mercer transportation

Trust me my records are meticulously maintained. NC IFTA loves to audit O/O's because most do not keep good records nor do they know the full responsibilities they have for recordkeeping. FYI - NC DMV can also audit mileage records for IRP purposes, as can any other state.

 

Are you still independent ?

 

No luck to it, it's all basic math. Unfortunately though it's a lot of it! Have to understand the system and keep up to date with the tax rates as they change in different states all throughout the year. Proficiency in Excel and data manipulation helps a lot of course, but it can all be done on paper in a ledger with a little more work. It's not rocket science, that's reserved for getting loads picked up and delivered on the schedules that some shippers/receiver seem to think our trucks can run on.

 

Ok I know all of that good stuff.
Tell me in simplified terms how you are to manage only 20 bucks a quarter @roshea

 

Buying the cheapest wholesale fuel absolutely benefits O/O's. Why would you purchase fuel in a higher tax state to even out IFTA. If you do that it means your paying more for fuel. You will pay the same tax on the same miles regardless of where you fill.

 

Heck no, I drank the Kool Aid years ago. On only my 2nd load with the latest truck I just bought, sitting 30 miles south of LKY.

 

That's about as simple as I can make it. You pay tax for each state based on miles traveled. You have that that information available. Knowing the amount of tax paid at the pump in each state you bought fuel, you can see how much tax has been paid. You have to get the totals for each state, add up tax owed vs tax paid and there you go .... basically keep updating an IFTA quarterly tax return with running totals for the quarter. There are probably some programs for that but I'm too cheap to pay if I can do it myself without taking too much time.

 

You can't manipulate IFTA. You can only hope that wholesale prices are less in higher taxed jurisdictions. Yes you can keep track of it, but you have no control. I would never have a truck pay a higher fuel tax to balance out IFTA unless it was the cheapest wholesale.

 

Where's my popcorn ? Lol.
J/K

 

I was always taught as a young lad in training to try an buy fuel in each state traveled. Doesn't always work that way but I try to do so.

Any sense in this belief?