Truck drivers
The first question with any driver's return is whether you are an employee or an owner-operator, because it changes everything that follows. Employees claim meals and lodging on form TL2 and need a signed T2200 from their employer. Owner-operators are self-employed and file a full business schedule, deducting fuel, insurance, repairs, licensing and the truck itself. Either way, long-haul drivers get a materially better deal on meals than other workers do — a much larger share of meal costs is deductible, which on a full year of runs adds up to real money.
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Some drivers are genuinely unsure, and a few have been told one thing by a company while the CRA would see it differently. It matters: it decides which forms you file, what you can deduct, and whether you should be charging GST/HST.
If you are paid through a company as an employee, you will have a T4 and claim on TL2. If you are paid gross with no deductions, you are almost certainly self-employed and filing a business schedule. We work out which you are before anything else.
Plenty of drivers run rideshare or delivery alongside the truck. If that is you, the GST/HST rules for rideshare drivers are different again — registration starts at the first fare, with no $30,000 threshold — and worth reading before you file.
Most workers can only deduct half of a meal expense. Long-haul drivers on eligible trips can deduct a substantially higher share — which is why keeping your trip records matters more than keeping every receipt.
The CRA also allows a simplified method: a flat amount per meal rather than itemising every coffee and sandwich, up to a set number of meals per day away. For most drivers the simplified method is both easier and worth more. We confirm the current rate at the time we file and use whichever method gives you the better result.
Your trip records are what support a meal and lodging claim: dates away, destinations, hours, and nights out. Drivers who keep their logs get the full claim; drivers who do not often end up settling for far less than they were entitled to. Bring whatever you have and we will work with it.
What it costs. Employee driver returns with a TL2 claim start at $70 on top of your standard return. Owner-operator returns start at $120 and include the full business schedule. GST/HST returns are $50.
See the full price listThe TL2 is the form employed drivers use to claim meals and lodging while away. You also need a T2200 signed by your employer confirming you were required to travel. Owner-operators do not use a TL2 — those costs go on the business schedule.
Long-haul drivers on eligible trips can deduct a much higher proportion of meal costs than the ordinary 50% rule allows. The exact rate and the simplified flat per-meal amount are set by the CRA and we apply the current figures when we file.
Not if we use the simplified method, which claims a flat amount per meal based on your trip records instead of itemised receipts. Your logbook becomes the important document rather than a shoebox of receipts.
Usually yes once you pass the $30,000 threshold, though cross-border and interlining work has its own rules. We look at your actual runs and advise.
Yes. You claim the interest on the loan plus capital cost allowance on the truck itself, or the lease payments if you lease. The principal portion of a loan payment is not deductible, which surprises a lot of drivers.
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