Transport fixed costs explained: vehicles, insurance and buildings under the microscope
When transport businesses bleed money, it’s rarely because of fuel spikes alone. The real drain is quieter. Fixed costs. Vehicles sitting there, insured, depreciating. Buildings you barely use at night. Maintenance contracts you signed three years ago and never looked at again. And yet, most operators still treat fixed costs like weather. Unavoidable. “It is what it is.” I don’t really buy that.
Second thing, and this surprised me when I started digging into it : a lot of companies focus obsessively on variable costs but leave huge savings on the table elsewhere. Even outside transport, I’ve seen similar logic in construction and infrastructure assets, like façade management and building envelopes – some firms I spoke with pointed me to https://go-facades.fr while explaining how overlooked fixed assets quietly eat margins. Same mindset here. Different industry, same blind spot.
Vehicles : owning everything is not always a flex
Owning a full fleet feels reassuring. Keys on the desk, trucks in the yard. Control. But control has a price, and it’s not small. Purchase or lease payments, depreciation, idle time. I’ve walked through depots at 6 a.m. in the outskirts of Lyon where half the vehicles hadn’t moved in two days. Still costing money, though. Still insured. Still aging.
Maybe you’ve asked yourself this already : do all your vehicles really need to be there all year ? Seasonal demand, contract-based work, peak periods… Sometimes mixed models make more sense. Part-owned fleet, part short-term rental. It’s not glamorous, but financially, it can breathe life into cash flow.
Another detail people underestimate : vehicle standardization. Different brands, different engines, different parts. Maintenance bills explode quietly. Standardizing even 60–70% of a fleet can reduce downtime and spare parts costs fast. It’s boring work. It pays off.
Insurance : renegotiate or get punished by inertia
Insurance is a classic trap. You sign once, you forget. Five years later, premiums have crept up, coverage hasn’t evolved, and your risk profile is completely different. Fewer accidents maybe, better tracking systems, trained drivers… but you’re still paying like it’s 2018.
Frankly, I think many transport companies overpay here out of pure fatigue. Renegotiating feels painful. Paperwork, calls, comparisons. But even a 10% reduction on fleet insurance can mean tens of thousands saved per year. That’s not theoretical. I’ve seen it.
Also, be careful with over-insurance. Do you really need maximum coverage on vehicles nearing end-of-life ? Or could you adjust guarantees gradually ? These small tweaks add up. Slowly, then suddenly.
Buildings and depots : square meters cost money when they sleep
Warehouses, offices, parking yards. Fixed, heavy, expensive. Heating, security, taxes, maintenance. And yet, walk through them at night and it’s empty. Silent. You’re paying for air.
One operator in Northern Italy told me they cut their depot surface by 30% just by reorganizing schedules and sharing space with another logistics firm. Same city, same zone. Shared docks. Shared security. That single decision improved their operating margin more than a fuel optimization plan ever did.
Ask yourself something simple : how many square meters do I actually need to operate efficiently ? Not comfortably. Efficiently. Big difference.
Maintenance : predictable doesn’t mean untouchable
Maintenance costs feel fixed, but they’re not frozen. Preventive plans often run on autopilot. Same checks, same frequency, regardless of vehicle usage or condition. That’s safe, sure. But it’s not always smart.
Data changes the game. Telematics, mileage tracking, engine diagnostics. Maintenance based on real usage instead of calendar cycles can reduce costs without increasing risk. I was skeptical at first. Now I’m convinced.
Also, external contracts vs in-house workshops. There’s no universal answer. But doing the math every two years should be mandatory. Labor costs change. Volumes change. Your fleet changes. Your maintenance strategy should too.
Putting it all together : fixed costs are strategic, not passive
Here’s my take, and maybe you’ll disagree. Fixed costs in transport are not a burden you accept. They’re a strategy you choose, whether consciously or not. Vehicles, insurance, buildings, maintenance – they shape your flexibility, your resilience, your margins.
So next time someone says, “We can’t do anything about fixed costs,” maybe push back. A little. Ask questions. Look closer. Because very often, the savings are already there. Just waiting for someone to notice.
