What financial impact does maintaining to severe service levels versus normal levels typically have?

Maintaining to severe service levels typically involves a higher frequency of preventive maintenance (PM) and more rigorous upkeep to ensure that vehicles and equipment operate reliably under challenging conditions. This proactive approach leads to an increase in PM costs because more resources are allocated to regular inspections, servicing, and part replacements to prevent breakdowns.

However, this investment pays off by significantly reducing the occurrence of breakdown repairs. When vehicles are regularly maintained and serviced to meet severe service conditions, they are less likely to experience unexpected failures, which can result in costly emergency repairs and downtime. Consequently, while the costs associated with preventive maintenance increase, the overall expenditure related to unplanned repairs decreases, leading to a net benefit in terms of reliability and operating efficiency. This dynamic illustrates the balance between maintenance costs and the costs associated with vehicle breakdowns, highlighting the value of investing in thorough maintenance practices for severe service scenarios.