Survey Results: 57% of Shops Understaffed
The sixth edition of Fullbay’s State of Heavy-Duty Repair survey found that 57% percent of heavy-duty repair shops are understaffed.
The sixth edition of Fullbay’s State of Heavy-Duty Repair survey found that 57% percent of heavy-duty repair shops are understaffed.
Fullbay received 900 responses to its survey from professionals in the freight, logistics, and repair industries.
Fullbay, with assistance from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and the American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC), has released the results of its sixth edition of the State of Heavy-Duty Repair survey.
“We are proud to work with Fullbay on its annual State of Heavy-Duty Repair survey,” said Dave Johnson, president and CEO of ASE. “Fullbay does a tremendous job with this survey, and there is a great amount of detailed information that will help shops make informed business decisions for the remainder of 2026. One fact that stood out to me was that 57% of shops said they were understaffed. That is an issue that ASE and its industry partners are proactively addressing with programs like ASE Connects and Adopt a School.”
The report includes insights, trends, and benchmarks for the maintenance and management of heavy-duty equipment and those who work on it.
Fullbay received 900 responses to its survey from professionals in the freight, logistics, and repair industries. The survey results were augmented from the Fullbay app from over 3,400 shops that use Fullbay’s products.
Shop Growth Constrained by Labor Shortages
Some of the highlights from the survey include that nearly two-thirds of the responding shops reported stronger financial results from 2024 to 2025.
However, that growth was constrained by labor shortages and rising operating costs, which remain a top concern for 2026.
Fifty-seven percent of shops reported that they were understaffed and that hiring challenges are compounded by an aging workforce and a limited pipeline of new technicians entering the industry.
Shops responded that opportunities for improved profitability exist through higher-margin services such as mobile repair and parts optimization, alongside growing adoption of technologies like AI for diagnostics and customer communication.
Fullbay is a heavy-duty repair shop management platform that enables shops to receive repair requests, invoice customers, and everything in between. With Fullbay, owners and employees get into the shop, get their work done, and get back to their friends and families.
A free copy of the report can be requested from Fullbay’s website.
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