Downtime is one of the costliest—and common—challenges for today’s fleets. Understanding why vehicles are repeatedly sidelined—and how to prevent it from happening again—requires a closer look under the hood.
In this question and answer, we speak with Arnie Braun and Drew Kortyna of Fleet Services by Cox Automotive, who explain the real reasons behind slowed uptime and what proactive fleets are doing differently to stay ahead of repeat failures and lost revenue.
MWS: WHAT’S ONE OF THE MOST OVERLOOKED FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO DOWNTIME TODAY?
BRAUN/KORTYNA: Breakdowns may seem sudden, but they’re often the result of issues that have been building over time. One of the biggest root causes we see is delayed preventive maintenance, especially ahead of seasonal changes like colder weather. Skipping or delaying preventive maintenance can set the stage for failures that sideline a fleet at the worst possible time.
Driver behavior also plays a larger role than many realize. Habits like hard braking, speeding, and inconsistent use of cruise control can accelerate wear. Fleets that track these behaviors and work with drivers to correct them tend to see fewer breakdowns. Fleets that are more successful with preventative maintenance tie driver incentives to safety metrics, resulting in the double bonus of safer driving and preventative practices that can lead to improved vehicle performance.
MWS: WHERE DO MOST FLEETS FALL SHORT WHEN TRYING TO DIAGNOSE RECURRING ISSUES?
B/K: It’s common to fix the immediate problem—say, a leak or faulty part—but miss the root cause behind it. If you don’t address the underlying conditions, the issue will likely return. Finding the root cause behind downtime means going beyond the initial failure. For example, maybe a leak was fixed, but the conditions that caused it weren’t.
Every unscheduled repair should be treated as a chance to learn and ask: was it repaired correctly the first time? Is this part of a larger trend? It’s critical to establish consistent diagnostic procedures, validate that repairs are correcting the issue, and close the loop with technician training or process updates when needed.
MWS: HOW CAN FLEETS MAKE BETTER USE OF THE DATA THEY ALREADY HAVE?
B/K: More data isn’t always best—but better data is. Fleets today are collecting more data than ever, but not all of it is actionable. The challenge is separating what’s useful from what’s irrelevant. The real value comes from pattern recognition: spotting recurring issues and acting on the right information to make meaningful gains.
Vehicle maintenance reporting standards (VMRS) coding, unscheduled failure reports, and telematics can all reveal recurring issues—if you know where to look. For example, fleets can significantly reduce diesel exhaust system costs by building preventative cycles into their maintenance. This level of improvement happens when managers focus on high-confidence, high-cost indicators—not just chase every dashboard light.
MWS: HOW IMPORTANT IS INTERNAL COMMUNICATION TO STAYING AHEAD OF DOWNTIME?
B/K: It’s critical. A fleet could have the best data in the world, but if the information doesn’t reach its technicians or frontline teams, it won’t make an impact. Communication is crucial and can make or break a repair strategy.
The best-performing fleets build a strong line of communication from the front office to the shop floor. Technicians are often the first to notice recurring failures or spot something unusual. When they’re kept informed on failure trends and updated repair processes, and safety alerts, fleets can create a culture where information sharing leads to problem solving and smarter fixes.
MWS: WHAT MINDSET SHIFTS ARE HELPING PROACTIVE FLEETS STAY AHEAD OF BREAKDOWNS?
B/K: The biggest shift is moving from reactive to proactive maintenance. The old mindset—run it until it breaks—doesn’t cut it anymore. With tighter delivery windows, more complex trucks, driver safety, and customer satisfaction on the line, that approach no longer works. Today, proactive fleets think about uptime in broad terms: not just repair costs, but lost revenue, missed deliveries, and dissatisfied drivers.
More fleet operators are rethinking what it means to run “lean” and asking whether short-term savings now could cost them tomorrow. This is a smart shift of mindset and one that’s raising the bar for industry.
MWS: WHERE DO FLEETS GO FROM HERE?
B/K: There’s no silver bullet for uptime but there are patterns worth paying attention to—and steps every fleet can take. It starts with building a smarter foundation of mission-critical data, consistent communication, stronger diagnostics, and a proactive mindset.
When something does go wrong, dig deeper—not just to solve the problem, but to get to the root to ensure it doesn’t happen again. The real ROI lies in staying ahead of costly breakdowns and keeping more fleets on the road where they belong.
about the interviewee
Arnie Braun and Drew Kortyna both work for Fleet Services by Cox Automotive. To learn more, visit www.coxautoinc.com/fleet-services.
