Indian River

12 cpm of my pay is per diem (they actually call it “reimbursement”) and isn’t taxed. It’s been that way since I hired on in December of 2016. When they’ve given the multiple pay raises over the years, I can’t remember if it was that number that went up or the other. I would have to dig through old stubs to look, but right now it’s 12 cpm non-taxable.

 

If you earn $84,849 for the year of 2022, your taxable “gross” in Box 1 on the W-2 will be $67,372. That would include vacation pay, detention time, layovers, etc.

$17,477 will be in Box 14 on the W-2 and isn’t taxed.

When you receive your pay stub each week, (depending on how many years of service you have with the company) it will show your paid miles multiplied by .49 cents. It will also show the paid miles multiplied by .12 cents in a category called “expense reimbursements / travel allowance.” That brings the total cpm to .61 cents - of which, .12 isn’t taxed. They refer to the per diem as “expense reimbursements / travel allowance.”

 

I’ve lucked out over the years and not had to pay for anything out of pocket for the most part. I might buy a headlight bulb or pay for a half dozen Cat scale tickets throughout the year, but other than that I’ve had some good luck. I did buy a $125 windshield washer fluid pump one year just because it was quicker and more convenient for me to do that than it was to involve the breakdown department. Mine quit working in snowy / slushy weather, so I swung into a dealership in Spokane and swapped it in the parking lot real quick (two minute job if you ever have to do it). Do you encounter a lot of pocket expenses running in and out of Canada that you have to scan in?

 

They prefer we use Loves. My card shuts off around 50 gallons at most Pilot/Flying J truck stops. It will fill the truck up at Loves, TA, and Petro, though. You can also add your washer fluid or fuel treatment to it, so you don’t have to pay for that stuff out of pocket. Tolls are paid with the windshield transponder. They don’t dictate which truck stops we use, meaning - you can stop at any Loves you want to.