Preventive maintenance (PM) compliance is one of the top measures of maintenance effectiveness, and private fleets are running better PM programs today than they have in the past. In the 2026 National Private Truck Council (NPTC) Benchmarking Survey, 77% of private fleets reported PM currency rates of 95% or better, an all-time high and a significant increase from the 60% reported last year.
Yet even with a high percentage of PM being done on time, respondents said 3.4% of equipment remained idle and 32% of all maintenance was unscheduled. Among respondents tracking roadside breakdowns, the number of breakdowns increased to 4.7 per 100,000 miles, up from 4.2 the previous year.
That shows that although being current on PMs and having equipment available for the business are related, they are not the same thing, and uptime is a critical key performance indicator that fleet managers can’t ignore.
Maintaining uptime is becoming even more important as fleets improve utilization. This year’s survey found that the average power unit is now utilized 13.1 hours per day, an all-time high and up from last year's 11.9 hours. It also found that trailer dormancy dropped to 32% from 39%. As fleets increase productivity per asset, there is less room in the network to absorb a unit that is out of service.
PM Compliance Is the Starting Point
This year’s high PM currency rate shows fleets are becoming more disciplined about getting equipment into the shop on time, but maintaining PM schedules is only one part of a maintenance program.
A vehicle can receive service on time and be properly diagnosed, but it remains unavailable if a needed component or technician isn’t available. According to the report, factors contributing to the 3.4% idle rate included parts lead times, technician availability, shop throughput and the complexity of the repair itself. A strong maintenance program depends on having the right resources available to complete repairs, and maintenance capacity is an important part of the uptime equation.
Build a Targeted PM Checklist
Preventive maintenance only prevents the failures it is designed to catch, and what technicians check and the quality of the work performed during the inspection matters. A thorough, data-driven PM process as well as inspection procedures, technician training, repair standards and follow-up work, can reduce the risk of unscheduled work down the road.
According to the survey, emissions systems remained the leading cause of roadside breakdowns, cited by 58% of fleets that track the metric, followed by tires at 54%. Electrical systems and brakes were each cited by 25% of respondents, and cooling systems were cited by 25%, up from 6% the year before. Looking at maintenance and component trends can inform PM checklists and help technicians get ahead of issues before they become bigger problems.
Unscheduled Maintenance Creates a Different Type of Disruption
Unscheduled maintenance is where PM programs, parts availability and uptime intersect. This year's survey found 68% of maintenance was scheduled and 32% was unscheduled. Scheduled maintenance gives fleets the ability to plan around equipment availability, but unscheduled work is generally more expensive, harder to plan around and more disruptive to operations.
A vehicle that enters the shop unexpectedly is also more likely to already have a driver assigned, freight scheduled and a delivery commitment attached to it. Fleets can compensate with spare equipment or by shifting assignments, but that can affect utilization.
A roadside failure takes the issue one step further because it removes the fleet’s ability to control where and when the repair occurs. Plus, the average cost of a breakdown is $1,324 and creates about 12 hours of delays. What’s more, about 2% of breakdowns resulted in an out-of-service violation, which can lead to longer delays, affect CSA scores and increase driver frustration.
Downtime Also Affects Drivers
Equipment availability and driver productivity are closely connected. According to the survey, the average private fleet driver works 51.9 hours a week but spends 32.5 hours behind the wheel. The rest of the time is spent on other activities including loading, unloading, inspections, paperwork and yard movements. A maintenance delay can add nonproductive work to the day if a driver has to wait for equipment, transfer freight or deal with a roadside event.
Equipment-related issues were cited by 11% of respondents as a reason behind a driver’s departure. They also listed working conditions, cited by 64%, and home time, cited by 43%, both of which can be affected by equipment reliability and unexpected downtime.
Align Maintenance Models With Uptime Goals
Where maintenance is performed matters less than whether the arrangement supports equipment availability, and the NPTC survey found that 43% of private fleets now use a combination of in-house and outsourced maintenance, the highest percentage in the survey’s history.
The report cited technician shortages in certain geographic regions as a reason fleets may use more than one maintenance strategy and noted that different work supports uptime in different ways. Performing preventive maintenance overnight at a high-volume terminal keeps equipment in service during operating hours. Sending a complex emissions or electrical diagnosis to a technician who already has the tooling and training can return a vehicle to service faster than working through it internally.
Among fleets conducting in-house maintenance, 87% handle preventive maintenance, 85% handle trailers, 79% handle tires, and 76% handle both brake systems and suspension. Electrical systems are handled internally by 74% of respondents. More specialized work is less likely to remain in-house, with 61% handling engines, 55% emissions equipment and 37% accident and body repair.
The goal is to match the work to the approach that gets the truck back on the road sooner and improves uptime. To learn more about Penske’s maintenance services, including its Dynamic PM®, 24/7 roadside assistance, contract maintenance, mobile maintenance services and managed maintenance, as well as its proactive diagnostics service that helps identify potential issues before they lead to breakdowns, contact us today.