
Vehicle maintenance expenses declined in CY-2020 primarily due the COVID lockdowns, but are trending upward in 2021. The forecast for CY-2022 is for maintenance costs to further increase due to higher labor rates and tire expenses.
Vehicle maintenance expenses declined in CY-2020 primarily due the COVID lockdowns, but are trending upward in 2021. The forecast for CY-2022 is for maintenance costs to further increase due to higher labor rates and tire expenses.
Now is when the fleet industry should be proactively identifying these future technicians. The fleet industry has a window to tap into this idled labor pool, who will look attractive to other industries experiencing labor shortages leading to increased competition to recruit this talent.
The vehicle maintenance and repair industries are experiencing a skilled labor shortage as technicians in the Baby Boomer demographic retire in greater numbers than those replacing them. The skilled labor shortage requires shops to pay more for skilled technicians, which translates into higher shop labor rates.
The robust economy is creating record numbers of new jobs and a subsequent labor shortage that is being exacerbated by the large wave of Baby Boomer retirements, but some see uncertainty of future market conditions.
Unscheduled vehicle downtime is not only a maintenance issue, it is also an accident-avoidance issue since, on average, 20% of a fleet’s vehicles annually incur downtime due to accidents.
Despite high build quality, vehicle maintenance costs are trending up due to increased advanced technology content, skilled labor shortages, higher tire prices, and more engines requiring synthetic oils and high-capacity oil pans.
Recently, I conducted a survey of several hundred fleet managers to identify emerging industry trends. One recurrent theme expressed by fleet managers was the concern that fleet costs are starting to experience upward pricing pressures. Here's what they told me.
A newly released report from CarMD also finds that the most common problem triggering onboard diagnostics is a faulty oxygen sensor.
Pothole damage to fleet vehicles has become a frequent repair item, especially in late winter months when melting snow and thawing pavement opens up new cracks and damage to roadways, fleet management companies told AutomotiveFleet.com.
Damage to vehicles caused by potholes on local roadways has cost drivers an average of $3 billion per year over the past five years, according to a new study from AAA.
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