Trucker Per Diem 2025: How to Save Thousands Without Tracking Every Receipt
You’re Hauling Freight, Not Paperwork But the IRS Doesn’t Care
If you’re an owner-operator, you already juggle a lot: finding good loads, keeping your truck running, staying DOT compliant, chasing invoices, and trying to keep your head above water when fuel prices spike.
And then tax time hits and you’re buried under crumpled meal receipts, bank statements, and ELD reports.
Here’s the hard truth: every meal you don’t track, every day you don’t log, is money you’re handing straight to the IRS.
The good news? There’s an easier way. Per diem.
What Is Per Diem & Why Owner-Operators Should Care
The IRS knows truckers can’t eat at home every day, so they let you deduct a flat daily rate instead of tracking every single meal.
✅ 2025 Rate: $80/day
✅ Deductible Amount: 80% of that = $64/day
If you’re on the road 250 days a year, that’s:
250 × $64 = $16,000+ in tax deductions.
That’s new tires, a down payment on your next truck, or months of fuel not money the IRS should be keeping.
Who Qualifies for Trucker Per Diem?
✔ Owner-operators & self-employed drivers (Schedule C)
✔ You must be away from your tax home overnight not just on day runs
How to Track Per Diem (The Easy Way)
Here’s the best part: you don’t need to keep a separate notebook.
📌 Your ELD log is enough
Your ELD trip reports already show dates, locations, and travel days.
At tax time, just count the days from your ELD and apply the rate.
If you don’t have an ELD, a simple log on your phone or in a notebook works too.
Pro Tip: Track It in QuickBooks (or Any Accounting App)
Don’t wait until tax time to figure it out. Here’s how to make it simple:
Create a “Per Diem” expense account.
Once a week, log the total travel days for that week as ONE expense entry.
Attach your ELD weekly report as backup (QuickBooks lets you upload it directly).
By the time tax season hits, your reports are ready to hand to your tax pro no scrambling.
What About Your Ride-Along?
If you have someone traveling with you for business a dispatcher, bookkeeper, or a helper for loading/unloading — you can deduct 50% of their actual meal costs.
Keep those receipts for them (per diem only applies to you, the driver).
What About Lodging?
There’s no per diem for hotels or motels. You’ll need to keep actual lodging receipts but per diem still saves you hours of paperwork for meals and incidentals.
Why This Matters for Your Trucking Business
This isn’t just about saving a few bucks on taxes. It’s about:
Lowering your tax bill by thousands
Knowing your real cost per mile (so you can bid smarter)
Keeping more of your hard-earned money in YOUR business
The truckers who track this consistently keep more money in their pockets. The ones who don’t are the ones asking, “Why do I owe so much every year?”
You’re working too hard to let the IRS take what’s yours.
You Don’t Have to Do It Alone
If you’re thinking, “I should’ve had someone helping me with this yesterday,” you’re not wrong.
I’ve spent over 10 years in trucking — dispatching, handling compliance, and keeping books for owner-operators. I’m not just a bookkeeper; I’m a resource who understands how this business really works.
When you’re ready to stop drowning in paperwork and start keeping more of your money, let’s talk.
Because you should be focused on running your truck not stressing over receipts.
Your Next Step
✅ Start tracking your per diem now (use your ELD you already have the data).
✅ If you want help setting up QuickBooks to make this easy, reach out this is what I do.
