Author: Marcela De Vivo

Podcasts To Keep You Alert On The Road

Posted on April 11, 2019 by - Alert Truck Drivers, expresstrucktax, History Podcasts, Long-Haul Trucking, New Update Podcast, Podcast For Truckers, Road Awareness, Sports Podcast, Trucker Related Podcast, Truckers On The Road

Only listening to music while on the road can get overstimulating. You can easily switch up your listening style by choosing to go the podcast route. Podcast genres range from comedy, sports, drama, thought-provoking and so many others. Podcasts are a good source of entertainment for long hours on the road.

They can bring you daily news, teach you history, keep you laughing, or help you pick up on a second language. The list can go on. Over 21% of Americans listen to podcasts monthly. Join plenty of others in a twenty-first century alternative to fuzzy radio connections when traveling state to state.

Trucking

Trucking Podcast – Created by a trucker for truckers. In efforts to be a resource for truckers and provide some great entertainment for long-haul road adventures, this podcast has developed to the mantra of ‘helping you make more money and rediscover the adventure.’

Trucker Dump Podcast – This podcast is the perfect mixture of information and humor. The Trucker dump Podcast will give you insight into the trucking industry, both good and bad from the standpoint of a pretty comedic trucker. You can find this podcast on Apple Podcast, Google podcast, Spotify, and even Stitcher.

BigRigBanter – If you are looking for laughs and a good source for trucking news, BigRigBanter is the podcast for you. Hear from two experienced journalists, as they interview some big names from the ruck industry. If you want education and entertainment you can find this podcast on Google Podcast, iTunes, and TuneIn.

News

PBS NewsHour – This podcast does a great job at covering news relating to politics, science, health, business, art, innovation and much more. Updates, in-depth reports and interviews all feature PBS’ senior correspondents

BBC Global News – The 25 to 30-minute podcast episodes featured on BBC Global News are produced twice daily on weekdays and once daily on weekends. This podcast is a great way to stay current on the world’s development. It is a one-stop-shop for all your global news. It addresses new policies, global scandals, political elections, natural disasters, trends, and anything else in between.

Thought-Provoking

Freakonomics – This podcast is inspired by the best selling books Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J Dubner. If you want a fresh perspective on life and on the modern world this podcast will do the trick. The host shows how economics is the study of incentives: how people get what they want, or need, when others want or need the same thing.

No Such Thing As Fish – A podcast dedicated to fun facts discovered weekly. If you have a desire to learn semi-useless information this podcast is for you. The trivial and trivia topics discussed will humor you and intrigue you all within 40 minutes.

History

Stuff You Missed In History Class -With a comprehensive range of topics. podcast host; Tracy V. Wilson and Holly Frey bring all listeners a holistic approach to history and how the past affects the present.

Hardcore History – Part storyteller, part analysis, Dan Carlin masters the art of dissecting subjects and viewing them from various angles. He is quick to inject modern debates in his history lessons in an original way.

Sports

First Take – Stephen A. Smith and other known sports analysts discuss the top sports news, which often leads to heated debates. Breaking down the top 10 sports stories each day the hosts do a great job keeping listeners laughing, and informed.

Courtside with Katz & Coach G – Missed out on March Madness? Don’t sweat it. Andy Katz and Seth Greenberg give you an all-access pass inside the world of college basketball.

Give music a rest and opt-in to become a subscriber to one of these podcasts.

This may not be the same as having an intellectual conversation with another person, but it will be something different than the 10 songs that loop in your cab on a 5-hour haul.

Top 3 Trucking Awesome Women Of All Time

Posted on April 4, 2019 by - All Girls Trucking, Eliascostas, Ellen Voie, expresstrucktax, Lillie Drennan, The Future is Female, Transportation Innovators, Transportation Management, Women in Trucking, Women’s History Month

If you weren’t aware, last month was Women’s History Month. Who would we be not to acknowledge the women who have impacted the trucking industry with huge strides? Here are three women from the past, present, and future who have either paved the way for women truckers trailing the highways, gave them a sense of community, or inspired them to take the leap into a career change.

