Recruiter right or wrong?

This is completely wrong from a tax perspective. If we are talking about per diem, it's $59.00/day, not 58. And if part of your pay is per diem, only the remainder of your pay is taxable, making your taxable income either the same or LESS, not more! If you don't get the per diem in your pay, you must itemize on your tax return to claim it (as a company driver.) If you do that, your total taxable income for the year will be EXACTLY THE SAME either way. A true benefit can be had if you get the per diem in your paycheck all year long, then choose to take the standard deduction on Tax Day.