Service · Fleet cost analysis

See which vehicles are costing you money — and why.

Most businesses know what their fleet costs in total. Far fewer know which specific vehicles are driving that cost, or why one bakkie is 30% more expensive to run than an identical one on the same team.

Fleet cost analysis breaks total fleet spend down to a cost-per-vehicle and cost-per-kilometre basis, so individual vehicles — not just the fleet as a whole — can be compared and managed.

What we monitor

Cost per vehicle Fuel, maintenance and repairs, tracked individually rather than pooled into a single fleet total.
Total cost of ownership Combined running cost per kilometre, grounded in real odometer readings drivers log through SALT's driver app — not estimates.
Maintenance cost benchmarking What you're paying against what comparable work should reasonably cost.
Supplier and repair scrutiny Flagging repair costs and suppliers that look out of line with the rest of the fleet's history.
Vehicle lifecycle visibility When a vehicle's running cost starts to outweigh the cost of replacing it.

Why cost-per-vehicle matters more than a fleet total

A single fleet-wide figure tells you what you spent — not whether that spend is spread evenly or concentrated in a handful of problem vehicles. In most fleets we review, a small number of vehicles account for a disproportionate share of maintenance and fuel cost.

Once costs are broken down per vehicle, patterns become visible: a vehicle running consistently above its expected fuel consumption, one needing repairs more often than others its age, or one whose total cost of ownership has quietly crossed the point where replacement would be cheaper.

This is the foundation of the monthly executive report — its "top vehicles requiring attention" view is built directly from this analysis, alongside driver behaviour and maintenance data.

Frequently asked questions

How can businesses calculate the true cost of a vehicle?

Add up fuel, servicing, maintenance and repairs, tyres, insurance, licensing and downtime over a period, then divide by kilometres travelled. That gives a cost-per-kilometre figure — far more complete than fuel cost alone.

What is maintenance cost benchmarking?

Comparing what you're paying for servicing and repairs against what similar work should reasonably cost — by vehicle type, by supplier, and against the vehicle's own history. It's one of the more direct ways to catch a supplier over-charging, or a vehicle becoming a recurring cost problem.

How often should fleet cost data be reviewed?

Monthly, at minimum — frequent enough to catch a trend while it's still small, rather than as a surprise at year-end.

Want a clearer view of your cost per vehicle?

Tell us what records you already keep — fuel cards, invoices, service history — and we'll explain what a cost breakdown would show.

Talk to us about your fleet