Past: Lillie Elizabeth Drennan

Drennan became the first licensed female truck driver and trucking-firm owner in 1928. Drennan and her husband started their trucking company as a way to take advantage of an oil boom. A year later Drennan divorced her then-husband, Willard Ernest Drennan and took sole ownership of Drennan Truck Line and in the same year received her commercial truck-driver’s license.

Drennan’s accomplishments did not happen without a fight. During this time the Railroad Commission regulated motor-freight. The Railroad Commission claimed that her partial hearing loss prevented a safety concern, but the determined Drennan challenged them. Her quest was for the commission to find a man with a better record than hers on the road, and when their search came up empty she was awarded her license.

Honorable mention:

Luella Bates – First woman truck driver (1918)

Rusty Dow – First woman to drive with a full load on the Alaska Highway (1944)

Present: Ellen Voie

Voie is the founder, president and CEO of Women In Trucking, a nonprofit that encourages women to find career paths in the trucking industry. In 2018 the National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC) named her the Transportation Person of the Year. Although the organization she founded is a little over a decade she has been in the trucking industry for nearly 4 decades. It all began in 1980 when she earned her diploma in Traffic and Transportation Management while working as the Transportation Manager for a steel fabricating plant in central Wisconsin.

Since then she has received a number of accolades for her work. One of those was a prestigious honor from the White House in 2012, as a Transportation Innovators Champion of Change. More recently she was listed as one of the “30 Most Innovative CEOs to Watch”.

Future: Angela Eliacostas

Recently awarded the “Influential Woman In Trucking Award”, Eliacostas is indeed a woman to pay attention to in the truck industry. She got her start in the industry as a single mother of four, working as a part-time billing clerk for BBI Trucking Company. Over time Eliacostas worked her way up and has now found herself as the founder and CEO of All Girls Transportation and Logistics (AGT).

AGT specializes in integrating transportation and logistics functions for top-tier companies around the world. The company Eliacostas launched, in 2005, is consistently ranked as a top 50 Illinois and top 1000 U.S. certified women-owned business.

The ambition she has to succeed in the trucking industry is owed to her father, a former long-haul trucker. She recalls him giving her a key piece of advice in her early career years – “this is like a vacuum. It’s going to suck you in.” Years later she states that his advice was right, “I got in it, and I just couldn’t get in enough.”

Honorable Mentions

Desiree Wood – Founder of REAL Women In Trucking

Steph ‘Hammer Down’ Custance – Ice Road Trucker cast member

Take the time to honor a woman who makes what you do easier. Whether it is a significant other, a fellow hauler, or anyone who comes to your mind when you hear the term ‘impactful woman’.

The future of the trucking industry is women and it is our duty to make the path for them to enter, clear.

Cheers to impactful women all around. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.

Happy (Belated) Women’s History Month!

Was The Driver Shortage All A Hoax

Posted on April 2, 2019 by - American Trucking Association, driver shortage, expresstrucktax, Jared Polis, Low Trucker Wages, Truck Drivers Needed, Truck Industry News, Trucker Compensation, Trucker Qualifications, U.S Bureau of Labor

For over a decade the American Trucking Association (ATA) has been a ring leader in sounding the alarm for the demand of truck drivers in the industry, due to a driver shortage. It has even been predicted that the shortage would increase to roughly 100,000 drivers by 2021.
A more recent study released by the U.S Bureau of Labor (BLS) shows evidence that the trucking industry “works as well as any other blue-collar labor market and poses no constraints on entry into (or exit from) the occupation.”

The Truck Driver Shortage “Myth”

In the study it was revealed that the shortage is a matter dealing primarily with low wages and long hours than the off balanced ratio of truckers to surges in demand, within the industry. After careful review and study in trends the U.S. Department of Labor is speaking out against what the ATA has been driving into the minds trucking advocates across America.

There are many lawmakers who have jumped the gun in order to combat the decade long myth that seems to be the big news affecting the industry. There are 48 states that allow 18 year olds to obtain a commercial driver’s license. Among those is Colorado governor, Jared Polis, who recently signed a bill lowering interstate trucking age limits, just this year. According to Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) the solution of lowering the age opens the door to incidents. Safety groups have opposed the tactic since the beginning, contending that drivers 21 and younger lack the experience to operate heavy machinery, that can reach up to 60,000 Ibs. when loaded.

