Other factors driving costs up

Section 232 tariffs on steel, aluminum, and other materials are believed to have helped drive up the cost of repair parts, resulting in higher M&R. The Supreme Court ruled in February that the separate reciprocal tariffs did not meet International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) standards and struck them down. ATRI said if those are replaced, the issue of higher parts prices would be exacerbated.

While the parts price hikes increased M&R, technician labor was down 0.4% in Q4 2025 vs. Q2024. ATRI predicts labor to stay flat through the year. And early data from carriers in the first half of 2026 indicate M&R was only up 2.4%, down slightly from the same time last year.

Tariffs were also blamed for tires being up 6.4%. And while early 2026 showed tire costs down nearly 5%, though that data does not include the disruptions stemming from the conflict with Iran and Strait of Hormuz closures. Oil and tire prices are closely tied together, and because of uncertainty around tariffs and oil market stability, ATRI concluded that tire costs will stay high into 2027.

Among ATRI’s respondents, the average truck age was 3.6 years in 2025, a slight increase from 3.4 years where it had stayed from 2022. As fleets delayed replacements and increased asset usage, the average annual miles per truck also increased from 82,677 miles to 85,991, a 4% jump. That’s still 17% lower than 2016, when average annual mileage was about 104,000.

The thing to consider here is that carriers’ replacement cycle is around 7 years, according to ATRI, with trucks accumulating 634,000 miles over that time. And the older a truck is, the higher the maintenance costs.

The question fleets must ask is if maintenance costs are lower or higher than acquiring a new truck. Brian Antonellis, SVP at Fleet Advantage, stressed that the key is to find a balance between maintenance and replacement costs they can live with.

“When a fleet decides to reduce the average replacement quantity, they need to understand the increase in R&M that will occur,” he offered. “The two cost lines we need to focus on are fuel and M&R, as they drive the majority of the asset-based variable cost. Ensuring that you have flexibility in your end-of-life decisions is critical to finding balance in the cost of your fleet.” 

Everyone sees the fuel variability when driving by any gas station; maintenance costs are more nuanced. Figuring a Class 8 truck running 100,000 miles per year, Antonellis said that M&R costs start at 2 cents per mile ($2,000 total) in the first year, and grow to 16.5 cents ($16,500) in the sixth year. The procurement expert noted that these costs do not account for increased parts costs tied to inflation.