Truck Driver Per Diem: The $80 IRS Rate and the 80% Meal Deduction
How the transportation-industry meal rate works, why drivers deduct 80% instead of 50%, the partial-day rule, and why most company drivers cannot claim it.
Category: Owner-Operators
Running your own authority: USDOT and MC numbers, insurance, IFTA, IRP, Form 2290, UCR, leases and the costs of a one-truck business.
UCR Registration: Who Must Register and the 2027 Fee Brackets
Unified Carrier Registration is a yearly fee based on fleet size. The 2027 brackets went into effect October 1, 2026, about 20 percent higher than 2026.
Freight Factoring Explained: Advance Rates, Recourse and Contracts
Factoring turns a 30- or 60-day broker invoice into money in a day or two. How the advance and fee are calculated, what the notice of assignment does, and the contract clauses that cost carriers the most.
How to Get Your Own Authority: USDOT Number, MC Number and Motus
The order of filings that takes a new trucking company from application to active authority, what changed with FMCSA's Motus system in 2026, and the state registrations that follow.