Overlooked Tax Deductions by Truck Owner-Operators & How to Get an Extension

Truck owner-operators not only have to track all earnings and expenses, but they also must ensure those are translated to tax savings.

Sisu Polar Timber truck with trailers full of spruce logs.Photo byDreamstime #46679279.

NOTE: This article is for information purposes only and should not be considered legal or tax advice. Always consult a tax advisor.

You only have a few days until 18 April, the filing deadline. However, you can easily get an extension. You might still have to pay your estimated taxes, but if you don’t expect to owe taxes, you can get an extension through your online tax company, like Tax Act, Turbo Tax, H&R Block, or with the IRS if you don’t e-file. This will give you until 16 October to file.

No one wants to pay more taxes than is necessary. However, truck owner-operators easily overlook many deductions because you have so much going on out there on the road.

If you made charitable donations during the year, you can deduct up to $300 if filing single or $600 for joint filers. Check with your tax advisor to ensure anything you are unsure of is deductible.

Union dues as a fleet employee are not deductible, but your union dues as an independent operator are. According to H&R Block:

“For tax years 2018 through 2025, union dues – and all employee expenses – are no longer deductible, even if the employee can itemize deductions. However, if the taxpayer is self-employed and pays union dues, those dues are deductible as a business expense.”

The key is to save every receipt throughout the year and let your accountant or tax advisor decide what is deductible and what is not. That is their job, after all.

#1 — Communications Gear

Did you have to replace your electronic logging device (ELD), citizen band radio, or dedicated business cell phone? It’s probably deductible. Any communication device you use for your business is deductible.

When you use a device for both business and personal, you must identify the percentage of use in business, just like your home office.

#2 — Home Office Expenses & Supplies

Do you maintain a home office? Almost everything you purchase for that home office is deductible. Common office supplies typically used in business or company offices that are traditional and tangible are deductible. Printer ink and paper? The laptop that you store your backup e-logs on is deductible as well.

Do you keep a dedicated landline for business calls? It could be deductible. The key to every deduction is the amount of use for business. Just because you have an extension of your home phone in your office does not make it deductible. However, the cost of that device and the portion of the expense for business could be deductible.

A portion of your mortgage or rent equivalent to the percentage of space your home office compared to your home’s size could be deductible. Say, for example, your home is 2500 square feet, and your home office is 250 square feet. That means that ten percent of your rent or mortgage is deductible as a business expense for your home office.

#3 — Tools & Equipment

Almost everything you buy for your truck is deductible: tire chains, fire extinguishers, maps or apps, seat cushions, coffee makers, cups, and even that ice scraper.

If the tool, material, or equipment is acceptable as “necessary” for the operation of your truck, it could be deductible. Everything helpful or appropriate to your profession could be considered deductible.

#4 — Parts & Maintenance

All your tools, parts, and labor for your truck’s maintenance is deductible. Your truck is your primary piece of business equipment. Every oil change, every light bulb, reflector, floor mat, or gallon of windshield washer fluid is deductible.

If you had your business name stenciled on the side of the truck, added window tint, or a new paint job, it’s deductible. It’s your business.

A general rule of thumb is for maintenance expenses, “If you repaired it or had it repaired, you can deduct it.”

#5 — Personal Expenses on the Road

Although not all personal expenses are tax-deductible, typically, expenses while you’re out on the road are. Hotel, motel, or Holiday Inn. Yes, that’s right, while you’re out on the road, the cost for an overnight stay and shower are deductible.

Of course, if you get a free shower with a fill-up, you can’t deduct that, but if you pay $5.00 for a shower, you sure can. Likewise, if you drive repeatedly for one company and they make you wear a uniform, you can deduct that expense if they do not provide it.

Need gloves? If it’s a necessary expense, it’s usually deductible. Anything that makes your operation safer could be a deduction.

Takeaways to Remember

Remember, almost everything necessary or appropriate for the operation of your truck business is deductible. What we gave you here, communications gear, home office, tools and equipment, parts and labor, and some personal expenses while on the road, is just a small sampling.

Keep all your receipts and hire a professional to do your taxes. You can deduct their fee next year.

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About the author

Stephen Dalton is a native of Old Town, ME, and a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland. He is a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor. Top Writer in Travel, Food, Fiction, Transportation, VR, NFL, Design, Creativity, Short Story, and a NewsBreak Community Voice Pro.