What an Out-of-Service Order Really Costs, and How to Plan for One

The repair invoice is the first number you see — and often one of the smallest. Here’s what else an out-of-service order can cost a fleet, and how planning can reduce the damage.

The call comes in at 6:40 on a Tuesday evening. A driver is standing on the apron of a scale house on I-40, a state inspector has a flashlight under the tractor, and two brake chambers have pushrod travel past the adjustment limit. The truck is not moving until the problem is fixed.

What happens over the next two hours will determine much of what the incident costs. Not just the violation itself, but how the fleet responds.

Ask that fleet a week later what the incident cost, and you will probably get one number: the repair invoice. It is the figure that arrives with a total printed on it. The rest shows up in pieces, on separate invoices, in different weeks and charged to different accounts. Much of it may never get added back to the truck or event that caused it.

This story was originally published by TruckingInfo (HDT). Read the full story at TruckingInfo (HDT) →