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Industry tax guide

Transportation and logistics tax and accounting

Tax planning for fleets, drivers and miles across many states.

Transportation & Logistics business environment

Trucking and logistics companies own or lease expensive equipment, pay drivers who are away from home for days, and operate in many states with fuel and use taxes of their own.

The tax issues are fleet depreciation, the federal heavy vehicle use tax, per diem for drivers and the state filings that come with interstate operations.

Compared with a general business

What makes taxes different for transportation and logistics

Heavy vehicle use tax

Form 2290 is due for trucks of 55,000 pounds or more.

Fuel tax reporting

IFTA quarterly returns split fuel tax among the states you drive in.

Per diem at 80%

DOT-regulated drivers deduct 80% of meal per diem instead of 50%.

Short depreciation lives

Tractors are 3-year property and trailers 5-year.

The rules in detail

Tax rules for transportation and logistics

Fleet depreciation

Tractors are 3-year property and trailers 5-year property, and both qualify for Section 179 and 100% bonus depreciation when acquired after January 19, 2025. Buying several trucks in one year can create losses worth planning for.

Heavy vehicle use tax

Vehicles with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more that run on public highways owe the federal heavy highway vehicle use tax on Form 2290, generally due by August 31 for the July-to-June tax period.

Per diem for drivers

Transportation workers subject to the Department of Transportation hours-of-service limits can deduct 80% of meal and incidental expense per diem, instead of the usual 50%, using the special transportation industry rate.

Planning moves

Ways to save tax in transportation and logistics

  1. Section 179 and bonus depreciation on trucks

    Timed so losses are used.

  2. Use the 80% per diem

    For every day away from home.

  3. Claim fuel tax credits

    Off-highway use of fuel can earn a federal credit.

  4. Lease or buy based on taxes

    We compare after-tax costs of leasing and buying trucks.

  5. Classify drivers correctly

    Owner-operator and employee classification affects payroll tax.

  6. Apportion state income tax

    Interstate carriers apportion income to the right states.

Working with OICPA

How we help

Service

Plan fleet purchases

Section 179 and bonus depreciation timed across years so losses are used.

Business Tax Planning
Service

Bookkeeping for fleets

Revenue by load, fuel, maintenance and per diem tracked monthly.

Bookkeeping Services
Service

Federal and state returns

Business returns, Form 2290 and related filings kept on schedule.

Business Tax Returns

Bookkeeping and reporting

The accounting behind the tax work

An owner-operator's tax picture runs on a few large, specific numbers, the transportation-worker per diem rate, heavy vehicle depreciation, fuel tax compliance. That a generic small business checklist doesn't cover well. We build planning around the mechanics that are actually specific to this industry.

Per diem left unclaimed or miscalculated

The federal per diem rate for meals while on the road is specific to transportation workers and meaningfully more generous than a general business travel deduction. Owner-operators who don't track days on the road systematically underclaim it.

Heavy vehicle depreciation timing

Section 179 and bonus depreciation interact with a heavy-vehicle purchase differently than with a standard business asset, and the placed-in-service date and income position both affect which approach delivers more value in a given year.

Owner-operator vs. company driver classification

Misclassifying the working relationship between a carrier and a driver carries real back-payroll-tax and penalty exposure, and it's an area that draws regular scrutiny across the industry.

What you can expect

  • Per diem tracking and calculation built around actual road days
  • Heavy vehicle depreciation strategy modeled against projected income
  • Worker classification and multi-state fuel tax compliance review

Frequently asked questions

Can we deduct a new truck in the year we buy it?

Usually, with Section 179 or 100% bonus depreciation. If it would create a loss you cannot use, spreading the deduction can be worth more.

Do owner-operators get the 80% per diem?

Yes, if they are subject to the DOT hours-of-service rules. They deduct 80% of the transportation industry per diem for days away from home.

When is Form 2290 due?

Generally by August 31 for vehicles in use in July, or by the end of the month after the month a vehicle is first used.

Related articles

References

  1. About Form 2290, Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax ReturnInternal Revenue Service
  2. Publication 463 (2025), Travel, Gift, and Car ExpensesInternal Revenue Service
  3. Publication 946 (2025), How To Depreciate PropertyInternal Revenue Service
  4. Publication 334 (2025), Tax Guide for Small BusinessInternal Revenue Service

Rules reflect federal tax law as of November 2026.