The monthly maintenance report lands on your desk42 pages of charts, tables, and metrics. Work orders completed: 847. Parts replaced: 1,243. Labor hours logged: 2,156. Every number is accurate. None of them tell you whether the maintenance operation is actually serving the organization's needs.
Most maintenance reports are built for maintenance managers, not fleet leaders. They document activity rather than outcomes. They measure effort rather than results. They tell you what happened without explaining what it means for service delivery, cost control, or strategic planning. The executive who reviews these reports without knowing which metrics actually matter wastes time on operational details while missing the indicators that signal real problems or opportunities.
This guide identifies the metrics fleet leaders should prioritize in monthly maintenance reviews—not every possible KPI, but the specific indicators that reveal whether maintenance is supporting or constraining organizational objectives. These are the numbers that drive decisions about resource allocation, capital investment, operational strategy, and performance accountability.
The Executive Metrics Framework
Not all metrics deserve executive attention. The monthly review should focus on indicators that answer strategic questions: Is the fleet available when needed? Are costs under control? Is the operation improving or declining? Are we positioned for future success? Organize your review around these four categories.
Availability Metrics
Can we deliver the service we've committed to deliver?
These metrics reveal whether the maintenance operation produces vehicles when and where operations needs them. Poor availability cascades into service failures, missed commitments, and customer dissatisfaction.
Cost Metrics
Are we spending appropriately to achieve our reliability goals?
These metrics track whether maintenance spending aligns with budget, delivers value, and trends in sustainable directions. Cost overruns and cost trends reveal systemic issues requiring leadership attention.
Performance Metrics
Is our maintenance program effective at preventing problems?
These metrics assess whether maintenance activities actually improve vehicle reliability and reduce failures. High activity levels mean nothing if vehicles continue breaking down.
Trend Metrics
Are we getting better or worse over time?
Single-month numbers provide limited insight. Trend analysis reveals whether the operation is improving, declining, or stable—and whether interventions are producing results.
Availability Metrics: The Ultimate Test
Fleet availability is the single most important maintenance outcome. A maintenance operation exists to keep vehicles available for service. Every other metric—costs, work orders, parts usage—is meaningful only in context of whether it produces available vehicles.
Fleet Availability Rate
Primary MetricWhat it measures: The percentage of vehicles available for service when scheduled, excluding planned maintenance windows.
Calculation: (Vehicles Available / Total Fleet Size) × 100, measured at pullout time
Target benchmark: 95% or higher for well-performing fleets
What to Look For
- Availability below 90% indicates systemic problems requiring immediate investigation
- Declining trends over multiple months signal developing issues even if current numbers seem acceptable
- Significant variance between locations suggests process or resource allocation problems
- Sudden drops often indicate parts availability issues, technician capacity constraints, or maintenance backlog growth
Executive Action Triggers
If availability drops below target: Request root cause analysis identifying whether the issue is parts availability, labor capacity, vehicle condition, or process efficiency. Set timeline for improvement and schedule follow-up review.
Pullout Success Rate
What it measures: The percentage of scheduled vehicle deployments that actually occur on time and on the assigned block.
Target benchmark: 98% or higher
What to Look For
- Failed pullouts translate directly to service disruptions that passengers experience
- Compare to fleet availability—if availability is high but pullout success is low, the problem is coordination rather than maintenance
- Track reasons for pullout failures: mechanical issues discovered at inspection, vehicles not completing overnight repairs, communication breakdowns
Mean Time Between Road Calls (MTBRC)
What it measures: Average miles or hours a vehicle operates between mechanical failures requiring field service or tow.
Calculation: Total Fleet Miles / Number of Road Calls
What to Look For
- Improving MTBRC indicates maintenance program effectiveness
- Declining MTBRC suggests preventive maintenance isn't preventing failures
- Compare by vehicle age, type, or route to identify patterns requiring intervention
- Road calls are expensive and highly visible—this metric links maintenance quality to service reliability
Cost Metrics: Financial Health of the Maintenance Operation
Maintenance typically represents 15-20% of fleet operating costs. Understanding where money goes, whether spending is appropriate, and how costs trend over time enables informed budget decisions and identifies opportunities for efficiency improvement.
