Sticking with a logbook for my mileage hasn’t been ideal. It’s often a hassle to keep it updated.
With client meetings piling up, I wonder if an app could simplify the process. Anyone here gone from a manual method to an automated one?
Went through this exact switch four years ago. Had a notebook in my truck that was always missing or covered in coffee stains when I needed it.
Tried one of those automatic tracking apps first - total disaster. Logged grocery runs as business miles, missed actual client visits, and killed my phone battery by noon from GPS drain.
What works: simple routine with a mileage widget on my home screen. Hop in the truck for work? Tap it, punch in the odometer reading. Takes 10 seconds.
Expenses are even easier - snap photos of receipts right away and toss them in a “truck stuff” folder. End of month, I sort everything.
Nothing fancy, but I haven’t missed tracking a business trip in years. My tax guy gets organized records instead of me showing up with a shoebox of random papers.
I’ve used Stride for three years. Auto-tracks without killing your battery, and it learns your usual routes to categorize trips automatically.
It handles expenses too - just snap receipt photos and it organizes everything for taxes.
My CPA gets clean reports that save us both time. Beats the shoebox of receipts I used to dump on him.
Everlance is solid if you want something between full auto-tracking and doing it all manually. You can set it to auto-track in certain areas or just tap a button when you start driving for work.
What I like:
- You control when it tracks (better battery life)
- Great for mixing business and personal trips
- Clean export reports
The hybrid thing works for me since some days I’m driving everywhere for client meetings, other days I’m just home. No point having it run constantly when I’m not making business trips.
Costs money but beats trying to remember every trip later.
Tried a few apps but went back to a simple spreadsheet on my phone. Takes 30 seconds to log each trip when I get in the car.
Apps kept glitching or missing trips, which made me paranoid about audits. With my own tracking, I know exactly what’s recorded and can add notes about each client visit.
Plus it’s free and works offline.
Dropped my paper logbook two years ago - kept forgetting to write trips down anyway. Switched to MileIQ and it’s been a game changer. Tracks automatically when I drive, then I just swipe to mark business vs personal.
The auto-tracking is huge. No more remembering to log anything - it catches every trip. I spend maybe 10 minutes each week categorizing everything.
$6/month but totally worth it at tax time. My accountant actually thanked me for the clean reports instead of my chicken scratch from before.
Only complaint is it kills your battery faster since GPS runs nonstop.
Just send the invoice. Keeps everything clean and shows you’re tracking the money properly.
I just write it down when I remember to.
I keep a small notebook in my console. Soon as I park, I write down the odometer reading and where I went. Takes maybe 15 seconds.
Tried apps but they’d miss trips or mark personal miles as business. I’d rather have simple records I can trust than tech that might screw me over in an audit.