Every day a truck sits idle costs your operation real money — industry data puts unplanned downtime at $448 to $760 per vehicle per day once lost revenue, idle driver pay, and fixed costs are factored in. Paul's Repair Shop provides truck fleet maintenance for commercial fleets and owner-operators throughout Marion County, building a scheduled maintenance program around your trucks' actual mileage and duty cycle instead of a generic calendar.
Whether you need ongoing fleet maintenance and repair for a handful of trucks or a full truck fleet repair program for a larger operation, our ASE Certified mechanics document every inspection and repair so you always have a clear service history for DOT compliance. Paul's Repair Shop backs every fleet maintenance program with a 12-month warranty and 100% satisfaction guarantee, helping Indianapolis fleets stay on the road instead of in the shop.
Fleet maintenance program cost depends on fleet size, truck age, and duty cycle, but national data gives a useful benchmark for budgeting truck fleet maintenance against the real alternative — reactive repair after a breakdown.
| Item | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Preventive Maintenance (per truck, per year) | $15,000 – $25,000 (varies by mileage and duty cycle) |
| Maintenance Cost (per mile) | $0.09 – $0.20/mile |
| Unplanned Repair vs. Scheduled PM | 3 – 5x more expensive when unplanned, per ATA vehicle lifecycle data |
| Average Downtime Cost (per truck, per day) | $448 – $760/day in lost revenue and fixed costs |
| Heavy-Duty Truck Operating Cost (per hour) | ~$91/hour, per RTS Financial operating cost data |
| Annual DOT Inspection (labor only, per vehicle) | $100 – $200, not including any required repairs found |
📊 DATA SOURCE: Cost and downtime figures compiled from American Transportation Research Institute trucking cost reports, American Trucking Associations vehicle lifecycle studies, Platform Science downtime research, and RTS Financial operating cost data.
The math behind a fleet maintenance program is straightforward: a single avoided breakdown — at $448 to $760 a day in downtime, plus a repair bill that runs 3 to 5 times higher than scheduled work — typically pays for months of preventive service. Paul's Repair Shop in Indianapolis, IN builds a free, written quote scaled to your number of trucks, so you know the cost before you commit.
Federal law sets the floor for truck fleet maintenance — 49 CFR 396.17 requires every commercial motor vehicle over 10,001 lbs GVWR operating in interstate commerce to pass a periodic inspection at least once every 12 months, with the inspection report kept on file for 14 months. A solid fleet maintenance program builds routine service around that requirement instead of treating it as a once-a-year scramble.
| Interval | What to Do |
|---|---|
| Every 12 months (federal minimum) | Annual DOT/FMCSA periodic inspection per 49 CFR 396.17, covering brakes, suspension, tires, steering, lighting, and other required components. |
| 14-month retention | Keep a copy of each truck's inspection report on file — the federally required retention period under 396.21. |
| 10,000 – 25,000 miles | Typical interval for oil changes, filter service, and fluid checks on diesel fleet trucks under normal duty cycle. |
| 25,000 – 50,000 miles | Typical interval for brake inspection, cooling system service, and drivetrain checks as part of a structured PM program. |
| Daily / pre-trip | Driver vehicle inspection reports (DVIRs) catch developing issues — like a small coolant leak or worn brake pad — before they cause a roadside breakdown. |
Fleets with strong PM compliance see meaningfully fewer downtime days than fleets running reactive — industry data points to roughly 20% fewer downtime days for fleets with disciplined preventive maintenance adherence. Paul's Repair Shop tracks each truck's inspection due dates as part of your fleet maintenance program, so an annual inspection deadline never sneaks up on your Indianapolis, IN operation.
Many fleet owners delay maintenance to save money in the short term, but the data tells a different story — reactive repair almost always costs more once downtime is factored in.
| Approach | What It Looks Like | Typical Cost Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Preventive (Scheduled) Maintenance | Service performed on a mileage- or time-based schedule, before a component fails. | Standard labor and parts cost; truck stays in revenue service. |
| Reactive (Breakdown) Repair | Repair performed after a component fails, often on the road or at a job site. | 3 – 5x the cost of the same repair done on schedule, plus $448–$760/day in downtime while the truck is out of service. |
A thermostat or hose that costs a few hundred dollars to replace on a scheduled visit can turn into a multi-thousand-dollar engine repair — plus a truck sitting idle — if it fails on the road instead. That gap is the core argument for a structured truck fleet repair program over a wait-and-see approach: Paul's Repair Shop's preventive scheduling is built specifically to keep Indianapolis fleets on the favorable side of that math.
Our fleet maintenance and repair program is built around your trucks, not a generic checklist — every fleet gets a maintenance plan matched to actual mileage, routes, and duty cycle.
| Service Included | What We Do | Avg. Time / Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Preventive Maintenance Program | Custom PM schedule built around each truck's mileage and engine hours, covering fluids, filters, brakes, and major wear components before they fail. | Ongoing, per-truck interval |
| Fleet-Wide Inspections | Inspections across your entire fleet so every truck — not just the one that's acting up — gets checked on schedule. | Varies by fleet size |
| Annual DOT/FMCSA Periodic Inspection | Federally required periodic inspection under 49 CFR 396.17, performed by a qualified inspector and documented for your records. | Required every 12 months |
| Mobile Repair Services | On-site repair at your yard or job site for issues that don't require a full shop visit, reducing tow costs and downtime. | Same-day where available |
| Performance Reporting | Organized service history and repair documentation for every truck, ready for DOT audits or resale. | Ongoing |
| Free Fleet Maintenance Program Quote | Upfront, written estimate scaled to your fleet size before any service agreement begins. | ---- |
Custom PM schedule built around each truck's mileage and engine hours, covering fluids, filters, brakes, and major wear components before they fail.
Inspections across your entire fleet so every truck — not just the one that's acting up — gets checked on schedule.
Federally required periodic inspection under 49 CFR 396.17, performed by a qualified inspector and documented for your records.
On-site repair at your yard or job site for issues that don't require a full shop visit, reducing tow costs and downtime.
Organized service history and repair documentation for every truck, ready for DOT audits or resale.
Upfront, written estimate scaled to your fleet size before any service agreement begins.
Paul's Repair Shop is Indianapolis's trusted source for truck fleet maintenance — serving commercial fleets, owner-operators, and businesses throughout Marion County with documented preventive service, DOT-compliant inspections, and transparent fleet maintenance program pricing. Whether you need ongoing fleet maintenance and repair or a one-time truck fleet repair, our Indianapolis diesel mechanics are ready to help. Request a free fleet maintenance quote online or call (317) 292-8500.
