Is Filing Fuel Taxes A Hassle?

I am investigating becoming an owner operator and have heard that filing fuel taxes is a hassle. First question, is it a hassle or is it relatively easy? Second question, are there tools/apps (especially free ones) that help in the process?

Can't speak for the companies with E Logs, I drove for a smaller company with paper logs last year. Besides my log book, I had to keep a running note book to write down my milage every time I crossed a State line, then every nite before I got into the sleeper, I had to fill out a master paper log for the company showing all the miles for each state I drove in that day. Of course everything had to add up to your Start/Stop milage each day, and for the Trip total. It was a pain and if you let it go till when you get home then I ended up spending like 3 hours making everything come out right before I could turn in my paperwork to the Ladies in the office who worked thru all the Records and had to make the IFTA thing work out. IFTA is just ONE of the many legal Hoops you would have to work thru as an O/O ,, pretty much takes a full time Secretary/ Accountant to be an Owner/Opperator,,, you better be sure you can do all that, Drivin's the easy Part.

Thanks for the advice and feedback TurboDan! Do you know of any smart phone apps or software programs that might make some of the FuleTax administrative work easier?

A good Trucking GPS may track your State to State Milage ? Don't know, then the Filing requirements to pay each state their Fuel taxes is a Big Deal ! You need to be asking these Questions on an Owner Opperator Forum,,, your not going to get much help here as this is pretty much a Forum for new Drivers and the reality is Being a new Driver and be an O/O is pretty much a Loser

I know the Rand McNally tablet tracks mileage within each state. I'd imagine its used in some of the other models as well.

Don't trip over a nickel to pickup a dollar. Your time if valuable and better spent doing what you are trained to do and that is drive. As a driver and an owner you will not have time to do all the things that you need to do. It would better suit you to hire a service that does all this for you. You have to keep track of the mileage somehow but they do all the reporting for you.

Just like driving, some things are better left to the people that have been trained for that job. You would not want me to take out your appendix because I don't even know what one looks like.

The services like this also tend to provide other services also such as drug testing.

Now if you are leased on to a carrier they do all the ifta filing and such.

I am investigating becoming an owner operator and have heard that filing fuel taxes is a hassle. First question, is it a hassle or is it relatively easy? Second question, are there tools/apps (especially free ones) that help in the process?

I will point out that if you are asking for FREE options or apps then you are not financially ready to own a truck. Heck the basic service for filing is $10 a month per truck.

Thank you for your feedback. I very much appreciate it. The reason for my question about "free" was not because I need free but because the app world has evolved significantly. Many very useful iPhone or Android apps are provided free usually in exchange for something (i.e. data) that app developer can use or sell. Sounds like, there is nothing like this for Fuel Taxes and my best bet is to work with an outside service. Can anyone recommend a service provider?

Thanks again for your feedback.

Thank you for your feedback. I very much appreciate it. The reason for my question about "free" was not because I need free but because the app world has evolved significantly. Many very useful iPhone or Android apps are provided free usually in exchange for something (i.e. data) that app developer can use or sell. Sounds like, there is nothing like this for Fuel Taxes and my best bet is to work with an outside service. Can anyone recommend a service provider?

Thanks again for your feedback.

J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc "Easy IFTA" $$$