Short answer: No fixed percentage works for every truck. Too much is a repair quote above your break-even repair quote, which is the amount where keeping and replacing cost the same over your chosen years. Work it out from your own maintenance, fuel, insurance, downtime, trade-in and replacement price, not from a general rule of thumb.
How much repair is too much on a truck?
No fixed percentage works for every truck. Too much is a repair quote above your break-even repair quote, which is the amount where keeping and replacing cost the same over your chosen years. Work it out from your own maintenance, fuel, insurance, downtime, trade-in and replacement price, not from a general rule of thumb.
Where do I get maintenance cost per year for a vehicle?
Start with this unit's last 12 months of repair and maintenance spend, after the repair you're quoting. If you log work orders in a spreadsheet, a SUMIFS on the unit ID and date range gives you that total. Use the figure for the specific unit, not a fleet average, because older units usually cost more.
What maintenance growth rate should I use?
Look at how this unit's yearly repair cost has changed over the past few years and use that trend. If you don't know, run the comparison at 0%, 10% and 20% growth and see whether the answer changes. If repair or replace flips between those rates, the decision is close and needs better data.
Should I count my trade-in value before or after the repair?
Use the trade-in or sale value of the current unit as-is, before the repair. That's what you'd actually get if you replaced it instead of fixing it. The Repair or Replace Calculator subtracts that trade-in from the replacement price, so counting the repaired value would make replacing look cheaper than it is.
Is the repair or replace calculator financial advice?
No. The Repair or Replace Calculator gives an estimate only, not financial or tax advice. It leaves out taxes, depreciation schedules and loan terms, and "cheaper on your numbers" depends entirely on what you enter. It runs in your browser, saves nothing, and needs no signup. Check big decisions with your accountant.
Track this for your whole fleet
Start with units whose cost per mile or per hour is rising, that spend more days in the shop, or that face a large repair quote. The Small Fleet Maintenance Tracker, an Excel and Google Sheets template, calculates cost per mile for every unit and flags units worth reviewing for replacement, with the reasons.
The Small Fleet Maintenance Tracker is an Excel and Google Sheets template. It calculates cost per mile or per hour for every unit, works out what is due by miles, km, hours or days, and flags units worth reviewing for replacement, with the reasons.
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FAQ
How much repair is too much on a truck?
No fixed percentage works for every truck. Too much is a repair quote above your break-even repair quote, which is the amount where keeping and replacing cost the same over your chosen years. Work it out from your own maintenance, fuel, insurance, downtime, trade-in and replacement price, not from a general rule of thumb.
Where do I get maintenance cost per year for a vehicle?
Start with this unit's last 12 months of repair and maintenance spend, after the repair you're quoting. If you log work orders in a spreadsheet, a SUMIFS on the unit ID and date range gives you that total. Use the figure for the specific unit, not a fleet average, because older units usually cost more.
What maintenance growth rate should I use?
Look at how this unit's yearly repair cost has changed over the past few years and use that trend. If you don't know, run the comparison at 0%, 10% and 20% growth and see whether the answer changes. If repair or replace flips between those rates, the decision is close and needs better data.
Should I count my trade-in value before or after the repair?
Use the trade-in or sale value of the current unit as-is, before the repair. That's what you'd actually get if you replaced it instead of fixing it. The Repair or Replace Calculator subtracts that trade-in from the replacement price, so counting the repaired value would make replacing look cheaper than it is.
Is the repair or replace calculator financial advice?
No. The Repair or Replace Calculator gives an estimate only, not financial or tax advice. It leaves out taxes, depreciation schedules and loan terms, and "cheaper on your numbers" depends entirely on what you enter. It runs in your browser, saves nothing, and needs no signup. Check big decisions with your accountant.
How do I know which fleet units to run through the calculator?
Start with units whose cost per mile or per hour is rising, that spend more days in the shop, or that face a large repair quote. The Small Fleet Maintenance Tracker, an Excel and Google Sheets template, calculates cost per mile for every unit and flags units worth reviewing for replacement, with the reasons.