Maintenance Cost Per Mile
Primary MetricWhat it measures: Total maintenance spending divided by total fleet miles operated.
Calculation: (Parts + Labor + Outside Services) / Total Miles
Benchmark context: Varies significantly by vehicle type, age, and operation. Transit buses typically range $0.75-$1.41 per mile; school buses $0.40-$0.60 per mile. Establish your baseline and track against it.
What to Look For
- Rising cost per mile over time indicates aging fleet, declining maintenance quality, or parts/labor inflation
- Compare across vehicle types and age cohorts to identify units requiring replacement decisions
- Sudden spikes often indicate major component failures or catch-up from deferred maintenance
- Cost per mile should decrease as PM programs mature—if it doesn't, investigate program effectiveness
Executive Action Triggers
If cost per mile exceeds budget or rises significantly: Request breakdown by category (parts, labor, outside services) and by vehicle cohort. Identify specific vehicles or systems driving increases. Evaluate whether lifecycle replacement decisions are needed.
Budget Variance
What it measures: Actual maintenance spending compared to budgeted amounts, by category and total.
Calculation: (Actual Spending - Budgeted Spending) / Budgeted Spending × 100
What to Look For
- Consistent under-budget may indicate deferred maintenance building future problems
- Consistent over-budget requires explanation and potential budget adjustment or spending control
- Year-to-date variance matters more than single-month variance due to timing differences
- Break down variance by parts, labor, and outside services to identify specific drivers
Preventive vs. Reactive Cost Ratio
What it measures: The proportion of maintenance spending on scheduled preventive work versus unscheduled repairs.
Target benchmark: 70-80% preventive, 20-30% reactive indicates mature PM program
What to Look For
- High reactive percentage (over 40%) indicates PM program isn't preventing failures
- Reactive maintenance typically costs 3-5x more than equivalent preventive work
- Track ratio trends—improving ratio indicates maturing program; worsening ratio signals problems
- Industry data shows fleets with strong PM programs achieve 25% reduction in unexpected breakdowns
Parts Cost as Percentage of Total
What it measures: Parts spending relative to total maintenance costs.
Typical range: 40-50% of total maintenance costs
What to Look For
- Rising parts percentage may indicate parts inflation, supplier issues, or increased component failures
- Declining parts percentage may indicate labor inefficiency or deferred parts replacement
- Compare to prior periods and identify specific categories driving changes
Performance Metrics: Is the Program Working?
Activity metrics—work orders completed, inspections performed—measure effort. Performance metrics measure whether that effort produces results. High activity with poor outcomes indicates process problems; good outcomes with efficient activity indicates a well-tuned operation.
PM Compliance Rate
Primary MetricWhat it measures: Percentage of scheduled preventive maintenance completed on time (within allowed window).
Calculation: (PMs Completed On Time / PMs Due) × 100
Target benchmark: 95% or higher
What to Look For
- PM compliance directly predicts future reliability—low compliance leads to increased failures
- Identify specific vehicles or PM types with compliance issues
- Distinguish between late completions (eventually done) and missed completions (never done)
- Low compliance often indicates capacity constraints, parts availability issues, or scheduling problems
Executive Action Triggers
If PM compliance falls below 90%: This is a leading indicator of future availability problems. Request explanation and corrective plan. Consider whether additional technician capacity or parts inventory investment is needed.
Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)
What it measures: Average operating time between equipment failures requiring repair intervention.
