Category: #TruckTech

Will These 5 Technologies Help or Hurt Truckers?

Posted on April 20, 2016 by - #TruckTech, biometrics, cameras, efile HVUT 2290, healthy living, smartphone apps, trucker health, trucker technology

You hear it all the time, technology will kill the trucking industry.

We know that robo-truckers are supposed to show up with their drone-powered rigs and shut down the whole transportation field.

Until the Terminator has as much intuition as a veteran trucker, we’re not gonna lose sleep over it.

But what new technologies are being developed to help truckers?

From heartbeats to healthy sleep, we’re looking at 5 new and helpful technologies headed your way.

Seats That Monitor You

You spend most of your day planted in the seat of your truck—it’s the perfect way to monitor everything from your heart health to your alertness.

With increased monitoring, companies are hoping to create more awareness and prevent dangerous heart attacks from taking down truckers.

The seat could even alert a driver to pull over and await an ambulance’s arrival!

A Steering Wheel and Gearshift That Feel You

With your hands strapped across the wheel, you know you’re in control of your rig. But are you in control of your health?

With biometric telemetry built directly into the hands-on parts of the truck, it will be easy to track health stats with your steering wheel or gearshift.

Imagine the possibilities when it comes to monitoring health this way—in every vehicle, drivers can be alerted if they’re above the drinking limit, if their diabetes is affecting their blood sugar, or if their blood pressure is dangerously high.

Your Mobile Tech Will Help

As phones continue to improve in speed and quality, we are going to see more mobile health advancements.

Mobile technology doesn’t just mean smartphones either! Smartwatches, fitness bands, and mobile monitoring devices will continue to improve and diversify into health and wellness.

Cameras Watching out for You

Nothing is more helpful in an accident than a good dash cam. But dash cams may just be the start. Mitsubishi is developing technology that will analyze truck movement, the driver’s expression, and heart rate to monitor fatigue and general health conditions.

Cameras are a touchy subject, though, because nobody wants their privacy invaded. Especially truckers—so this will be a growing technology to watch.

Improved Sleep with Better Devices

Sleeping makes the difference between a slow motion driver and lightning fast trucker! We’ve given out sleep advice before, but advice isn’t going to help you if you have sleep apnea.

Advancements in CPAP machines will not only increase their portability, but they can also record the quality, duration, and patterns of sleep. That would open the door to better predictions for drowsy driving.

As far as technologies that will help you, we only know so much of what the future will bring. What we know now is that the HVUT e-filing from ExpressTruckTax is technology that works for you now!

Do you think cameras will help your health? What about biometric seats? Let us know on Facebook!

File Like an Expert: Tax Deductions for Truckers

Posted on March 9, 2016 by - #TruckTech, deductions, efile HVUT 2290, personal finance, Personal Tax Extension, taxes online

Would you head out on the road without any idea where you’re going? I didn’t think so. So why would you head into tax season without a plan?

Your truck isn’t just a vehicle, it’s also a place of business. It makes sense that you would qualify for multiple tax deductions for your truck use.

So let’s look at some money saving secrets you can implement on your tax return. Whether you’re a company driver or an owner-operator, there could be a deduction in your future. Basically, your deductions should be for items that help you complete your driving job.

So What Can I Deduct?

Well what are some items that can be deducted? Cleaning supplies, office supplies, and miscellaneous supplies all count. As long as the supplies help you run and maintain your business, you can claim them.

But it doesn’t stop there! Electronics equipment like your CB radio, power boosters, GPS units (including map updates) can be counted as deductions. Tractor supplies like bunk heaters, coolers, de-icers, and window screens are all fine for deductions, too.

Really, you can apply this to a lot of items that come into use. Bungee cords, load chains, locks, and wide load flags are all vital load securement tools that are required for your work. Tools like electrical tape, tire irons, and flashlights can count, too. Safety clothing like gloves, boots, and thermals can be a necessity for the job.