Instead of finding legitimate solutions, the misinterpretation of high turnover in the industry has taken the focus off the key issues of high mistreatment of workers and low wages, and placed it on the opposite. It is reported that recruiting more drivers will create competition for wages, encouraging drivers to sell themselves short in order to get the job.

Effective Methods

With the real reason behind such high turnover revealed, it is easy for industry leaders to strategize to uncover ways to fix the issue. Turnover rates have reached up to 98%, since mid 2017. In this instance maintaining good retention is crucial to make the industry work for everyone. There are various ways to do so and lower the turnover rate for the industry, as a whole.

Time Well Compensated

Compensation and benefits have been used as incentive methods to bring in more drivers. Adding a promise of consistency will lessen the turnover rate drastically. Gordon Klemp, founder and president of the National Transportation Institute, uncovered that the increase in recent turnover was also affected by drivers uprooting to find fleets offering higher wages. This caused a lot of movement within the job market. Keeping a close eye on trends in wages will even the playing field and stabilize the amount of movement in the market.

Improved Selection Process

It is important for fleets to not overlook the step of measuring and controlling the cost of replacing a driver. Hiring the wrong person can cost thousands. That is why the selection process should be a little more detailed than checking off a CDL box and whether or not they can dress the part with a hat and flannel. Establishing and Identifying warning signs in applicant’s background and past work experiences can separate finding a diamond in the rough as far as an employee, or finding someone who only looks the part and lacks in important areas.

The Balancing Act Of Living A Healthy Life On The Road

Posted on March 28, 2019 by - expresstrucktax, Healthy Balance for Truckers, mental health, Road Snacks, Truckers Families, Truckers Relationship Health, Trucking Activities, Trucking Benefits, Trucking Physical Health, Work-Life Balance

Managing work-life balance can be tough, but it is even tougher when you feel like life is 5,000 miles away from work. There are plenty of benefits that come with truck industry jobs. 401k, insurance, great pay and independence are a few of the perks given to truck drivers, but when it comes to helping you maintain a balance between life and work you may find that it isn’t included in the benefits package.

A Healthy Life Is A Wealthy Life

The first area of your life that becomes neglected is your physical health. A life on the go calls for fast-food and on the go snacks. In bulk these things can take a huge toll on your weight and energy. Every trucker is mindful of the fuel that goes into their rig, so why not be as concerned about the fuel that goes into your own bodies. Lack of nutrition in the body can make you feel sluggish, every truckers nightmare when it comes to having a long haul ahead of you.

Tip: To find a healthy balance prepare road snacks with plenty of nutrition to boost your energy and not zap it. Try pre-washed fruits and vegetables, and nuts for a bit of protein. Making your way to the gym isn’t ideal with a life on the road. Luckily there are plenty of methods to boost your heart rate than an elliptical. Free weights and a jump rope are both small enough to be carried on the road with you and make for a great full body workout.

Mental Health Matters

Being stuck in a truck cab alone for hours on end can get lonely and in some cases lead to burnout. It’s important that you keep your mind active and away from daydreaming to protect yourself and others on the road at all times. Some may not choose to believe this, but when you look your best you feel your best. Although, as a trucker you are typically to yourself, for
most of the day, but small adjustments to the outward appearance can boost how you view yourself.

Tip: Try listening to music, audiobooks, podcasts or finding a second language to pick up and practice using an app. Keeping your mind focused on something other than those things going wrong is beneficial to mental health. Even the way we dress can put us in an overall better mood. We don’t suggest you wear a three piece suit, but by buying a new lotion with a scent that reminds you of home or wearing a shirt that’s soft and comfy will likely take you from being dreary to happy.

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Of course being away from your family is one of the biggest downfalls of the career, but the coming home part isn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows. Veteran truck drivers can attest that it is easy to come home and feel the need to hibernate or over do it when it comes to getting neglected errands done and chores taken care of, but making time for your family when you get the chance is important. You may have video chatted for hours, but nothing compares to being able to tuck your kids in and make sure everyone is at one table for dinner. You miss out on the little moments that make for big memories, so making up for that time, in creative ways, adds to the relationship.

