I have graded several thousand commercial vehicles at turn in. The charges that surprise people are almost never the ones they worried about. Nobody is shocked by a creased door. Everybody is shocked by the shelving holes.
Here is what actually gets measured, in the order I walk the vehicle.
Body panels: the 2 inch rule
Dents and dings up to 2 inches across are acceptable wear, to a maximum of four on any single panel. A fifth dent on the same panel, or any dent over 2 inches, becomes chargeable at $150 a panel for paintless repair or $340 if it needs refinishing.
Scratches follow the primer test rather than a length rule alone: under 4 inches and polishing out is fine; through to primer or bare metal is not, whatever the length. Rust bloom at any size is chargeable because it will not stop.
Glass: position beats size
A chip smaller than a quarter inch outside the swept driver sightline is acceptable. The same chip inside the sightline is not, because it is a visibility item rather than a cosmetic one. Cracks are chargeable at any length, in any position, full stop, and a windshield is $450.
A resin repair in the first week after the chip appears costs about $95 and closes the item permanently. Left alone through a Texas summer, it spreads.
Tyres: 4/32 and matched
Tread at or above 4/32 of an inch in the centre groove, matched sizes and load ratings on each axle. Below that it is $185 a tyre on our schedule, and a temporary spare fitted at collection counts as a missing tyre.
Uneven wear gets flagged separately because it indicates alignment neglect, which is a maintenance item. The cheapest fix by a wide margin is buying tyres yourself in the last quarter of the term at commercial rates.
The two that catch fleets
Shelving mounting holes. Self-tapping screws driven through a van floor, side or roof and left unsealed will corrode at the edge, and sealing and treating a set is $240. Bolt-through mounts with sealing washers, fitted properly at the start of the term, cost nothing at the end.
Wrap adhesive. Cast vinyl with a laminate lifts cleanly. Calendered film bakes onto the paint in this climate and needs heat and solvent, which is $145 a vehicle for residue removal, and considerably more if the lacquer clouds during removal. The cheaper film at the start is the expensive one at the end.
- Dents: 2 in across, four per panel
- Scratches: under 4 in and not through primer
- Glass: chips under 1/4 in, outside the driver sightline, no cracks
- Tyres: 4/32 in or more, matched on each axle
- Interior: tears, burns and stains under 1 in
- Penetrations: every hole sealed, no corrosion, no spliced looms
The pre-inspection at 90 days out exists so none of this is news. I grade the fleet at your yard, leave a written estimate the same day, and you are free to repair anything on it with your own shops at your own rates. Most fleets clear tyres and glass themselves and leave panel work with us, which is usually the right split.
All thresholds and charges quoted here are sample figures for a demonstration site.