Calculation: Total Operating Hours / Number of Failures
What to Look For
- Rising MTBF indicates improving reliability—maintenance is effectively preventing failures
- Declining MTBF indicates maintenance isn't keeping pace with vehicle deterioration
- Compare MTBF by vehicle age to inform replacement timing decisions
- Benchmark against similar fleets to assess relative performance
First-Time Fix Rate
What it measures: Percentage of repairs completed successfully without repeat work orders for the same issue within 30 days.
Target benchmark: 90% or higher
What to Look For
- Low first-time fix rate indicates diagnostic accuracy problems, parts quality issues, or technician training gaps
- Each repeat repair doubles the service disruption and maintenance cost
- Track by repair type and technician to identify specific improvement opportunities
Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)
What it measures: Average duration from when a vehicle goes out of service until it returns to service.
What to Look For
- Long MTTR reduces effective fleet availability even when failures are infrequent
- Break down MTTR into diagnostic time, parts procurement time, and actual repair time
- Extended MTTR often indicates parts availability issues or technician scheduling constraints
- Availability = MTBF / (MTBF + MTTR)—improving either metric improves availability
DVIR Completion and Defect Resolution
What it measures: Driver vehicle inspection report completion rates and time to resolve reported defects.
What to Look For
- DVIR completion below 100% indicates compliance risk and missed defect identification
- Time to defect resolution reveals maintenance responsiveness—safety defects should resolve same-day
- Patterns in defect types may indicate systemic vehicle issues or PM gaps
Trend Analysis: The Story Behind the Numbers
Single-month metrics provide snapshots. Trend analysis reveals direction. Is performance improving or declining? Are interventions producing results? Is the fleet aging faster than maintenance can compensate? Monthly reviews should always include 12-month trend visualization for key metrics.
What Trends Reveal
Improving Trends Indicate
- PM program effectiveness increasing
- Technician skills developing
- Process improvements taking hold
- Investment decisions paying off
Declining Trends Indicate
- Fleet aging faster than maintenance capacity
- Resource constraints creating backlogs
- PM programs falling behind
- Need for intervention before crisis
Stable Trends Indicate
- Maintenance matching vehicle deterioration
- No major changes in either direction
- Opportunity to optimize or risk complacency
- May mask seasonal variations
Key Trends to Track Monthly
Fleet Availability Trend
12-month rolling average with monthly data points. Identify seasonal patterns (winter weather impact, summer demand peaks) and underlying directional movement.
Cost Per Mile Trend
Track against inflation and fleet age. Rising costs should correlate with fleet aging; if costs rise faster, investigate efficiency issues.
PM Compliance Trend
Leading indicator of future reliability. Declining compliance predicts future availability problems 2-3 months before they manifest.
Preventive/Reactive Ratio Trend
Improving ratio indicates maturing program. Worsening ratio indicates PM effectiveness declining or failure rates increasing.
Correlation Analysis
The most valuable trend analysis examines relationships between metrics:
- PM Compliance vs. Road Calls: Declining PM compliance should predict increasing road calls 1-3 months later
- Cost Per Mile vs. Fleet Age: As average fleet age increases, cost per mile should increase proportionally
- Technician Hours vs. PM Compliance: Insufficient technician hours correlate with declining PM compliance
- Parts Spend vs. First-Time Fix: Low parts spending may correlate with declining first-time fix rates if quality parts aren't available
Location and Segment Comparisons
For multi-location operations, the most powerful insights often come from comparative analysis. Differences between locations or vehicle segments reveal best practices worth spreading and problem areas requiring intervention.
Location Performance Variance
Compare key metrics across depots or maintenance facilities:
- Cost per mile variance: Why does Location A spend $0.85/mile while Location B spends $1.15/mile?
- Availability variance: Location performance gaps indicate process differences worth investigating
- PM compliance variance: Different compliance rates suggest different resource levels or management attention
- First-time fix variance: May indicate training differences, parts availability, or diagnostic tool access
When locations show significant variance, the executive question isn't "which is right" but "what can we learn from the differences?" The high performer may have practices worth standardizing; the low performer may need resources or process improvements.