Tip: If you have children make them feel connected to you when you’re on the road by telling them where you’re headed and have them do research on fun facts you can discuss when you get home. Do something similar with your significant other, such as purchasing a book you two can read together, being sure to purchase yourself the audio version. These are the people who you’re on the road for, and making them happy involves making real time for them.

Being a trucker is not easy and neither is creating a work-life balance. It requires commitment and if having a work-life balance is important to you, you’ll want to work for it. Following these tips will help you develop your own ideas to maintain good physical, mental and relationship health.

Out With The OLD And In With The ELD

Posted on March 19, 2019 by - AOBRDS, DOT, Driver safety improvement, ELD features, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, FMCSA, HOS, Hours of Service, insurance premiums, Ray Martinez

Since 2017, the ELD mandate has been in effect. In December 2017 fleet owner’s with Automatic On-Board Recording Devices (AOBRDs) installed were given an extension to make the switch from AOBRDs to ELDs up until December 2019. With the new year in full swing the December 16, 2019 expiration date is quickly approaching.

At the 2019 Omnitracs annual user conference, head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Ray Martinez, urged drivers and company representatives to “prepare for this transition, if you have not done so already.”

The most strategic way to avoid procrastination when choosing an ELD is being in the know of what major differences stand between AOBRDs and ELDs.

Key Differences Between AOBRDs and ELDs

For many in the transportation business, the most proposed question that has been asked is, “why?”. The main reason behind the switch is to ensure companies are following the hours-of-service (HOS) law, which controls how much a driver can work in a day, aimed at preventing accidents and harassment of drivers. If someone has yet to make the switch from an AOBRD to a compliant ELD and are waiting to the last minute, the following differences in the two devices may be incentives to make the switch earlier.

Recording Metrics: AOBRDs does a lot of basic recording such as; location, date and time, mileage, engine hours and drive times, as well as duty status. ELDs record the same metrics plus information on the driver/user, motor carrier and vehicle including; log in and log out, engine on and off and also malfunctions.

Locations: When it comes to location AOBRDs allows users to record the change of location during each change of duty status and can be entered manually. With ELDs the location is automatically recorded every 60 minutes, whenever the engine is on or off when there is a change in duty status at the beginning and end of yard moves.

Edit History: AOBRDs record who makes edits and when and does not readily display edit history. ELDs require annotations when edits are made, with automatic events they can not be changed – only annotated and it readily displays edit history to DOT inspectors.

Driving Time: The driving time can only be edited when attributed to the wrong driver with AOBRDs and with ELDs that time cannot be edited.

Benefits of Making the Switch

The most recognizable benefit of the switch from AOBRDs to ELDs is compliance, but outside of ensuring that the trucking industry steers clear of harassment complaints the FMCSA wants to make the job of transporters a lot easier.

Low IFTA Audit Risk

The new ELD technology is driver-friendly when it comes to automatically calculating IFTA reports. The process of filing IFTA reports at the end of each quarter can be burdensome, and the overload of stress can cause human error. With this feature, the risk of facing an IFTA audit is reduced significantly.

Safety Improvement

By notifying drivers and management of malfunction issues and even identifying unsafe driving behaviors, ELDs do a great job at protecting all drivers on the road. According to FMCSA, ELDs help prevents roughly 562 injuries each year.

Lower Insurance Rates

Because of the increase in safety ELDs provide, insurance companies are happy to offer lower
insurance premiums to ELD users. By ensuring drivers stick to HOS regulations ELDs are eliminating the main cause of driver fatigue, which is reported to be at fault for 86% of truck-passenger crashes.

Safer Roads + Fewer Accidents = Lower Truck Insurance

Make Filing 2019 IFTA Reports Simple

If you have not made the switch from paper filing and other unconventional IFTA report filing methods, generate your quarterly fuel tax reports with a FREE account before the first quarter report deadline.

