Idle trucks: the fleet's silent cash-burner
In 2026, the cost per mile of a truck rose to $1.85 (ATA Cost of Operations Report 2025). That cost ignores whether the truck is moving — leasing, insurance, depot and depreciation run even when idle.
Industry case: a typical 100-truck fleet has 5-10 trucks idle most of the time. 10 idle trucks × $1.85/mile × 8,000 miles/month × 30 months = ~$440K/year opportunity cost (€405K).
The invisibility problem
Three reasons:
- TMS is trip-centric. A truck appears in a trip assignment; when it sits idle, it disappears from reporting.
- Maintenance calendar lives separately. Service days sit in the maintenance system, idle days in operations — never combined.
- Fleet managers see aggregates. “We have 100 trucks” — true. “10 of them haven’t moved in 4 months” — invisible.
Monthly utilisation board
Lognari produces a monthly utilisation rate for each truck:
- Active days
- Trip count
- Average fuel consumption
- Revenue/cost ratio
| Plate | Active days/30 | Trips/mo | Revenue | Cost | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 LG 812 | 28 | 18 | €18,400 | €13,200 | 🟢 Active |
| 34 LG 815 | 22 | 14 | €13,800 | €11,900 | 🟢 Active |
| 34 LG 823 | 8 | 3 | €2,100 | €4,200 | 🚩 Idle |
| 34 LG 824 | 5 | 2 | €1,400 | €3,900 | 🚩 Idle |
3 consecutive idle months = action recommendation: sell, sublease, internal pool, change lane.
Impact by fleet size
| Fleet | Idle truck count | Annual opportunity cost | Action-driven annual savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 trucks | 5-10 | €200K-€405K | €80K-€160K (sell or pool) |
| 300 trucks | 15-30 | €600K-€1.2M | €240K-€480K |
| 1,000 trucks | 50-100 | €2M-€4M | €800K-€1.6M + capital release |
Side effect: capital efficiency
10 idle trucks tie up an average of €280,000 of capital. Selling them releases capital — redeployable into higher-utilisation lanes or new vehicles. Two pilot fleets put this capital into new lanes with 18–22% ROI.
What’s next
If your fleet always has 5-10 trucks “waiting for the lane that didn’t come”, the real idle figure becomes concrete the moment the panel opens.
Reach out via the contact section — reply within one business day.
Statistics referenced from ATA Cost of Operations Report 2025 + Lognari pilot data.
