If you compare total maintenance costs for compact pickup trucks, full-size pickups, and cab/chassis vehicles from 1999 to 2000, the costs would seem to be flat. But in a study conducted for Automotive Fleet by PHH Arval, a fleet management company head-quartered in Hunt Valley, MD, the sample size of number of units in the survey increased slightly from 1999 to 2000. The sample size in the full-size truck category increased from 1,629 units to 2,005, showing the increasing strength of the full-size truck market in the fleet industry. The sample size for compact pickups increased by more than 200 units, and the cab/chassis category, which surveyed only 55 units for 1999, surveyed 150 units for 2000. “Even though the number of units in the survey increased, the cost per occurrence (repair) is virtually the same,” said Mark Johnson, manager of truck maintenance services for PHH Arval. “The cost per occurrence in 2000 is within pennies of the cost in 1999.” The findings of the survey are based on a 12-month study that tracked fleet costs for 12 maintenance categories ranging from brakes to suspension for 9,745 pickups operating in commercial fleet service. Last year’s study tracked costs for 7,445 pickups. This year’s study segregated maintenance expenses by seven mileage ranges. The study tracked all expenses in the 12 maintenance categories that were incurred between Jan. 1, 2000 and Dec. 31, 2000. Fleets Paying More Attention To Preventive Maintenance Johnson says the three biggest maintenance items are tires, preventive maintenance, and brakes. “Most of our clients are paying more attention to preventive maintenance,” Johnson said. “They’re taking time to get vehicles checked and keeping oil changes up to date, and that’s going to lower operating costs and keep maintenance costs in line.” Johnson said that if fleets do consistent preventive maintenance every 3,000 to 5,000 miles, they will catch any catastrophic vehicle failures before they happen. “They will be able to keep their vehicles in service a lot longer, as well,” he said. He said, however, there are a number of factors to consider when analyzing maintenance costs. The two significant factors are operating conditions and driver habits. For example, “You can build the ideal vehicle, but if the driver does a lot of city driving, he’s going to use the brakes more often,” Johnson said. “If he’s in a rural area, he won’t be using them as often. Technological Advances Keep Maintenance Costs Down Johnson says improved technology has helped to manage maintenance costs, and he said that this will continue. “Some of the technological improvements included extended life coolant, synthetic lubricants, platinum-tipped spark plugs and distributor-less ignition systems,” Johnson said. “You get better fuel economy, more efficient engine operation, and there is less catastrophic failure on the overall vehicle now. The electronic age has really helped to increase performance and service life on vehicles.” Johnson said another factor in maintenance costs is national account pricing. Most national ac-counts give "preferred" pricing to fleet accounts. He said tire costs decreased from 1999 to 2000, but he said there was a slight increase from 2000 to 2001. Overall maintenance cost should stay relatively stable for 2001.