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Get The Most Out Of Your 2019 MATS Experience

Posted on March 14, 2019 by - Kentucky Trucking, Louisville, Louisville Restaurants, MATS 2019, MATS Discounts, MATS Exhibitors. Heavy Duty Trucking, MATS Opportunities, Trucking Success

It is that time of year again, when the largest annual heavy-duty trucking industry event makes its way to Louisville, Kentucky. This years MATS is taking place Thursday, March 28 – Saturday, March 30. With an event as large as MATS, you should always come prepared with your own tentative agenda to help your trip run smoothly. Here are a few tips to consider for your 2019 MATS experience.

ExpressAmber

If you’re familiar with ExpressAmber, you know that she tackles all truck industry news on her Youtube channel, and this year’s MATS event is no different. Since attending MATS for about 6 years she and her team have a pretty good handle on one of the truck industries largest events.

With a buzzing atmosphere and leading truck industry innovators all around, Amber and Bryan advise all attendees to take full advantage of the networking taking place all in one area. Amber and her team have learned to prepare months in advance to secure potential partnerships and make the voyage to Louisville, Kentucky well worth it. By networking throughout the year the team develops a strategy on spending their time wisely at trucking events.

Research Exhibitors

There are over 1,000 exhibitors from 47 states who have already registered for this years event. It is very easy to overlook a booth if you aren’t sure where to look. The MATS website has a great feature that allows for you to search for exhibitors in the 2019 exhibitor directory. Look for your favorite product and companies by name to see if they’ll be attending.

(ExpressAmber MATS Tip: Don’t avoid the FMCSA booth. Visiting the FMCSA booth at MATS is your chance to express your concerns about new rules and regulations, outside of blog and vlog rants. Who knows, they just might listen.)

Experience Louisville

Take time to get away from the convention center and tour the city. Some people may consider this a work trip, but all work doesn’t have to be anti fun. Louisville has a lot to offer from the Louisville Slugger Museum to the Muhammad Ali Center. There is rich history that awaits to be explored. If your schedule doesn’t allow for you to explore, consider coming a day earlier or staying a day late to enjoy the Louisville experience outside of MATS. Research unique and top rated restaurants that will make you feel like the tourist you truly are.

Show Your Badge

Louisville offers the Show Us Your Badge program, it offers discounts throughout the city to conference attendees. Discounts range from restaurants, attractions and retail shops, all designed to give visitors a special guest experience.

Participating locations

Food

Hard Rock Cafe
Patrick O’Shea’s
Tavern On Fourth
Buckhead Mountain Grill
Morton’s, The Steakhouse
Brasserie Provence
Pizza Bar

Attractions

Belle of Louisville Boat Tour
The Caravan Comedy Club
Bluegrass Karting & Events

Retail

Messie Shop
5-0-Lou
Peace Of The Earth

Network & Promote Yourself

When having fun, don’t lose sight of your goal. There are so many opportunities at MATS and all attendees have the right to explore them. Being on the road for majority of the year can damper human interaction leaving the forerunners of the industry to solely rely on social media to network.

For one weekend we encourage you to have face to face interactions with the representatives of companies you want to work with. Recruitment is a big piece of MATS, so don’t miss your opportunity to achieve a career goal.

The seminars each year feature standout industry names, who are known for success. On any other day a direct answer from them may not be realistic, but during a live seminar your chances become a bit greater.

6 Can’t Miss Opportunities

With an action packed weekend like MATS 2019 it’s hard to narrow down what events to attend and which ones can be replaced. We tried our best to pick our top 5, so we chose 6. This years MATS wouldn’t be one of the largest MATS to date without these amazing opportunities going on throughout the weekend.

  • PKY Truck Beauty Championship

Thursday, March 28 – Saturday, 30 10AM – 6PM | Location: Lot J

  • Roadworks 25th Anniversary Celebration

Thursday, March 28 3PM – 4PM | Booth # : 34105

  • Helping You Navigate The Biggest Obstacles to Success in Today’s Market 

Thursday, March 28 12:30PM – 1:30PM | Location: B-104

  • MATS Concert Sponsored by Mobil Delvac Featuring Michael Ray and Runaway June

Friday, March 29 7PM | Location: Freedom Hall – Kentucky Exposition Center

  • Red Eye Rendezvous

Thursday, March 28 – Saturday, 30 10AM – 6PM* | Booth # : 41064

  • Giveaway: My20 Trucker Pack 

Thursday, March 28 1PM-5:30PM | Booth # : 62140

How To Be A Healthy Trucker on the Road This Year

Posted on February 11, 2019 by - Healthy Meals for Truck Drivers, Healthy Road Trip Snacks, Healthy Trucker, Natural Sleep Aid, Sleep Apnea, Sleep Disorders, Truck Driver Health, Trucker Lifestyle