Your personal hygiene is a vital part of your job, so that can even factor into your deductions! Whether you’re going to a tax professional or working with a family member familiar with tax code, make sure you go over every possible deduction at hand.

I Have a Lot of Deductions… I Need More Time!

Instead of worrying about filing time, head over to ExpressExtension and e-file for an automatic tax extension. With personal extension Form 4868, you can extend your personal filing deadline to October 17th. If you’re a fleet owner, there are plenty of options for you at ExpressExtension. You can e-file business extension Form 7004 and extend your deadline up to 6 months. And if you need more time to file 1099s, W-2s, and ACA Form 1094/1095, e-file Form 8809 with ExpressExtension for a 30 day extension!

When it comes time to file your taxes, professional help is best. And when it comes time to file your HVUT 2290s, call our dedicated, bilingual customer service team at 704.234.6005. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with upcoming tax deadlines and the latest trucking news.

What are some other trucking expenses you could claim as tax deductions?

Quick Tips to Reduce Trucker Stress

Posted on March 2, 2016 by - #TruckTech, 2290, Federal HVUT, fitness, healthy living, rigminders, sleep deprivation, software, stress

When you’re on the road, things can get pretty stressful. You’ve got crazed four-wheelers darting around your rig, dispatchers asking you to bend some rules, and some upcoming tax forms you’ve been avoiding. You can’t get rid of all those stressful factors, but you can find creative outlets to help you reduce how they affect you.

Stress happens for different reasons, and there are an assortment of ways to combat it. Here are a few tips we suggest.

Reduce Stressful Paperwork

Want to ditch the stress of tax filing? Well, just e-file your HVUT 2290s with ExpressTruckTax! We’re known as the easiest way to e-file your heavy vehicle use taxes, and we pride ourselves on our helpful customer support team. Best of all, after filing with us you will get your Stamped Schedule 1 within minutes! That way you can get back on the road.

Eat. Sleep. Lift.

Alright, alright. You’re tired of us hammering this point home. But we’re gonna stick with it, because your health is important! In short, you need to sleep more, eat better, and exercise regularly.

Does it sound like we’re constantly telling you to sleep more? Well, we are! Sleep recharges your body and helps you sort things out in your life. When you get more sleep, you’re going to be a more alert, safer driver. Your moods will also be more positive as a whole. And we’re not saying you’re eating unhealthy, but most truckers have a reputation for eating some bad foods. The solution? Avoid fast food and junk food and eat healthy foods! And of course, find time to exercise. You can store away weights or use your resources.

Stay on Time with Reminders

Tired of deadlines looming over your head? With RigMinders, you simply download the free app and let it run its course. As deadlines approach, RigMinders will remind you so that you don’t fall behind and get smacked with late penalties. The last thing you want is to pay a late fine, right?

Reduce Stress with a Hobby

You’re all over the country, seeing more of the United States than most people ever will. If you’re looking for a good hobby to help you relieve stress, try photography! Come on, you come across all those open skies and lonely roads—perfect for a camera lens. Not much of the visual artist type? Perhaps you could bring a guitar and try your hand at a good old fashion traveling song.

You already know how to stay entertained with your phone, tablet, and laptop computer. But not many truckers know that using these tools for stress relief is another great option! By using these same gadgets, you can connect to loved ones back home, run truck management software like TruckLogics, maintain a truck driving YouTube channel, or even educate yourself with free online courses.

And if you ever get stressed filing, reach out to our dedicated, bilingual support team! We’re available by phone at 704.234.6005, email at support@expresstrucktax.com, and by live chat on our website!

How do you reduce stress while on the road? Let us know in the comments, or on Facebook!

4 Trucker Life Hacks: Simplify Your Life

Posted on February 25, 2016 by - #TruckTech, E-file 2290 form, Federal HVUT 2290, gadgets, go paperless, life hacks, rigminders, trucking nation, TruckLogics

Let’s face it, Trucking Nation. You want life on the road to get easier. Heck, we can’t blame you. You’re only making sure every piece of merchandise every American buys gets to its proper location.

