Fuel, IFTA, and Trucking Taxes
A calendar-driven guide to the fuel tax returns, use taxes, and deductions every carrier with its own authority has to manage.
When you leave a carrier and run under your own authority, you also inherit their tax paperwork. Fuel tax, highway use tax, and quarterly income tax all land on your desk, and each one has its own calendar. None of it is hard once it is routine. It gets expensive when it is not.
IFTA: one return for fuel bought in many states
The International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) lets you file one quarterly return with your base state instead of a return in every state you drive. You report miles driven and gallons bought in each jurisdiction. If you bought cheap fuel in one state but drove a lot in a higher-tax state, you owe the difference; if the reverse, you get a credit. Returns are due April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31, and your base state sets weekend and late-payment rules, so check before assuming a Monday filing is on time.
Let the fuel card do the bookkeeping
A fuel card that reports gallons and state by transaction, paired with ELD mileage by state, turns IFTA into a report you review instead of a shoebox you rebuild. Many cards also offer per-gallon discounts at specific truck stops, which can add up to real money over 100,000 miles.
Form 2290: the heavy vehicle use tax
If your truck's taxable gross weight is 55,000 pounds or more, you file Form 2290 and pay the heavy highway vehicle use tax (HVUT). The tax year runs July 1 to June 30, and the return is due by the last day of the month after the truck's first use in the period. For a truck already running in July, that means August 31. The stamped Schedule 1 you get back is your proof of payment, and you need it for plates. A truck expected to run 5,000 miles or less (7,500 for agricultural use) can file for a suspension and owe nothing, but it still has to file.
Per diem: a deduction drivers often leave behind
Self-employed drivers can deduct meals while away from home using the IRS special transportation industry per diem instead of saving every receipt. The rate is $80 a day within the continental US for the year that started October 1, 2026, and partial travel days count at 75%. Normally meals are only 50% deductible, but workers subject to DOT hours-of-service rules can deduct 80%. Your ELD logs back up the days away. Company drivers paid on a W-2 generally cannot deduct unreimbursed per diem; their per diem has to come through an employer plan.
Owner-operators also owe self-employment tax and income tax on profit, so send quarterly estimated payments instead of facing a large bill in April. See self-employment taxes for how the 15.3% works, and talk to a tax pro who works with truckers about per diem and depreciation on your equipment.
Your trucking tax calendar
0/9 doneWords to know
- IFTA
- An agreement that lets interstate carriers file one quarterly fuel tax return with their base state.
- HVUT
- The federal heavy highway vehicle use tax on trucks of 55,000 pounds or more, paid with Form 2290.
- Per diem
- A fixed daily IRS rate for meals and incidentals you can deduct instead of tracking each receipt.
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