Any trucker knows that life on the road can take its toll and truck driver health is an ever-growing concern. The strains of the job mean truck drivers often have more health problems than the average joe. Cramped working conditions, lack of quality food and exercise, exposure to dangerous materials, and the effects of stress are just a few of the lifestyle’s hazards.

We know you probably have enough to worry about without the added pressure of keeping up with the typical New Year’s’ Resolutions, but even taking small steps every day to improve your health can be critical in the long run.

Whether you’re a driver, a trucking business owner, or just someone who wants to get healthier, we at ExpressTruckTax encourage you to check out these tips for a healthier 2019!

Improve Your Sleep Quality

Getting enough sleep in your daily routine is crucial to your overall well being. One good way to get enough rest is to set a sleep schedule for yourself and your best to stick with it. While getting enough sleep can make you feel happier and healthier overall, a continued lack of sleep can lead an increased risk of heart & kidney disease, high blood pressure & strokes, diabetes, and depression. I can definitely be a challenge when managing your fleet or trying to meet deadlines on the road, but you should always try to get about 8 hours a night.

Many truck drivers suffer from sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, insomnia, and more. To avoid these issues, limit your consumption of stimulants and choose a natural sleep aid if necessary.

Eat Healthier Foods

One of the hardest things for many people in the trucking industry to do is make healthy eating choices. The lifestyle lends itself perfectly to quick and convenient food choices, but not necessarily the healthiest ones. When fast food restaurants are so cheap and readily available, it’s easy to make poor food choices, but eating healthy road trip snacks on your route isn’t as hard as sounds!One of the best strategies for eating well is to plan ahead. Purchase your snacks from a grocery store or produce stand before hitting the road where it will be harder to find something decent. Fruits, veggies, nuts, and protein bars are all great snacks that can keep you full on the road, which can help you eat smaller portions for lunch and dinner.

Of course, it’s not always that easy. If you don’t have any healthy snacks and not enough time for something ideal, try to choose from the healthiest options available. These days even most fast food restaurants serve healthier options such as salads and grilled proteins. Healthy meals for truck drivers aren’t as hard to find as you’d think! Just remember – eating when you’re hungry is healthy, just be sure to make healthy choices and not overdo it.

Stay Hydrated

Dehydration is the cause of many different health problems. Your body doesn’t tell your brain that its thirsty until you’re already technically in a state of dehydration. When you’re on the road, always keep a bottle with you to sip throughout the day – this will ensure that you’re never dehydrated. Making sure that you’re getting enough water makes you feel better both physically and mentally, help with calories control, prevent fatigue, and improve kidney function! Literally every biological process in your body requires water as fuel, so give it as much as you can!

Sun Health

Due to the stress that hours of staring at the road and exposure to the sun can do to your eyes, keeping a pair of sunglasses in your truck can do wonders. A good pair of sunglasses can help protect your eyes from cataracts, vision loss and keep you from needing to squint. And always apply sunscreen for those longer hauls! Unless you have heavily-tinted windows, you’ll be exposed to ultraviolet rays that can burn and lead to more extreme skin problems if you aren’t careful.

Get More Exercise

It can be difficult for anyone to fit regular exercise into their schedule at first, let alone those who are stuck on the road or managing a trucking business. But the key to getting enough exercise is figuring out how much or how little works for you. Staying healthy doesn’t necessarily mean going to the gym and “working out”. It should be enjoyable and match your abilities. It’s easier than you think to find 10-20 minutes a day to take a walk or do some light stretching on your next stop. And after hours on the road, you’ll be even more glad that you did!

