Majority of Fleets Outsource Fleet Maintenance: Fleet Advantage

The primary concern for C-suite executives (CEO, CFO, COO) is improving the financial and operational stability of their fleets over the next 3–5 years., according to Fleet Advantage’s recent Transportation Industry Benchmark Survey.

The 2025 data, when compared to the firm’s 2023 benchmark, reveals a significant industry evolution characterized by a massive shift in maintenance strategies, aging equipment risks, and a wait-and-see approach to upcoming regulatory changes.

“The heavy-duty transportation fleet industry has moved from a period of supply chain recovery into a new era of deep financial and regulatory complexity,” says Matthew Wiedmeyer, senior director of asset performance and maintenance at Fleet Advantage. “With nearly half of the industry's leadership currently paralyzed by uncertainty regarding upcoming engine changes and tariffs, the difference between profitability and operational risk now lies in the ability to transition from a reactive procurement strategy to precision asset management.”

Key takeaways:

• Nearly half of respondents (48%) identified improving overall profitability and EBITDA.
• Reducing operational and safety risk is a major priority for nearly a quarter (24%) of leadership teams.
• 38% of leaders are focused on increasing organizational capability to scale fleet size more efficiently.
• Only 10% of respondents see improving cross-departmental alignment and communication as a strategic area for the next few years.
• In 2023, over half (52%) were monitoring the CARB pre-buy, which has since dissipated. By 2025, this has transformed into widespread paralysis; 45% are now "undecided" on procurement being driven by the combined weight of engine platform changes and tariffs.
• More organizations looking to pull ahead procurement strategies today compared with two years ago; 7% were expediting orders in 2023, which jumped to 24% planning to increase procurement in 2025.
• Another 24% do not plan to change their procurement schedule regardless of increasing costs.
• In 2025, 45% had difficulty accurately calculating and tracking key metrics like Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) or Cost Per Mile (CPM).
• While fuel was a concern in both years, 2025 shows a sharper focus on costly unpredictable M&R costs (62%) and high interest rates (38%).
• In 2023, 15% of companies utilized full-service leases (FSL). Although the use of FSL changed to 27% in 2025, the data reveals a buyer’s remorse trend. The initial appeal of FSL has been eclipsed by a desire for greater operational control due to the realization of financial constraint.
• In 2025, 17% of respondents are actively trying to escape their full-service contracts due to inflexible costs, a specific pain point not highlighted as heavily in 2023.
• In 2023, 70% of fleets managed maintenance in-house and only 30% utilized third-party providers. By 2025, those figures had become almost completely inverted: 65.5% of fleets now outsource, while in-house operations plummeted to 34.5%. This change correlates with the industry’s cooling sentiment toward Full-Service Leases. As organizations move away from FSL, they are increasingly seeking the flexibility of unbundled leases that allow them to choose their own high-performing third-party partners.
• This shift is further reinforced by the KPIs now prioritized by operations teams. According to the 2025 data, maintenance cost per mile per hour has emerged as the second most vital metric for measuring operational success, cited by 72% of respondents. This further explains why the transition from FSL to unbundled structures is gaining momentum.
• In 2023, only 37% of organizations with transportation fleets had more than 150 trucks that were 5-plus years old. By 2025, the pressure of holding trucks longer is evident, with 55% of organizations now running trucks for more than 5 years as a standard.
• This aging is no longer just a financial metric; 45% of 2025 respondents now admit older trucks are moderately or significantly impacting fleet safety performance.