A blown turbo shouldn't blow up your week. Enter your miles, your truck's odometer, and what you spent on upkeep last year to see your real maintenance cost per mile against the ATRI fleet average — and exactly how much to set aside per mile, per week, and per year for repairs and tires.
| Recommended reserve | Per mile | Per year |
|---|
A planning estimate, not a guarantee of your repair bills. The reserve is a TruckMargin model anchored to the ATRI fleet average — your actual costs depend on the truck, how it's run, and luck. Size your set-aside with it; keep receipts for the real deductions.
The American Transportation Research Institute tracks real fleet costs every year. In 2024, repair & maintenance and tires together ran about $0.245 per mile — roughly $24,500 a year at 100,000 miles. That's the fleet-wide average across new and old trucks; yours moves with the odometer.
| Cost component | ATRI 2024 ($/mile) | Per 100,000 miles |
|---|---|---|
| Repair & maintenance | $0.198 | $19,800 |
| Tires | $0.047 | $4,700 |
| Combined upkeep | $0.245 | $24,500 |
Source: ATRI, An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking: 2025 Update (2024 figures). R&M fell 2% from $0.202 in 2023; tires rose 2.2%. ATRI flagged R&M ticking back up ~2.8% in early 2025.
Maintenance cost per mile is low while the truck is young and under warranty, then climbs hard as the odometer passes 600,000–700,000 miles and big-ticket aftertreatment, injector, and transmission work shows up. A reserve that rises with mileage keeps cash ready for the repair that's actually coming. TruckMargin's reserve model, anchored to the ATRI average:
| Truck odometer | Reserve ($/mile) | Per year @ 100k mi |
|---|---|---|
| Under 250,000 mi (often under warranty) | ~$0.13 | ~$13,000 |
| 250,000 – 500,000 mi | $0.13 → $0.22 | $13,000 → $22,000 |
| 500,000 – 750,000 mi | $0.22 → $0.33 | $22,000 → $33,000 |
| 750,000 – 1,000,000 mi | $0.33 → $0.44 | $33,000 → $44,000 |
| Over 1,000,000 mi | ~$0.47 | ~$47,000 |
A planning heuristic, not measured data for your specific truck — it interpolates smoothly between bands. Around 600,000 miles it lands near the $0.245 fleet average; newer trucks sit below it, high-mileage trucks above.
The fleet average is smooth; your actual repair bills are lumpy. The per-mile reserve above exists to absorb the big, unscheduled jobs below — any one of which can hit in a single week. These are typical 2026 ranges including parts and labor (dealer diesel labor runs about $150–$175/hour); your quote varies by engine, brand, mileage, and shop.
| Repair / part | Typical 2026 cost |
|---|---|
| Turbocharger replacement | $2,000 – $4,000+ |
| DPF cleaning (off-truck service) | $450 – $900 |
| DPF replacement | $3,000 – $8,000 |
| DOC / oxidation catalyst | $2,000 – $5,000 |
| Fuel injectors (remanufactured set) | $1,500 – $4,500 |
| Clutch replacement | $1,650 – $3,000 |
| Drive-tire set (6 tires, tandem tractor) | $2,000 – $4,500 |
| In-frame engine overhaul | $15,000 – $25,000 |
| Out-of-frame engine overhaul | $25,000 – $40,000+ |
Typical ranges compiled June 2026 from industry repair-cost guides: Millennials Maintenance (2026 repair costs by type) and TruckClub heavy-duty rebuild costs, corroborated by DPF, tire and clutch cost guides (SPELAB, Filtertherm, Repairius). Planning estimates only — get a shop quote for your truck. A single big repair in a year is why your cost per mile can run well above the $0.245 average.
Start at the ATRI combined average of about $0.245/mile and adjust for your odometer — roughly $0.13 under 250k miles, near average around 600k, and $0.40+ past 900k. Set it aside every settlement so it's there when the truck needs it.
Yes — the benchmark and the reserve cover routine PM, repairs, and tires. It does not include the truck payment, insurance, or fuel; those live on the cost-per-mile, insurance, and diesel tools.
Not necessarily. High-mileage and out-of-warranty trucks routinely run $0.30–$0.45/mile, and a single big repair year skews it. Compare against the age-tiered reserve, not just the fleet average, and watch the trend over several months.
At ATRI's 2024 fleet average of about $0.245/mile, upkeep runs roughly $24,500 a year at 100,000 miles — before any single big repair. A turbo, DPF, or clutch job can add thousands in one year, and an in-frame overhaul runs $15,000–$25,000, which is why a mileage-scaled reserve beats a flat monthly budget.
Typical 2026 ranges: turbo $2,000–$4,000; DPF cleaning $450–$900 or replacement $3,000–$8,000; a reman injector set $1,500–$4,500; clutch $1,650–$3,000; drive-tire set $2,000–$4,500; in-frame overhaul $15,000–$25,000. See the table above and size your reserve to absorb them.
Yes — this page prices maintenance per mile; for a full-year budget by service (PM oil changes, tires, brakes, DPF cleaning) use our truck maintenance cost per year calculator. It itemizes the annual preventive-maintenance schedule and splits it into a monthly set-aside.
Benchmark figures from ATRI's An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking: 2025 Update (repair & maintenance $0.198/mi, tires $0.047/mi, total operating cost $2.260/mi for 2024), corroborated by Fleet Maintenance. The per-mile reserve model is TruckMargin's own planning heuristic, anchored to that fleet average and scaled by odometer; it is an estimate, not a quote or a guarantee of repair costs. Last updated July 2026. Built by TruckMargin.