How to Calculate Repair Cost Per Mile for Each Truck

Week 3 · Cost per mile · Maintenance budgeting

When cash is tight, it’s tempting to look at a big invoice and say, “That’s too much,” without context. A truck that runs 80,000 miles a year will naturally spend more on maintenance than one that barely moves — but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad truck.

One of the simplest ways to compare units is to look at repair cost per mile. You don’t need expensive software. You can do it in Google Sheets.

Step 1: Gather 12 months of repair history

Start with your invoices and repair log. For each unit, pull:

• Total repair cost for the last 12 months (parts + labor).
• Total miles driven in that same period (from dispatch, fuel reports, or odometer snapshots).

If you don’t have perfect mileage data, use the best estimate you have and start from there. You can tighten it up over time.

Step 2: Build a cost-per-mile sheet

Create a new Google Sheet called Repair Cost Per Mile and add columns:

• Unit #
• Year / make / model
• Total repair cost (last 12 months)
• Total miles (last 12 months)
• Repair cost per mile

In the Repair cost per mile column, use a simple formula:

=TotalRepairCost / TotalMiles

If a truck had $7,500 in repairs over 50,000 miles, that’s $0.15 per mile in repair cost.

Step 3: Compare units side by side

Once you have this built out, sort by Repair cost per mile from highest to lowest. This will quickly show you:

• Units that are consistently expensive to keep on the road.
• Older units that are still cheap to run.
• Newer units that may have underlying issues.

The goal isn’t to get rid of every expensive unit overnight, but to identify where money is leaking.

Step 4: Put numbers in context

A truck with slightly higher repair cost per mile may be worth keeping if it:

• Handles your heaviest routes.
• Is driven by a top performer.
• Supports key contracts.

But if a unit has high cost per mile, high downtime, and drivers hate it, that’s a clear candidate for a replacement plan or deeper diagnostic work.

Step 5: Use cost per mile in your PM planning

Units with good cost per mile are worth protecting with strong preventative maintenance. Units with bad numbers might need:

• A deeper look at repeat failures.
• A conversation about retirement or replacement.
• Changes to how and where they’re used.

This turns maintenance from “fix whatever breaks next” into a more strategic decision.

Need help making sense of your numbers?

When we service fleets in Indianapolis, we can help you look at your repair history and see where cost-per-mile is starting to creep up before it becomes a crisis. Pair that with on-site PM and inspections, and you can stay ahead of most surprises.