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2018 Oil Study
Fleet Maintenance partners with Shell Rotella
to present this year’s study results
By Fleet Maintenance Staff
Maintaining a safe, efficient and profitable operation are the primary goals of any
fleet. To attain these goals, fleets must focus on maximizing vehicle uptime and
minimizing operational costs. At Fleet Maintenance, our ultimate goal is to provide
best practices on fleet maintenance and repair.
Oil analysis can play a key role in helping to keep vehicles running efficiently and
reduce maintenance and repair costs. In particular, oil analysis can aid in detecting
engine issues before they become problematic. While preventative maintenance measures
like this are decidedly a benefit, fleets are varied in their approach to if and when
they conduct oil analysis.
To measure current practices and benefits to oil analysis, Fleet Maintenance has conducted
an oil study for the third year in a row. Along with details on the adoption, frequency
and methods fleets employ to conduct oil analysis, the results of this study also
cover general oil preferences and usage trends.
Survey feedback provides a window into how peers
operate, and allows fleets to consider adjustments to
processes as needed.
This year, Fleet Maintenance worked with Hannover
Research to provide further in-depth analysis on different
engine oil trends. In partnership with Shell Rotella,
Table of contents
4 Oil Analysis
8 Oil Brands and Purchasing Trends
» 9 Oil Preferences
» 12 CK-4 and FA-4 Usage
14 Current Maintenance Practices
16 Demographics
the results of the latest oil study have been incorporated
into this 2018 Fleet Maintenance Oil Study supplement.
Takeaways
An overview of the highlights from the 2018 Fleet Maintenance Oil Study:
• Of the individuals surveyed, 92 percent indicated they influence the decision making
process for purchasing lubricants; 59 percent were the primary decision maker for
these purchases.
• The breakout for fleets amounts to about one-third of each vehicle class:
» 31 percent are heavy duty (Classes 7 and 8).
» 32 percent are medium duty (Classes 4, 5 and 6).
» 37 percent are light duty (Classes 1, 2 and 3).
• 71 percent of respondents have 100 or fewer vehicles in their fleet. The remaining
29 percent have 100 or more vehicles.
• As it relates to oil analysis, 20 percent of respondents indicated they do not conduct
oil analysis on fleet vehicles.
• For those fleets that do conduct oil analysis, most consider the practice effective.
87 percent indicate oil analysis provides early warnings of lubricant or engine
problems.
• Nearly half of respondents think oil analysis reduces engine wear and maintenance
costs because oil analysis prevents major failures and assists with scheduling
maintenance and oil changes. Among those managers, four in five estimate that oil
analysis saves them at least $500 annually.
Over the next several pages, we provide a general overview of the survey results,
insights into fleets’ current oil practices as it relates to oil analysis and other maintenance,
along with current oil preferences and purchasing trends.
Please note: percentages indicated throughout this supplement are rounded to the
nearest whole number. Because of this, some totals may be more than 100 percent. May 2018 | VehicleServicePros.com 3
/VehicleServicePros.com
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