Fleet Advantage Releases Latest Truck Life Cycle Data Index (TLDI) As Diesel Reaches $6.40 Per Gallon, Showing Q4 2026 Is The Optimal Window To Order New Class-8 Trucks
Data Shows Fleets of 100 Trucks Running 2022 Model Year Equipment Could Save $1.27 Million in the First Year by Upgrading to 2028 MY Trucks; Waiting Until 2027 Could Erase More Than $410,000 of That Savings
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA., OCT. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fleet Advantage, a leading innovator in specialty financing, fleet data analytics, asset performance services, and life cycle cost management, today released updated findings from its Truck Life Cycle Data Index (TLDI), which compares all-in operating costs of Class-8 trucks across recent model years. The price of diesel has made headlines recently, with the average price now at $6.40 per gallon; the data underscores the severe and growing financial consequences for organizations operating older model-year equipment.
The latest TLDI evaluates model year (MY) 2022 through 2026 sleeper trucks versus new 2028 MY equipment. According to the data, upgrading from a 2022 MY sleeper to a 2028 MY model can save organizations $12,655 per vehicle in the first year. For a fleet of 100 trucks, these savings scale to $1,265,500. The TLDI figures do not include adjustments for the upcoming EPA mandate.
Diesel prices have climbed steadily since Fleet Advantage last released its TLDI in April, when the national average stood at $5.47 per gallon. As fuel prices rise, the cost gap between older, less-efficient equipment and newer, more fuel-efficient trucks continues to widen, placing additional financial pressure on organizations running aging assets.
Fuel economy continues to represent a major portion of the savings available through truck replacement. Based on the TLDI, organizations running 2022 MY sleepers can save $12,818 per truck in fuel alone in the first year following replacement with a 2028 MY truck, a 16% reduction in fuel expense with corresponding CO2 savings. The first-year fuel cost for a 2028 MY truck is $66,057, compared with $78,875 for a 2022 MY truck.
The TLDI figures do not include EPA mandate adjustments, but the upcoming EPA timeline makes the timing of a truck order as important as the decision to upgrade. Ordering in Q4 2026 allows organizations to lock in the full savings and avoid both the added expense of the newer engine and the penalties imposed by the EPA timeline. Organizations that delay could lose more than $410,000 in potential savings per 100 trucks.
"Choosing when to order trucks and what type of truck are two of the most consequential decisions an organization will make this decade," said Brian Antonellis, CTP, Senior Vice President of Fleet Operations for Fleet Advantage. "With diesel at $6.40 per gallon and an EPA timeline that makes every quarter of delay more expensive, organizations cannot afford to make this call on instinct or incomplete information."
About Fleet Advantage
Fleet Advantage is the largest independent lessor for heavy-duty Class-8 trucks and has over $4.3 Billion in assets under its Life Cycle Cost Management program. This comprises a client portfolio of more than 50 of America's top corporate fleets, including six (6) of the top 10 private fleets in the country. Fleet Advantage guarantees the absolute lowest cost of operation by providing fleet asset management, financing solutions, and fleet analytics, using the latest equipment technology to achieve optimum vehicle productivity and maximum safety.
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