A Contractor’s Guide to Tracking Mileage (Without Losing Your Mind)

It’s April. You’re staring at Schedule C, Line 9.

"Car and truck expenses."

You look at your truck. You know you drove it everywhere. To the lumber yard, to the client’s house, to the dump, back to the lumber yard because you forgot the shims.

But you didn’t write it down.

So you guess. "10,000 miles? That sounds safe."

Stop. You just lost money.

The Math is Simple (and Painful)

For 2025, the IRS mileage rate is 67 cents per mile.

That means every time you drive 10 miles to a job site and back, the government is handing you a $13.40 coupon off your taxable income.

Drive 15,000 miles for work in a year? That’s a $10,050 deduction. Depending on your tax bracket, that could mean $2,500+ of hard cash back in your pocket.

But only if you can prove it.

The "Logbook" Myth

Most people give up on mileage tracking because they think they need a little black notebook on the dashboard.

• Jan 4: Odometer 45,203 -> 45,215. Trip to Home Depot.

Nobody does this. It’s impossible. You’re busy. You’re trying to get to the job, not be a scribe.

So you stop doing it. And you lose the deduction.

The Job-Based Approach

There is a better way. Instead of tracking "trips," track "jobs."

If you’re using a tool like Quorum, you already have the job address saved. You already have the receipts from the days you were working.

You don't need to log every turn of the wheel. You just need to reconstruct the reality:

1. I had a job at 123 Main St.
2. I worked there for 5 days.
3. It’s 12 miles from my shop.
4. 12 miles x 2 (round trip) x 5 days = 120 miles.

This "reconstruction" method is valid if you have the records to back it up (like invoices or a calendar).

When to Use Actual Expenses Instead

Sometimes, the mileage rate isn’t the best deal.

If you drive a heavy-duty truck (getting 12 MPG) and you have high repair bills, the "Actual Expenses" method might win.

This means you track:

• Gas
• Oil changes
• Tires
• Repairs
• Insurance
• Depreciation

The Rule of Thumb:

• High MPG vehicle / High miles driven: Take the Standard Mileage Rate.
• Gas guzzler / High repair costs: Calculate Actual Expenses and compare.

Automation is the Answer

Don't rely on your memory. It will fail you.

Use a tool that links mileage to the specific project. That way, if you ever get audited, you aren't just showing a list of random numbers. You're showing a story.

"Here is the Smith Job. Here are the 14 trips I took to their house. Here are the 4 trips to the supplier for their materials."

It’s cleaner. It’s safer. And it’s a lot more money in your pocket.