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September 10, 2020

Raise Driver Take-Home Pay With Per Diem

Mark Sullivan- Per Diem Plus
Mark W. Sullivan, EA
Mark is our transportation industry expert and has nearly two decades of experience advising clients on IRS accountable per diem programs. 

Raise Truck Driver Pay


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A company-sponsored substantiated per diem plan will save a fleet money and raise driver take-home pay by several cents per mile.

Truckers designed it, tax pros built it, your drivers want it. Our cloud-based FLEETS mobile app platform with flexible Service Plan Options enables motor carriers to easily implement an IRS-compliant fleet per diem plan that will:

  • Enhance recruiting and retention
  • Raise driver pay by the equivalent of several cents-per-mile
  • Save a fleet several thousand dollars per driver
  • Eliminate the need to retain ELD backups for 3 years

Adding a substantiated per diem program for employee drivers is a sure-fire way for a motor carrier to save money and raise driver take-home pay. Consider the following:

  • The typical over-the-road (OTR) driver averages 127,500 miles annually and is away from home 295 nights a year
  • A driver would receive $19,470 of tax-free per diem at $66/day[1]
  • Unlike a cent-per-mile plan it can be earned during HOS-mandated 34-hour restarts and unforeseen delays
  • The average driver will save thousands of dollars in income and payroll taxes, equivalent to several cents per mile

For example, a married driver from South Carolin could save $5,123 in taxes equal to an extra 4.4 cents per mile.

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Per Diem v No Per Diem - Married Driver Tax Savings

A single driver from Missouri could save $5,638 in taxes equal to an extra 4.6 cents-per-mile. Learn how state tax rates impact per diem in our post State Income Tax Considerations of Driver Per Diem


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Per Diem v No Per Diem - Single Driver Tax Savings

Use our Fleet Per Diem Benefit Calculator to learn how much your fleet can save with Per Diem Plus Fleets.


Per Diem Plus FLEETS is a configurable mobile application enterprise platform that automates administration of an IRS-compliant accountable per diem plan for truck drivers and fleets managers. No matter how big or small your company is, Per Diem Plus has a solution for you.


About Per Diem Plus FLEETS

Per Diem Plus FLEETS is a proprietary mobile software application that was designed by truckers and built by tax pros. It is the only IRS-compliant mobile app for iOS and Android that automatically tracks each qualifying day of travel in the USA & Canada and replaces ELD backups (logbooks) to substantiate away-from-home travel.

About the Author

Mark is tax counsel for Per Diem Plus. With nearly two decades of experience advising trucking companies on per diem issues, Mark was responsible for defining the Per Diem Plus software logic rules that automatically calculates trucker per diem in accordance with IRS regulations. He also previously served as the consulting per diem tax expert for Omnitracs.

In addition to his time working with Per Diem Plus, Mark works in private practice as an Enrolled Agent at Mark Sullivan Consulting, PLLC specializing in federal tax controversy representation and consulting. He also served as the consulting and expert witness for the Federal Defenders Office and private defense counsel in financial crimes cases in multiple federal district courts. Contact Mark W. Sullivan, EA


Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only and cannot be cited as precedent or relied upon in a tax dispute before the IRS.

Copyright 2020-2022 Per Diem Plus, LLC. Per Diem Plus proprietary software is the trademark of Per Diem Plus, LLC.®

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