Tax season is right around the corner! For truck drivers, this can be a daunting process. What items can you write off on your taxes and what items can you not write off? While a professional tax preparer is the best and safest way to do your taxes, you can do a lot of the tax preparation yourself. There are, however, a few guidelines that you need to be aware of if you’re going to do your taxes yourself.

A recent change that could affect you is that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has changed how some truck drivers can do their taxes if they receive a W-2. The Job-Related Travel Expenses (Form 2106) is no longer available due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Truck drivers that receive a W-2 cannot deduct certain items from their taxes anymore such as mileage and travel expenses.

If you do not receive a W-2, and fall under the independent contractor category for tax purposes, you can still claim business expenses on your tax return. Truck drivers who are independent contractors can claim a variety of tax deductions that relate to the expenses that arise from being a truck driver. We have compiled a list of all the work and travel related expenses that you can write off on your taxes as an independent contractor truck driver.

Your deductible items that you could report to the IRS at tax time include:

Accounting Fees
Administrative Fees
Air Freshener
Alarm Clocks
Antennas
ArmorAll
Atlas
Bank/ATM Fees
Batteries
Briefcase
Brokerage/Factoring Fees
Broom/Dust Pan
Bunk Heater
Cab Curtains
Cab/Bus Fare & Car Rental
Calculator
Camera
CB Radio
CDL
Cell Phone Bill
Check Cashing Fee
Cigarette Plug-in
Circuit Tester
Cleaning Supplies
Clipboard
ComCheck Fees
Computer Expense
Copies
Crowbar
?De-Icer
Disinfectant
Duct Tape
Electrical Tape
Fax
First Aid Supplies
Flashlight
Floor Mats
Form 2290 Tax PD
Fuel Expense
Fuel Paid
Fumigate Trailer
Gloves-work
GPS
Hand Cleaner
Hangers
Hard Hat
Insurance – Health
Insurance – Trailer
Insurance – Truck
Insurance – W/C
Internet Fees
?Jack Strap
Lap Desk
Laundry Bag
Laundry Expense
?Lease Equip
Legal Expense (not fines)
License Plates
?Log Book/Cover
Lumper Fees
Magnifying Glass
Map Light
Maps
Meals & Entertainment
Medical
Money Order Exp.
Motel/Hotel Expense
Office Supplies
Oil and/or Additives
Paper Towels
Parking
Payroll Expense
Permits
Physical (DOT)
Pillow
Postage
Power Booster
Power Cord
PrePass
Professional Fees
Qualcomm
Radio (Sirius, XM)
Rain Gear
Receipt Book
Safety Boots
Safety Clothing
Safety Glasses
Scale Tickets
Seat Covers
Security
Sheets
Shift Grip
Showers
Sleeping bag
Sleeping Fan
Sunglasses
Thermal Underwear
Tie Downs
Toiletries
Tolls
Tools/Equipment
Towels
Towing
Trailer Lease Payment
Trash Bags
Travel Expense
Travel Bags
Trip Charges
Truck Cables
Truck Lease Payment
Truck Magazine
Truck Repair & Maintenance
Truck Parts
Truck Tires
Truck/Trailer Storage
Truck Washes
Uniforms (if required)
Vacuum (portable)
WD-40
Window Screen

With a list of deductible items like this, you can go back through your travel and work expenses to find items, such as these, to write off on your taxes. If you haven’t kept an accurate record of your work-related expenses, this list can also help you know which receipts to hold onto for next year’s taxes.

Due to recent events, there are many questions swirling around asking if truck drivers need to wear masks while driving. The President has issued executive orders that require facial coverings to be worn on federal lands and during interstate travel. Does this apply to you? We break it down below.

On January 21 2021, President Biden issued this executive order and there’s been some confusion about it ever since. What is clear is that masks are now required for interstate travel on commercial aircrafts, trains, public maritime vessels, and any kind of hub or facility where people gather to use these modes of transportation.

Since this news broke, truck drivers everywhere have been questioning if this new mandate applied to them.

The short answer is that truck drivers are not mandated to wear a mask while operating their vehicle under this executive order from the President.

There is more to unpack however, so we’re offering a longer answer below.

Since the executive order, there has been an additional order that helps clarify what this new mask mandate means for truck drivers. The follow up order that came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on January 29 added helpful information as it pertains to commercial motor vehicles (CMV) operators engaged in interstate travel.

Like everyone else, all CMV operators are required to wear a facial covering at transportation hubs. Put simply, where people are out of their vehicles and crossing paths with one another, you have to wear a mask. These places include private facilities, such as shipping and receiving stations, as well as public places such as truck stops.

Here’s what you really might be wondering about: the CDC order specifically exempts truck drivers from wearing a mask if they are the “sole occupant of the truck.”

What does that mean for team truck drivers? What if they are from the same household? Are they exempt?

These are issues that are left unclear from the CDC follow up to the executive mask mandate.

However, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) indicates that team truck drivers are indeed required to wear masks inside the vehicle while traveling. Whether or not the drivers are from the same household.

From the guidance there are, however, some exceptions to the mask requirements. These exceptions include the following:

• Team truck drivers can take their masks off inside the vehicle for brief periods of time when eating, drinking, or taking medications.
• They can also take off their mask if they are communicating with someone who is hearing impaired and the ability to see mouth movement is essential for communication.
• A mask can be removed from another team truck driver is they are found unconscious, incapacitated, unable to be awakened, or cannot remove their own mask for a given reason.
• If a law enforcement officer needs to verify a truck driver’s identity during a traffic stop, the mask can be removed for a short period of time.
• Additional exceptions for removing one’s mask include if a truck driver is experiencing shortness of breath or is sick and vomiting.