Maintenance reserve calculator
Work out how much to set aside per mile, per week and per month so repairs are planned withdrawals, not emergencies.
Updated October 2026 · Free, no signup
Big-ticket items (EXAMPLE costs, use your shop's quotes)
Maintenance reserve
EXAMPLE- Set aside per mile
- $0.285
- Per week
- $604
- Per month
- $2,617
- Per year
- $31,401
- Routine repairs
- $0.215/mi
- Tires (full set)
- $0.017/mi
- Brake job
- $0.012/mi
- Major engine / aftertreatment work
- $0.042/mi
Move the weekly amount into a separate account every settlement. When the big repair comes, it's a withdrawal, not an emergency.
ATRI 2025 average repair & maintenance: $0.215/mi, mostly fleets with newer trucks (2026-10). Older trucks usually run higher; your own history is the better number.
Setting aside $604 a week only works if the truck runs steady weeks. Our dispatchers plan the week ahead, and you confirm every load.
Plan steady weeksHow it's calculated
| Line | Formula |
|---|---|
| Routine repairs per mile | Your last 12 months of repair spend / those miles, or ATRI's average |
| Each big-ticket item per mile | Its cost / the miles it lasts |
| Reserve per mile | Routine + all big-ticket items |
| Weekly / monthly reserve | Reserve per mile x miles per year / 52 or / 12 |
The ATRI figure is the industry's repair and maintenance cost per mile from its 2025 operating cost survey: $0.215 per mile.
Source: ATRI operating cost survey, 2025 data · checked 2026-10
Worked example
| EXAMPLE: 110,000 miles a year | Per mile |
|---|---|
| Routine repairs at the ATRI average | $0.215 |
| Tires: $4,200 every 250,000 mi | $0.017 |
| Brake job: $2,400 every 200,000 mi | $0.012 |
| Major engine or aftertreatment: $25,000 every 600,000 mi | $0.042 |
| Reserve per mile | $0.286 |
| Per week | about $605 |
| Per month | about $2,620 |
The costs and intervals are EXAMPLES. Replace them with your shop's numbers for your truck.
What the number tells you
If the reserve per mile is a big share of your all-in rate, either the truck is expensive to keep running or your rates are thin. Add it to your cost per mile so every load you accept pays for the repairs it causes.
Keep the reserve in its own account. The habit matters more than the exact cent: a carrier with $15,000 set aside fixes the truck and keeps running; one without parks the truck and loses the week, sometimes the business.
Older trucks and vocational trucks
A truck with high miles usually spends more per mile than the fleet average, and vocational trucks like dump trucks add hoists, PTOs and bodies that wear on their own schedule. Track every repair by date and mileage for a year, then switch the calculator to your own history.
Questions about this calculator
How much should an owner-operator save for maintenance?
Base it on cost per mile. ATRI's 2025 survey averaged about 21.5 cents per mile for repair and maintenance, mostly for fleets running newer trucks. Older trucks often run higher. Add big items like tires and major repairs spread over their life, then set aside that amount from every load.
What is a maintenance escrow?
A maintenance escrow is money held back from your settlement into a separate account for repairs. Lease-purchase programs often require one. If you run your own authority, you can do the same thing yourself: move a fixed amount each week into an account you don't touch except for repairs.
Should I use my own repair history or an average?
Your own history, once you have a year of it, because it reflects your truck's age, miles and duty cycle. Until then, the ATRI average is a reasonable starting point, but expect an older truck to need more.
What big repairs should I plan for?
Tires, brake jobs, clutch, aftertreatment parts like DPF and EGR components, injectors, turbo, and on high-mile trucks, an overhaul. Get rough costs and intervals from your shop and enter them so each is spread over the miles it lasts.
Is a warranty plan a substitute for a reserve?
No. A breakdown protection or warranty plan covers specific failures under its terms. You still need a reserve for routine work, wear items and anything the plan excludes. And neither one is insurance: insurance covers accidents and liability.
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