High-Impact Maintenance Reporting Techniques for Trucking Shops
- Dave Cadotte
- Aug 5
- 2 min read
Effective maintenance analytics can unlock major savings, sharpen preventative strategies, and ensure every truck is spec’d for freight fit. Below are four essential reporting techniques every maintenance shop should be using to better manage total cost per mile (CPM), guide smarter spec decisions, and design high-ROI preventative maintenance (PM) programs.
1. Total Repair Cost Trend by Mileage Interval and Specification
Tracking repair costs at specific mileage intervals and comparing by vehicle brand and configuration offers sharp visibility into cost performance over a truck’s life cycle. When this data includes drill-down capabilities, maintenance managers can identify whether certain components, duty cycles, or specs are driving higher costs.
Why it matters: Pinpoints optimal spec choices for specific hauls and highlights poor long-term performers. This directly supports total cost per mile analysis and spec refinement.
2. Tire Cost Per Mile by Brand and Position
Tires are a major operational cost. Tracking cost per mile (CPM) not just by brand but also by position (steer, drive, trailer) adds value to tire program evaluation. This insight can reveal brand-specific wear rates or underperforming tread patterns by wheel location.
Why it matters: Informs smarter tire purchasing, rotation strategies, and warranty management which are all core levers in reducing operating costs.
3. Cost by Repair Type with Ribbon Trend
A ribbon trend chart showing cost distribution by repair type (e.g., brakes, HVAC, electrical) over time provides both trend visibility and category proportion at a glance. Unlike stacked bars or tables, the ribbon style highlights which systems are growing in share of total cost.
Why it matters: Helps maintenance teams target high-impact systems for redesign, training, or vendor review which is key to proactive cost containment.
4. Repairs by Type Between Preventative Maintenance (PM) Intervals
Capturing the types of repairs that occur between PMs gives direct feedback on the effectiveness of current PM strategies. Frequent unscheduled repairs in certain categories may point to gaps in the PM checklist or misaligned service intervals.
Why it matters: Drives refinement of PM schedules, reducing unplanned downtime and improving asset reliability.
Bringing It All Together
These reporting techniques do more than track costs, they drive decision-making:
Managing total cost per mile: Granular visibility into where money goes, and why.
Designing smarter PM programs: Data-backed adjustments reduce surprises and boost uptime.
Optimizing spec decisions: See which brands and builds truly perform best over time.
For maintenance shops that want to move from reactive repairs to proactive strategy, high-impact reporting is the most powerful wrench in the toolbox.
Results From Data partners with fleet maintenance to build impactful reporting dashboards and assist with shop procedure design.
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