So we’re here to offer you some of the best ways to simplify your life in the rig! Check out these 4 trucker hacks designed to streamline your burden.

Deadlines for Days

We’re sure you have a phone—but not everybody has a smartphone. Our main encouragement for getting a fancy smartphone is automation! RigMinders is a free reminder app that keeps you up to date on your trucking deadlines. You don’t want to miss this one, Trucking Nation.



RigMinders: Stay Alert!

Head in the Cloud

Have you heard of TruckLogics? Whether you’re an owner-operator or you run your own fleet, there’s something there for you with TruckLogics. What kind of features do they offer? First off, their new LTL feature lets you dispatch multiple loads to one truck while automatically generating separate invoices for each client.

They also offer multi-user access, which grants permission and levels of access for your employees to streamline your transportation business. With these dispatch tools, you can dispatch loads with just a few clicks and track them in real-time! We’re telling you, you gotta check out TruckLogics today!

TruckLogics On-the-Go: Mobile App for Trucking Nation

Gadgets and Gizmos Aplenty

When you want to improve your life on the road, there’s always a technological solution you can look into. Speaking of TruckLogics, they recently published a list of the 10 must-have gadgets for the modern trucker. Maybe you’re in the market for a new tablet? Check out the Durabook. These military grade tablets are waterproof, can operate at 0° F, and are shock proof! Check out the link for more awesome gadgets.

Try Being Paperless

Now, we know you may have a visceral reaction to hearing “paperless,” with the FMCSA pushing e-logs on you, but there are plenty of great paperless advancements out there. Like taxes, for example. Do you really want to sit behind a stack of tax forms at home, a truck stop, or even worse—crammed in the back of your cab? Instead of filing your 2290s by hand, e-file your HVUT with our simplified, secure IRS authorized system.

Whatever you do to make your rig life easier, we can’t blame you. And when you e-file your HVUT 2290 forms, know that our dedicated, bilingual customer support team will be here to answer any of your questions. You can reach us by phone at 704.234.6005 or email at support@expresstrucktax.com.

What are your trucker life hacks?

#TruckTechTuesday: Keep It Updated

Posted on October 6, 2015 by - #TruckTech, #TruckTechTuesday, browser updated, expresstrucktax, latest technology, updated browser

Happy #TruckTechTuesday! Here at ExpressTruckTax, we’re all about keeping up with the latest technology, which means making sure our browsers and apps are always up-to-date. Why, you ask? Well, regular updates provide significant benefits, such as better speed, security, and support than older versions. If you don’t take the chance to update your browser, you can be left in the dark and miss new features that can improve your overall experience on the web—no, thank you!

Let’s take a look at some benefits of an updated browser:

Speed

You probably don’t need me to tell you that updating your browser can help websites and apps load and run faster. It’s true that every new update makes your browser faster than the last.

Security

When it comes to your personal information, such as identity and credit card numbers, you’re the safest when you have your browser updated to the latest version. That’s because it includes new and improved security protection.

Safety

Keeping your browser updated can also reduce the risk of getting a virus on your computer. To minimize the risk of infection and attack, it’s important to check for updates every month or so.

Sight

If you maintain an older browser that does not support the latest versions of HTML or CSS, you won’t be able to see the full view of the sites you visit.

As you can notice, keeping your browser updated is important for several reasons, especially to ensure that your web pages load properly. ExpressTruckTax also recommends that you update any extensions, plug-ins, or add-ons.

If there is anything #TruckTech related that you wish to see featured here, drop us a line on our Facebook or Twitter! And as always, don’t hesitate to contact us if you need assistance or have any questions. ExpressTruckTax offers year-round support so you can get the help you deserve. You can email us at support@expresstrucktax.com or call us at 704.234.6005.