22 Tax Write-Offs for Truck Drivers
NAICS business codeYour NAICS business code is a six-digit string of numbers that shows the type of work your business does. NAICS stands for North American Industry Classification System. When you do your taxes, you'll enter it in Box B of your Schedule C.488000
Reviewed bySabrina Wiechart, CPASabrina is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with over 15 years of experience in tax preparation, planning, and S-Corp compliance. She holds a Master’s in Accounting and specializes in helping self-employed individuals make smart tax decisions. Sabrina is passionate about simplifying the S-Corp process and making sure every client keeps more of what they earn.As a trucker, you've likely got a good internal compass that helps you get from Point A to Point B. But that might not stop the tax-filing process from feeling like a disorienting maze.
Keeper is here to help you keep on trucking! Starting with this list of write-offs for owner-operators. From union dues and truck maintenance to a new GPS, claiming your business expenses can help significantly lower your tax bill. Read on for more examples that will steer you to savings.
Any type of GPS system you use while driving your truck is a write-off.
Write off everything you use to clean, including sprays, rags, soap, and more.
If you belong to a union, go ahead and write off your dues . The share of your dues that goes toward lobbying isn't deductible — your organization can tell you what percentage that is.
Where a union spends part of your dues on lobbying, that portion is not deductible.
Routine and emergency maintenance for your truck can be written off on your taxes.
If you pay for policies to protect your trucking business, feel free to write off those costs.
Need to pay the FMCSA to keep your USDOT number updated? That counts as a business expense.
Instead of tracking every meal, transportation workers can claim the IRS special per diem rate — $80 a day in the continental US, $86 outside it, per Notice 2025-54 — still subject to the 80% limit.
The DOT physical and medical certification you need to stay on the road are deductible.
The ELD hardware and subscription the FMCSA requires are write-offs.
Fees to renew your license to perform your work are fully deductible.
If you drive for work ...
If you drive to make deliveries or to bring the truck in for maintenance, feel free to write off your vehicle expenses.
Parking for a meeting downtown, or any other work trip, is tax-deductible!
A toll while driving to or from a work destination is tax-deductible!
If you buy a new car, you can write off part of the cost every year for five years.
Flashlights, tire iron, duct tape, and other tools you may need in your vehicle are deductible.
Car insurance monthly fees, registration, even roadside assistance are partially deductible — if you use the actual expense method. The standard mileage rate already covers them.
Oil changes, repairs, and regular checkups are deductible if you use the actual expense method. Take the standard mileage rate instead and they're already baked into your per-mile deduction.
If you discuss work at a restaurant ...
If you buy food while on the road making a delivery or grab food or drinks with fellow truck drivers, you can write off the costs.
If you discuss work with a coworker, mentor, client, or prospective client, it's a write-off — 50% of the tab.
If you leave town for work ...
Driving to make an out-of-town delivery counts as a business trip so costs like lodging or meals can be written off.
Planes, trains, and car rentals are all work-related travel costs that can be written off.
When you travel for work, lodging expenses such as hotel rooms or Airbnb are write-offs.
When you're traveling for work, your meals are 50% deductible — takeout included. (Long-haul truck drivers subject to DOT hours-of-service rules can deduct 80%.)
If you work from home ...
When you're not on the road, you might take care of necessary admin work from an at-home workspace, like conducting trucking industry research or managing client paperwork.
If that's you, you can claim home office expenses.
A desk, chairs, lamps, and other home office necessities are all tax write-offs. Anything over about $2,500 gets depreciated on Form 4562 instead of written off all at once.
Repairs just for your home office are 100% deductible. Repairs to the rest of your home count too, prorated by your business-use percentage on Form 8829.
Gotta keep the lights on in your home office! A portion of your electricity bill counts.
Whether it's rental or homeowners insurance, you can write off a portion through your home office deduction.
It'd be hard to work in an office without running water, huh? Your water bill counts.
You need internet to do your job! If you claim a home office, deduct it prorated on Form 8829 along with your other utilities. Internet you pay for on the road, purely for work, is 100% deductible.
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