IFTA Filing: Not As Tough As Advertised?

I'm a newbie, driving a Ram 3500 pickup with a 44-foot enclosed two-car trailer. My background is as an I.T. guy - I was writing tax software until I decided to hit the road - so when I heard that IFTA filing would be the source of many headaches, I looked at the reporting requirements and available software. It really looked like it wasn't a huge issue, as long as I was meticulous about tracking my mileage. So I got a J.J. Keller 5-in-1 log book, with a mileage tracking section, and spent some time on the Texas Comptroller's site reading the instructions for the forms. I put together a spreadsheet and crunched the numbers, and it feels like I've got the info needed to make it work.

Today, I got the IFTA forms in the mail from the State of Texas - the forms include the code required to enter the IFTA quarterly filing system. I've only got one trip, 9 states, so it was pretty easy. Enter three things for each state: Total miles, Taxable miles (same as Total unless you bought permits for some runs), and purchased gallons. The totals came up the same as my spreadsheet, to the penny - and I didn't have to enter any of the tax rate data, like I did on my spreadsheet.

Only one strange thing. When the system calculated my MPG, it displayed the message: "Warning! Average Fleet MPG is over tolerance." My MPG is 10.97 (5256 mi / 479 gal), which is typical for a pickup. Are they flagging it because it's not in the range expected for a big rig?

I don't see a way to add an attachment to this post (possibly because it's my first on this forum), but I'd be happy to share my spreadsheet if it would be helpful. I looked online for IFTA spreadsheets, but couldn't find any that didn't come with a fee. (Some posts suggested that it was a trivial task to create the spreadsheet, but that's a bogus statement. Just because it's easy for me, doesn't mean it's easy for someone else. I'd gladly trade some of my spreadsheet knowledge for backing-a-truck knowledge!)

Honestly Robert.

This forum's focus is mainly on new entrants to the industry - all of whom are going to be COMPANY DRIVERS. So they aren't going a have a clue what IFTA filings even are. Of the few we have here, that are lease ops - the company they are leased onto, takes care of all the tracking and filing of IFTA paperwork (for the most part) since the lease guys are running on the company's authority.

So I doubt that anyone here, is really going to be able to respond with any experiential knowledge to your question.

You would be best to contact OOIDA , or check on one of the other boards in the interwebs that has O/O's on it, for some better suggestions.

I'm going to assume that most states filing software is going to be configured for Class 8 Tractors, so it might not expect to see such a high MPG.

Interestingly, I was under the impression that a rig such as yours, wouldn't be required to do IFTA. Under 26K gross, typically does not.

You might find further information on your situation here: HotShot Carrier Website

I get the impression, running a 3500 and 2-car trailer - you might be "over-licensed" and not even need to bother with IFTA - again - assuming under 26K gross. I can't see you needing to gross out more than that - with a 2 car setup.

Rick

26k is the CDL point. 10k is the IFTA cutoff.

This forum's focus is mainly on new entrants to the industry - all of whom are going to be COMPANY DRIVERS. So they aren't going a have a clue what IFTA filings even are. Of the few we have here, that are lease ops - the company they are leased onto, takes care of all the tracking and filing of IFTA paperwork (for the most part) since the lease guys are running on the company's authority.

So I doubt that anyone here, is really going to be able to respond with any experiential knowledge to your question.

I'm also a new entrant to the trucking industry, and I've learned a ton from this forum. When I see conflicting opinions on other forums (we know how seldom that happens, right?), I check this one to see what the level-headed, experienced truckers are thinking. I've seen plenty of good owner-operator information here, so I figured surely somebody else does their own IFTA?

I get the impression, running a 3500 and 2-car trailer - you might be "over-licensed" and not even need to bother with IFTA - again - assuming under 26K gross. I can't see you needing to gross out more than that - with a 2 car setup.

My truck has a GVWR of 14k, and the trailer is 18k, so my GCVWR is 32k - well above the 26k threshold. While it's true that I'll seldom approach the limit, it's entirely possible that I could have a couple of good ol' American steel cars from the '50s, and tip the scales just north of the line. That's a chance the guy I'm leased to, who has been in the industry for 30 years, isn't willing to take.