Vehicle Segment Analysis
Compare metrics by vehicle type, age cohort, or usage pattern:
- By age: Identify the point where maintenance costs justify replacement
- By vehicle type: Evaluate whether specific models require disproportionate maintenance
- By route/usage: Understand how demanding applications affect maintenance needs
- By fuel type: Compare diesel, CNG, hybrid, and electric maintenance profiles
Segment analysis informs procurement decisions, replacement timing, and assignment strategies. A vehicle type that costs 30% more to maintain than alternatives warrants evaluation of whether operational benefits justify the premium.
Red Flags That Demand Immediate Attention
Most monthly reviews identify incremental improvement opportunities. Occasionally, metrics reveal urgent problems requiring immediate executive intervention. Know the warning signs that shouldn't wait until the next scheduled review.
Fleet Availability Below 85%
This level indicates systemic breakdown threatening service delivery. Investigate immediately: Is this a parts crisis? Technician shortage? Epidemic of failures across vehicle type? The organization cannot sustain service commitments at this availability level.
PM Compliance Below 80%
This is a leading indicator of impending availability crisis. Vehicles missing preventive maintenance will experience increased failures in coming months. Identify capacity constraint causing compliance failure and address urgently.
Cost Per Mile Spike Over 25%
A sudden cost increase of this magnitude indicates either a major failure event or systemic problem. Request immediate explanation and determine whether this is a one-time event or beginning of a trend requiring budget or operational response.
Road Calls Doubled Month-Over-Month
Dramatic increase in in-service failures represents both safety risk and service disruption. Investigate whether specific vehicle types, routes, or failure modes are driving the increase. Consider enhanced inspection protocols until root cause is addressed.
Maintenance Backlog Growing Consistently
A growing backlog of deferred work indicates maintenance capacity isn't keeping pace with needs. Left unaddressed, this translates to declining reliability and eventual availability crisis. Evaluate whether temporary or permanent capacity increase is needed.
Multiple Locations Declining Simultaneously
When all locations show declining performance, the cause is likely organizational rather than local: budget constraints, policy changes, supply chain issues, or system-wide problems. Investigate common factors.
Questions to Ask When Reviewing Reports
Numbers don't explain themselves. The executive's role isn't to accept the report but to interrogate it—asking the questions that connect metrics to decisions.
About Availability
- Did we meet our availability commitments this month? If not, what specifically failed?
- What percentage of service disruptions were maintenance-related versus other causes?
- Are there specific vehicles or vehicle types dragging down overall availability?
- What's the forecast for next month based on current PM schedule and backlog?
About Costs
- Where did we exceed budget and why? Was it foreseeable or unexpected?
- Are rising costs driven by volume (more failures) or price (higher parts/labor costs)?
- What would our costs be if we had achieved target PM compliance?
- Are there specific vehicles that should be retired based on maintenance cost trends?
About Performance
- Is our PM program actually preventing failures, or just consuming resources?
- What's causing repeat repairs, and what's the plan to improve first-time fix rates?
- Are we improving faster, slower, or at the same pace as last year?
- What's the single biggest improvement opportunity we're not pursuing?
About the Future
- Based on current trends, what will our availability and costs look like in 6 months?
- Are there capital investments that would significantly improve maintenance outcomes?
- What risks are we accepting by current resource levels, and are those risks appropriate?
- What would it take to achieve top-quartile performance in our segment?
Designing the Executive Dashboard
The right dashboard presents essential metrics at a glance, enabling quick assessment with drill-down capability when investigation is needed. Well-designed fleet management platforms provide executive-level views that summarize performance without overwhelming with operational detail.
At-a-Glance Summary
The first view should answer "how are we doing?" in 10 seconds. Use traffic light indicators (green/yellow/red) for key metrics against targets. Show this month versus last month and versus same month last year. Highlight any metrics that crossed threshold into warning territory.
