decrease the service life.” Also, technology enhancements in medium-duty trucks have helped reduce maintenenace expenses. For instance, Navistar’s new electronic engines have helped lower maintenance costs for Loomis, Fargo & Co. in Dallas, says Loomis executive vice president-fleet management Tommy Harden. “With computer-controlled maintenance, our mechanics are putting in less diagnostic and repair time,” Harden said. “That has caused maintenance to go down.” Harden says that since his fleet switched from performing preventive maintenance every three months to once a month, his maintenance costs have decreased. Since his fleet consists of armored trucks, they are constantly left running. Harden says that is equivalent to the vehicles running 14 miles per hour, every hour of operation.