Evolving from a reactive to proactive maintenance mindset: one fleet executive’s journey

For many maintenance operations, it’s the million-dollar question. In my experience working across transportation and fleet operations for a few decades, I’ve seen firsthand how sticking with a reactive approach—fixing equipment only after it breaks—can silently cost thousands. Often, you don’t even realize it until the invoices stack up and the equipment is offline when you need it most.

When maintenance is handled the way it’s always been done, repairs still happen—but usually at a higher cost and during the worst possible times. Emergency parts orders, towing, driver delays, and out-of-service equipment all take their toll. That’s why I believe a proactive maintenance strategy, or using data and technology to get ahead of future problems, isn’t just more helpful—it’s essential for any maintenance operation that relies on uptime and performance.

The Four Core Areas of Maintenance 

Over the years, I’ve developed a framework that helps shift operations away from a reactive stance and into a more strategic, cost-conscious approach. I see these breaking down into four key areas of maintenance, each playing a distinct role. Together they form a complete roadmap for smarter maintenance operations. Here’s how I define them.

1. Planned Maintenance

Planned maintenance is about using all available information — telematics, inspections, usage data, and work history — to schedule service at the most opportune times. Rather than reacting to breakdowns, you’re planning around operational realities, technician availability, and fleet needs. Done right, it helps avoid bottlenecks and keeps assets moving without disruption.

2. Proactive Maintenance

This is where we really start to challenge the reactive mindset. Proactive maintenance involves replacing parts and components based on historical performance and known lifespans. You're not waiting for something to break; you're acting ahead of time, based on data. The goal is simple: Limit unscheduled repairs and extend the life of the equipment.

3. Preventive Maintenance (PM)

PM forms the backbone of any maintenance program. It includes scheduled services like oil changes, tire rotations, fluid top-offs, DOT inspections, and other recurring checks. These services keep assets compliant and reliable while preventing small issues from becoming major failures. Skipping or delaying a PM might save time in the short term, but in my experience, always costs more in the long run.

4. Predictive Maintenance

The final piece of the puzzle — and the one that’s still maturing in our industry — is predictive maintenance. In my view, predictive tools, which are often powered by AI or machine learning, only become truly valuable when they are rooted in real-world operational data. They shouldn’t just be black-box algorithms; they should be built on insights from all the other maintenance areas.

For predictive maintenance to work, I believe it needs to integrate the following:

• Telematics data that shows how, where, and under what conditions your equipment is operating
• Historical failure data to understand when components typically give out
• Real-time alerts or fault codes that point to imminent issues
• CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) data that include scheduled and past services

When predictive systems are fed this kind of data, they stop being theoretical and start becoming tools that actually prevent breakdowns. That’s when they begin to earn their place in a technician’s toolbox.

When proactive thinking beats the warranty

Let me share a real-world scenario that perfectly illustrates the battle between a reactive and proactive mindset.

At one point, I managed a fleet experiencing recurring fuel injector issues. I won’t name the engine brand, but the problem was consistent—and costly. We had warranty coverage, but it only kicked in after failure. Even then, the claims process was complex and slow.

We started analyzing the data and saw a clear pattern: once one injector failed, the others were likely to follow. And every failure took a truck off the road for days. Between driver downtime, parts delays, and missed loads, the real cost was far greater than the component itself.

That’s when I proposed something that made some people think I was crazy: replace all the injectors proactively when the first one failed—even if that meant voiding the warranty on the others.

To many, this went against the grain. Why throw away “good” parts? Why eat the cost of something under warranty? But they were stuck in a reactive mindset. They didn’t yet see what I saw—that the true cost was the downtime, not the part.

By acting proactively, we significantly reduced downtime and saved the operation tens of thousands of dollars. It wasn’t about being reckless or wasteful—it was about being strategic. This decision came from experience, data analysis, and a deeper understanding of the long-term costs tied to reactive behavior.

My Takeaway

This is my personal philosophy on maintenance, shaped by decades of hands-on experience in fleet operations. I’ve learned that reactive maintenance will always cost more in terms of time, money, and stress. Moving toward a proactive and predictive mindset isn’t just a matter of technology, it’s a matter of culture.

Maintenance is no longer just about fixing what’s broken. It’s about building a system that prevents failure in the first place. That requires data, discipline, and a willingness to challenge old habits.

If your operation is still reacting to problems instead of planning for them, now is the time to start that shift. You don’t have to overhaul everything overnight. The first step is to start asking better questions, collecting better data, and making smarter decisions.

That’s how you move from reactive to proactive maintenance. Once you have that figured out, you can begin the next journey: developing a predictive mindset.