Trend Visualization
Include 12-month trend lines for primary metrics: availability, cost per mile, PM compliance. Visual trends communicate direction faster than tables of numbers. Annotate trend lines with significant events (fleet additions, major repairs, policy changes) that explain inflection points.
Comparison Views
Show location or segment comparisons as bar charts enabling quick identification of outliers. The best and worst performers should be immediately visible, prompting investigation of variance drivers.
Exception Reporting
Rather than showing all metrics, highlight exceptions—metrics that crossed thresholds, changed significantly from prior period, or deviated from peers. This focuses attention on items requiring action rather than items performing as expected.
Drill-Down Capability
When a metric warrants investigation, the dashboard should enable immediate drill-down to contributing factors: which vehicles, which repair types, which parts, which time periods. Waiting for follow-up analysis delays decision-making.
Modern maintenance management systems generate these dashboards automatically from operational data, eliminating manual report compilation and ensuring metrics reflect real-time fleet status rather than month-old snapshots.
Frequently Asked Questions
What metrics does Bus CMMS provide for executive maintenance reviews?
Bus CMMS provides comprehensive executive dashboards that present fleet maintenance performance at the strategic level while enabling drill-down to operational details when investigation is needed. The platform automatically calculates and visualizes fleet availability rate, pullout success metrics, and mean time between road calls to assess whether maintenance produces available vehicles. Cost metrics include maintenance cost per mile with breakdown by parts, labor, and outside services; budget variance tracking; and preventive versus reactive cost ratios. Performance metrics cover PM compliance rates, mean time between failures, first-time fix rates, and DVIR completion with defect resolution timing. All metrics include 12-month trend visualization with traffic light indicators against configurable targets, enabling quick assessment of whether performance is meeting, exceeding, or falling short of goals. Location comparison views identify variance across depots, while exception reporting highlights only metrics requiring attention rather than overwhelming with routine data. The system generates these dashboards automatically from operational data, eliminating manual report compilation while ensuring metrics reflect current fleet status.
How often should executives review fleet maintenance reports, and what should trigger more frequent review?
Monthly reviews provide appropriate cadence for strategic metrics under normal circumstances—frequent enough to identify trends and intervene before problems compound, infrequent enough to show meaningful change and avoid excessive time consumption. However, certain conditions warrant more frequent attention: fleet availability dropping below 90% should trigger weekly monitoring until recovery; PM compliance falling below 85% indicates developing problems requiring closer tracking; cost per mile increases exceeding 15% month-over-month warrant investigation before the next scheduled review; and any safety-related metrics showing adverse trends require immediate attention. During major changes—fleet additions, system transitions, new route implementations—weekly or bi-weekly reviews help identify adjustment needs quickly. The key principle is that reporting systems should enable executives to set threshold alerts that trigger notification when metrics cross into warning ranges, enabling review-by-exception rather than requiring manual monitoring. This approach ensures attention when needed while avoiding unnecessary time investment when performance remains within acceptable bounds.
From Reports to Decisions
The purpose of reviewing maintenance reports isn't to acknowledge what happened—it's to inform what happens next. Every metric exists to answer a question that leads to a decision: Should we invest in additional technician capacity? Should we accelerate replacement of aging vehicles? Should we change PM intervals? Should we hold a manager accountable for declining performance?
Fleet leaders who master maintenance metrics gain visibility into an operation that directly affects service delivery, cost control, and organizational reputation. They ask better questions. They identify problems earlier. They allocate resources more effectively. They hold teams accountable for outcomes rather than activities.
The 42-page report full of operational statistics doesn't serve this purpose. The focused dashboard that presents availability, cost, performance, and trends against targets—that enables decisions. Build your monthly review around the metrics that matter, ask the questions that connect numbers to actions, and treat maintenance not as a cost center to monitor but as a strategic capability to optimize.
See Executive-Ready Reports
Discover how purpose-built dashboards transform maintenance data into strategic insights for fleet leaders.
.png)
.png)
