What are the operating costs of a machine park?

By Hilde Lavrijssen · September 2023 · updated August 2026

A machine fleet costs more than just the purchase price. Anyone who looks only at the investment, is missing the biggest part of the picture: maintenance, fuel, wear and tear, transportation, and the wages of the operator—all of which continue year after year.

Below, we list the seven cost items that together determine what your equipment actually costs—and where you can influence them.

Why Cost Management Works Differently for Equipment

For a vehicle fleet, mileage is a useful metric. For machinery, it is not. An excavator can operate all day without moving, and a generator can remain at the same job site for months. Wear and tear is determined by usage, not distance.

That makes it harder to allocate costs. A machine that moves between four job sites, spreads its costs across four projects—but if no one records where it was at any given time, those costs all end up lumped together. Then, at the end of the year, you know how much your equipment cost in total, but not which project bore what share of the cost.

The Seven Cost Categories

Managing a fleet of machines means keeping an eye on seven categories. They do not all carry the same weight, and the weight varies by machine type.

• 1
  Repair and Maintenance

  Everything needed to keep a machine running: parts, labor, and workshop costs. This expense increases as equipment ages. Minor repairs are usually done on-site, while major repairs are carried out in a specialized workshop. Regular preventive maintenance keeps costs more stable than repairs after a breakdown.
• 2
  Fuel

  For machines with an internal combustion engine, fuel consumption depends on the operating conditions and power output. The proportion of time spent idling is often underestimated: engine hours spent without performing work. Historical data from comparable machines provide a more accurate estimate than the manufacturer’s specifications.
• 3
  Tires

  Repair and Replacement. Pneumatic tires wear out faster than the machine itself and are therefore a recurring expense. Their service life depends heavily on the terrain and the operator’s driving style.
• 4
  Filters, lubricants, and greases

  Small per unit, but significant in total. Consumption varies depending on the operating conditions and engine characteristics. This factor is often overlooked when setting an hourly rate, resulting in a rate that is structurally too low.
• 5
  Operator's Wages

  Wages and benefits for the person operating the machine. This cost varies by project and is usually calculated separately, but it does need to be factored into the overall picture: a machine that’s idle due to a breakdown also costs you the wages of the person standing next to it.
• 6
  Parts Prone to Wear

  Cutting edges, drill bits, baking teeth, blades: parts with a shorter service life than the machine itself. If you know their expected service life, you can plan for replacement in advance, rather than being caught off guard. Here, too, your own historical data is more reliable than general guidelines.
• 7
  Mobilization, Demobilization, and Assembly

  Transportation to and from the job site, unloading and assembly, and the necessary traffic permits. For equipment that is frequently moved between locations, this item is often higher than expected—especially when a machine is moved to a job site where it ultimately turns out not to be needed.

What You Can Send, and What You Can't

Not every expense is equally controllable. Fuel prices and labor costs are largely beyond your control. But there are three factors you can influence, and all three are related to registration:

The latter is the least visible. Equipment that remains on a completed construction site, incurs depreciation and insurance costs without yielding any return—and in the meantime is being rented out elsewhere, because no one knows it’s there.

How to Visualize Those Numbers

All seven parameters have one thing in common: you can only control them if you can monitor them per machine . In CHECK.connect, this is done using a tracker or sensor on the machine, which transmits data to the platform.

Operating Hours

A machine’s operating hours, recorded and reported on a per-unit basis. That is the basis for maintenance based on actual usage, and also the key to identifying idle time. Machine operating hours

Maintenance and inspections

Schedule maintenance based on operating hours, mileage, or date, with a notification when a machine is due for service. This shifts maintenance from reactive to predictable. Maintenance Planning

Fuel consumption

Fuel consumption per machine and per period, with alerts for refueling and unexplained level drops. Comparing consumption patterns side by side reveals which machine or which operating method stands out. Fuel Monitor

Location of Your Equipment

For units without their own power source—compressors, generators, containers, small equipment—there are battery-powered autonomous trackers. These let you know which machine is at which job site, and how long it has been there. Asset tracking · Autonomous trackers

Frequently Asked Questions

Hilde Lavrijssen — Marketing Manager at AllConnects

Closely follows the digitization of fleet management, equipment management, and time tracking in the construction industry and translates these developments into practical insights for companies on the road and at the construction site.