Completing the Daily Cost Report Envelope

The Daily Cost Report form was designed specifically for this textbook because a need was seen for a convenient means of mailing in expense report and receipts on a daily basis for trucking companies who wanted it done this way. It is designed to be printed on a 9" x 12" mailing envelope. Thus, it is similar to the Trip Cost Report which you encountered in your study of Chapter 15 of this workbook. Like that envelope, it provides a report and holder for receipts all in one. By printing the name and address of the trucking company on one side of the envelope for mailing purposes, and the Daily Cost Report on the other side, you, as a driver, can keep everything handy and organized, and you can mail it in easily to your company.

Now let's look briefly at the Daily Cost Report form before you complete an exercise in filling it out. Since this form is a combination of many of the items from the Trip Cost Report which you studied, and the Trip Expense Report which you just studied, we will keep our instructions brief. If you get stuck, refer back to our explanations of those two forms for clarification.

1. Since you will mail in the form daily, you won't always fill in the spaces for INBOUND (return) TRIP information. If your dispatcher assigns an inbound trip after you have made your outbound delivery, leave the spaces for INBOUND TRIP blank during your outbound trip.
   
   
   
   Both INBOUND and OUTBOUND trip information should be filled in during your inbound trip days.
   
   
2. The Fuel/Oil/Mileage Report section of this form is very much like the Trip Cost Report form you filled out.
   
   
3. Before you mail in the form, be sure to fill in the total expenses for fuel and oil purchased in the TOTAL FUEL/OIL EXPENSES blank.
   
   
4. The Truck Expense Report section of the form gives you room for more detailed information than either the Monthly Truck Expense Report or the Trip Expense Report. Write in the name of the repair shop or seller of parts, the city and state where it is located, the invoice number, a description of the repair done or parts purchased, the cost, and method of payment - cash or charge. Fill in the TOTAL TRUCK EXPENSES at the end of the day.
   
   
5. Fill in all MISCELLANEOUS HAULING EXPENSES in the next section of the report. These spaces are basically the same as those on the Trip Expense Report except that PARKING has been added. Put their total in the space marked TOTAL MISC. HAULING EXPENSES.
   
   
6. The PERSONAL EXPENSE REPORT is for listing all driver-related expenses, basically food and lodging. Keep receipts for grocery supplies to replenish your cooler chest, even though your company will not reimburse you for them. Trucking companies will only reimburse you for food if it was purchased in a restaurant; they won't pay for "picnic lunches." However, you may be able to take these items off on your personal income tax if that's the way you prefer to eat. So keep the receipts, but list them on a separate expense report of your own. Remember, you'll be mailing this one in to your company each day. You won't have much of a record of personal food expenses on the road come income tax time, if you've mailed all your receipts for them into your company. Trucking companies won't pay for coffee breaks and snacks either. Again, the IRS might let you take them as deductions. List them along with your food supplies, on a separate expense report of your own and keep receipts for them with that report. You can call it your "Over and Above what the Company Pays Expense Report," or whatever you want.
   

What kind of miscellaneous personal expenses might you have on the road? Well, you can bank on the fact that your company isn't going to reimburse you for cigarettes or video games. Occasionally, a personal expense might be reimbursed. It depends on company policy, but most companies will only pay for meals and lodging. That's it. Nevertheless, if you think of something that might be reimbursed, write it down and make a note on the back of the form as to what it was. Gradually, you'll find out what the company will and will not cover.

Break out your totals in the PERSONAL EXPENSE REPORT section of this form into TOTAL MEALS/LODGING and TOTAL PERSONAL EXPENSES. This will give you, and your company, a quick look at what the company will probably pay.

Remember, your charges for meals and motels must be reasonable. If you're eating fancy meals, don't expect to be reimbursed for the full cost of the meals. Your company will probably pay what they think is fair, and you'll be stuck with the rest.

DO: Refer back to the New York to Charleston haul of printer's ink which you used to complete the Trip Expense Report. Using the same information for 2/10, 2/11 and 2/12 only, fill in Daily Cost Reports for each day.

After filling in those reports for three days, review some of the things you have learned in this course by answering the questions below.

1. Were you in violation of the Hours of Service Law during this haul? Explain.
   
   
2. Did you list any expenses which the company probably would not pick up?
   
   
3. Were you "on duty" when you waited for the rig to be repaired in Charleston? Explain.
   
   
4. How about the time you spent totaling up your receipts and filling in your expense report in your motel room. Was that "on duty" time? Explain.
   
   
5. Did the costs for meals and motel rooms seem reasonable? Do you think you could buy decent meals for those prices? Do you think your trucking company would pay that much for meals?
   
   
6. Did $248.15 seem like a lot of money for keeping a truck and driver on the road for three days? (Remember, that didn't include fuel charges which are listed on a different form.)