Manage Stress on the Road

Being out on the road for even just a few days away from friends or family can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness, which can then lead to feelings of depression. And while it’s easy enough to stay connected these days with smartphones and social media applications like Skype and Facetime (when you’re not driving), there are some even more interactive ways to stay connected on the road.

Using that smartphone to share photos and stories of your travels is a great way to stay close to your family and friends on the road. If you have children, you can tell them where you’re going and have them look up interesting facts about the places. When you get home, set aside some time to ask them what they learned and then share the photos and stories from your trip there. It will be a great and unique learning experience for them and a memorable bonding experience for you both. And if you’re married, get a book for your spouse and the audiobook version for yourself. When you connect on the phone or social media, you can discuss it together.

Stay Positive!

Don’t give up! Set some realistic goals for yourself that you think you can actually stick with. As an owner operator, you know that good things take time. You’re already on the way to a healthier you just by reading this article! Just stay persistent – At ExpressTruckTax, we’re with you every mile of the road and every step of the way.

Today is the Tax Deadline for Businesses!

Posted on January 31, 2019 by - 1099-Misc Due Date, Deadline for Employers to Provide w2, Deadline to File W-2 With IRS, IFTA due date, IRS Customer Service, January 31 tax deadline, Tax Deadline for Businesses

Today is Your 1099-Misc Due Date!

Today is the January 31 tax deadline! Are you ready to file before midnight?

If you trucking business hires 1099-MISC contractors or W-2 employees you have hours remaining to file. Tonight’s the deadline for employers to provide w2 & 1099 recipient copies. This also goes for any IRS Form 940 or IRS Form 941 you may have.

Failing to file by the January 31 tax deadline, means serious penalties for you, and your trucking business as a whole!

But don’t worry you still have time!! Check out TruckLogics’s sister product, Taxbandits before it’s too late!

TaxBandits makes it easy for your company to beat the January 31 tax deadline. They offer an easy e-filing solution that helps you file all your tax forms at once!

Why waste the little time you have left to file on hold with IRS customer service when TaxBandits can meet all your filling needs in minutes! They also have 24/7 US-Based customer support if you need further assistance meeting the January 31 tax deadline!

The midnight deadline to file W-2 with IRS officials is only a few hours away!

Don’t forget that along with the 1099-Misc due date, it’s also the 4th Quarter IFTA due date! Visit ExpressIFTA today to beat the deadline!

Beat the January 31 Tax Deadline Now!

Pay Only When You Transmit!

How to File Your Trucker 2018 1099-Misc for the IRS Deadline

Posted on January 30, 2019 by - 1099 misc 2018, Fleet Management, ifta report, IRS Deadline, IRS Form 940, IRS Form 941, Subcontractor, Trucking Business

Make Sure Your Trucking Business is Tax Compliant!

Only Hours Left to File!

Tomorrow, January 31st is the deadline for your IRS Form 1099, IRS Form W-2, and IRS Form 940 or 941! As a trucking business owner, you have to make sure your employee, contractor, and subcontractor tax forms are filed by the deadline.

We understand that filing your employee and contractor forms can be confusing during tax season. Which is why ExpressTruckTax has parented its sister product, Taxbandits to provide you with all the tools you’ll need to file by tomorrow night’s deadline!

Before we jump into it let’s review some tax filing basics.

The Fleet Management Guide to the 2018 1099-Misc Form, W-2, & More

Knowing which tax forms you are required to file and how to submit them on time is important for you as a business owner, your employees, subcontractors, and anyone else you paid during the previous tax season. However, depending on the circumstances, they may each need different or even multiple forms to file.

Let’s take a look at the basic forms and when you’ll need them:

IRS Form W-2 is for reporting your full employees’ wages and other compensation.

IRS Form 1099-MISC is for reporting payments made to freelance drivers, leased owner-operators, or other contracted workers in your trucking fleet. Don’t forget, this also applies to any subcontractors in your fleet as well.

IRS Form 941 is for reporting employment taxes for those who own and operate a business with employees, including adjustments for tips, sick pay, and any overpayment or underpayments made during the tax season. Like your IFTA report, IRS Form 941 is a quarterly Federal Tax Return and must be filed accordingly.

