Semi truck maintenance cost: statistics, drivers and budgets

The short version

• Repair and maintenance averaged about 21.5 cents per mile in 2025 (ATRI), the highest in the recent series.
• The 2025 increase was 8.6 percent, the second-largest percentage rise among ATRI's cost categories that year.
• ATRI's figure excludes tires and towing, so total wear costs are higher.
• Carriers are keeping trucks longer, with average replacement mileage rising to about 633,772 miles, which pushes repair costs up.
• Total operating cost averaged about $2.34 per mile in 2025, so maintenance is roughly a tenth of the total.

The 2024 figure is derived from the reported 2025 level and the reported 8.6 percent increase, not quoted directly. Each ATRI update covers the previous year's data.

The statistics

Source: ATRI operational costs updates, as reported by FleetOwner and The Trucker, checked October 2026

What the numbers mean for an owner

ATRI's figures come mostly from larger fleets, which buy newer trucks, trade them sooner and often pay less for parts and labor. A single owner-operator with an older truck may spend more per mile; one with a new truck under warranty may spend less. Treat the averages as a sanity check on your own numbers, not as a target. If your repair spending is well below the average on an older truck, you may have had a lucky year, and the big bills may still be coming.

What drives maintenance costs

• Truck age and miles. Older trucks need more repairs, and the expensive ones, such as overhauls and transmission work, cluster later in a truck's life.
• Duty cycle. Heavy loads, mountain grades, stop-and-go city work, long idle hours and rough job sites all add wear.
• Parts prices and availability. Supply chain problems raised prices and stretched repair times in recent years.
• Labor rates. Technician wages have risen, and skilled diesel technicians are in demand.
• Emissions systems. Aftertreatment components add maintenance and can be expensive when they fail.
• Maintenance discipline. Skipping or delaying PM services usually costs more later.

Common service costs

Prices vary widely by region, shop and truck, so this list describes what each item involves rather than quoting national prices. Get local quotes for your truck.

• Oil change and PM A service: many gallons of oil, filters, chassis lube and an inspection; one of the most frequent costs.
• Fuel filters and water separator: routine, and important for injector life.
• Brake jobs: linings, drums or rotors, and hardware at each wheel end; frequent on heavy or mountain work.
• Tires: a major cost outside ATRI's repair figure; see how much semi truck tires cost.
• Batteries and starting system: periodic replacement of the battery bank.
• Aftertreatment service: DPF cleaning, DEF system parts and sensors.
• Major repairs: turbochargers, injectors, clutches, transmissions and engine overhauls, the large and less frequent bills.

Budgeting with a reserve

The most reliable way to handle maintenance costs is to set aside money per mile, every mile, in a separate account. Start from a benchmark, adjust for your truck's age and duty, and check against your own records. The maintenance reserve calculator does the math, and our article on maintenance reserve per mile explains how to use it when judging loads.

Lowering maintenance costs safely

• Follow the PM schedule. Our truck maintenance guide explains how to build one.
• Do daily inspections and fix small problems early.
• Use oil analysis to catch engine wear before it becomes a failure.
• Keep tires inflated and aligned to extend tire life and fuel economy.
• Choose shops carefully. Our semi truck repair guide covers getting a straight diagnosis and written estimates.
• Plan service near shops you trust, instead of paying roadside rates.

Warranties and major repairs

Major repairs are where a year's numbers are made or broken. New trucks carry factory warranties, and extended warranties are available for some used trucks. Our guide to semi truck warranty explains what to check in any plan.

Maintenance cost and your rate

Maintenance is a cost of every mile, so it belongs in your floor rate along with fuel, tires, fixed costs and your pay. A load that clears your floor pays for the wear it causes. If you work with a dispatcher, the fee is another line; our page on dispatch rates shows it plainly.

Tracking your own numbers

The best statistic is your own. Keep every invoice and add up repair and maintenance spending each month and quarter, then divide by miles. After a year, you will know your cost per mile, how it compares with the industry average, and whether your reserve is set right. Separate tires from other maintenance so you can compare with ATRI's figures.

Maintenance cost by truck age

Repair and maintenance spending usually rises as a truck ages. In the first years, factory warranties cover many major components, and the main costs are routine service, tires and wear items. As the truck moves past its warranty period and builds miles, the larger repairs start to appear: turbochargers, injectors, clutches, aftertreatment components and eventually engine or transmission work. ATRI's 2026 update linked part of the 2025 increase to carriers keeping trucks longer, with the average mileage at replacement rising.

For an owner, this means a reserve that was right for a three year old truck may be far too low for the same truck at eight years old. Review your reserve every year and raise it as the truck ages.

Maintenance cost by equipment type

Different equipment adds different costs on top of the tractor:

• Reefers add the refrigeration unit, with its own engine or power system, belts, filters and refrigerant service.
• Flatbeds and step decks add straps, chains, tarps and deck repairs.
• Dump trucks add hydraulics, the hoist, PTO and body wear from abrasive loads.
• Tankers add valves, hoses and required tank tests and inspections.
• Box trucks add body doors, roll-up door hardware and often a liftgate.
• Car haulers add hydraulic ramps, cylinders and tie-down equipment.

Track these costs separately from the truck, so you can see what each part of the operation costs.

Downtime is a maintenance cost

The repair bill is only part of the cost. While the truck is in the shop, it earns nothing, and fixed costs such as the payment and insurance keep running. A two day repair can cost more in lost revenue than in parts and labor. That is one reason preventive maintenance pays: planned service happens on your schedule, at a shop you choose, often in a slow week, while breakdowns happen at the worst time and place.

Small fleets and economies of scale

Large fleets often pay less per mile for maintenance because they buy parts in volume, employ their own technicians, and trade trucks before the expensive repairs. Small fleets and owner-operators can narrow the gap by building relationships with good shops, using national account programs where available, keeping trucks on a strict PM schedule, and doing simple routine jobs themselves where safe and practical.

Maintenance and resale

Spending on maintenance also protects resale value. A truck with complete records, recent major services and clean oil analysis reports sells faster and for more than one with gaps in its history. When deciding whether to do a repair before selling, compare the cost with how much it is likely to add to the sale price and how quickly the truck will sell.

Planning the year

A simple yearly plan helps: list expected services by month based on your miles, the annual inspection date, tire replacements by position and any known repairs. Add an allowance for the unexpected. Compare the plan with what you actually spend each quarter, and adjust the reserve.

Questions to ask about your own costs

• What did I spend on repairs and maintenance last year, per mile, without tires?
• How does that compare with the ATRI average, and why?
• Which repairs were planned, and which were breakdowns?
• How much downtime did repairs cause, and what did it cost in lost loads?
• Is my maintenance reserve enough for my truck's age and miles?

Answering these once a year turns a pile of invoices into a plan.

Where the numbers come from

ATRI builds its operational cost figures from financial data supplied by motor carriers of different sizes and sectors, then reports average costs per mile and per hour. Because the data skews toward established fleets, averages may not match a small carrier's experience. Reading the figures as a benchmark, alongside your own records, gives the most useful picture.

Where we fit

Our work is dispatch for 26 ft box trucks and larger equipment. We price every load against your full cost per mile, maintenance included. Learn more about our dispatch service.