WheelsAndAxle Blog
Practical tips, IFTA deadlines, and guides for independent truckers.
1–5 of 5 posts in Getting started
IRP vs IFTA: Two Licences, Two Completely Different Jobs
One is about your plate. The other is about your fuel. Plenty of owner-operators run a year before anyone explains the difference — and it costs money both ways.
WheelsAndAxle TeamOctober 11, 20265 min readDo I Need an IFTA Licence for One Trip? How IFTA Trip Permits Work
Under IFTA's rules, a trip permit lets a carrier pay fuel use tax trip by trip instead of holding an IFTA licence, and some states limit who may use theirs. What the IFTA rules say, and what Texas, Wisconsin, Washington, North Dakota and Alabama say about their permits.
WheelsAndAxle TeamAugust 12, 20268 min readIFTA for Leased Owner-Operators: Who Reports the Fuel Tax, You or the Carrier?
Under the IFTA Articles, when a carrier that does not haul household goods uses an owner-operator on a trip lease of 29 days or less, the owner-operator reports the fuel tax. With such a carrier, on a lease of 30 days or more the lease decides, and the carrier is responsible when there is no written lease or it is silent.
WheelsAndAxle TeamMay 13, 20268 min readTax Breaks and Free Help for Owner-Operators: What the Government Actually Offers
Owner-operators can write off per diem meals at 80%, depreciate a truck in Year 1, and get free business mentoring through the SBA. Here is every tax break and government program — sourced from IRS.gov and SBA.gov.
WheelsAndAxle TeamFebruary 22, 202612 min readIFTA for New Owner-Operators: How to Get Your First License
New to trucking? Here is everything you need to know about getting your IFTA license — what it is, who needs it, how to apply in California and Texas, what records to keep, and the 7 mistakes rookies make. Every fact sourced from IFTA Inc, CDTFA, and the Texas Comptroller.
WheelsAndAxle TeamFebruary 20, 202611 min read