IRS Form 940 is an annual federal tax report form used for documenting and paying unemployment taxes. The form calculates the employer’s federal unemployment tax liability, adjusts for any state unemployment taxes paid, and calculates any due unemployment taxes from there. IRS Form 940 also compares unemployment tax due for the year to the taxes already paid.

Beat the IRS Deadline with TaxBandits!

While all of this seems like a lot to take care of in such a short time, TaxBandits makes it easy!

TaxBandits takes the headache of filing business tax forms by offering a simplified e-filing solution that helps you to e-file multiple tax forms for your trucking business at once. That means you and your fleet can get back on the road and to doing to what you do best!

Don’t forget, depending on the scope and nature of your fleet, you may need to file one or more of these forms by the deadline tomorrow! Also, don’t forget to file your 4th Quarter IFTA report with your base jurisdiction!

Start Your Free Account Today!

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What You Need to Know About The W-2 and 1099 Tax Form Deadline!

Posted on January 24, 2019 by - 1099 Employees, 1099 Online, 1099 Tax Form, independent contractor, IRS Form 1099, Subcontractor, Tax deadline, Trucking Business, Trucking Companies

January 31st is right around the corner! You have to make sure your 2019 W-2 and 1099-MISC Forms are ready to file by the IRS deadline.

If your trucking business has employees, you will need to report their wages and tax withheld on IRS Form W-2. Operators using freelance or contracted workers must report all payments using IRS Form 1099-MISC. Many trucking companies get confused about the difference between the W-2 Form and 1099 Tax form. Knowing these differences is critical for trucking business owners. Any mistakes you make could result in IRS fines and extra work for you.

IRS Form 1099 MISC – What You Need to Know

The IRS Form 1099-MISC is used to report miscellaneous payments made during the calendar year. You’ll need to use it for individuals who are not considered employees, such as an independent contractor or subcontractors.
You will need to file Form 1099-MISC if any of the following applies. Note there are also certain incomes you must report as well.
• $600 or more in services, lodging, and other income expenses.
• Each worker you’ve withheld federal income tax from under the backup withholding rules.
• Paid $10 or more in royalties or broker payments instead of tax-exempt interest dividends.
• All gross proceeds to attorneys and other legal consultants.
• Any direct sales of consumer products resulting in an income of $5,000 or more made anywhere that isn’t a permanent retail establishment.
Expenses NOT reported on IRS Form 1099-MISC include:
• All non-reportable payments made to corporations, excluding attorneys and legal consultants. They must receive a Form 1099 – MISC regardless of their corporate status.
• Payments made to foreign governments or tax-exempt organizations in the United States, the District of Columbia, and U.S. possessions.
• Income paid to official employees (This is where the From W-2 comes in).

IRS Form W-2 – What You Need to Know

First of all, what is a W-2? IRS Form W-2 is an annual statement that you must file with the SSA and issue recipient copies to employees. You, the employer, will then use these to report salaries and other payments made during the previous tax year. You will also need to file Form W-2 for each official employee with the SSA (Social Security Administration). This is very important considering your employees use this form to file their personal tax returns. On their recipient copies they will find wages earned, taxes withheld, and additional information needed to complete their yearly tax returns.

Filing late or not filing at all can cost you and your business big time. If you don’t file Form W-2s by the deadline, you must pay a $30 fine for each. After 30 days, this penalty raises to $60 per form with a top fine of $500. That’s in addition to the pressure you will receive from your employees and contractors when they can’t file for their refunds.If you do make a mistake, you can use a W-2 Correction Form W-2c. It would be best if you did this as soon as you discover a form error. You also need to send copies of your corrected W-2 Forms to each employee.

TaxBandits Can Help Your Trucking Business

Tax season isn’t fun for anyone, but it’s even less fun to handle all alone. We specialize in filing 2290s, but our sister product TaxBandits is here for the rest of your trucking company’s tax filing needs!

With a step-by-step interview-style filing process and US-based support, TaxBandits can help you file your IRS Form W-2 or IRS Form 1099 in a matter of moments. They even have print mailing options available to guarantee your recipient copies are received on time. Sign up for your free account today and only pay when you transmit!