Long-haul work has its own rules, and two of them cost drivers money every year: what counts as an overnight stay, and which licence costs you can actually claim.
Checked against the ATO truck drivers guide, updated November 2025
You can claim travel expenses when you are away from home overnight for work — driving interstate, taking your mandatory rest break, then heading back to the depot. What counts as overnight is broader than it sounds: a mandatory rest break long enough to actually sleep, around seven hours or more, qualifies. The catch is accommodation. If you sleep in the truck there is no accommodation expense to claim, and the same applies if your employer puts you up. Receiving a travel allowance does not automatically entitle you to a deduction — you still have to show you were away overnight, that you spent the money, and that the travel related to earning your income.
Your ordinary driver’s licence is never deductible, even though you cannot do the job without it — the ATO treats it as a private expense. Special licences are different. The initial cost of getting a special licence or a condition added, the thing that qualified you for the job, is not deductible. But the additional cost of renewing that special licence or condition so you can keep performing your duties is. A heavy vehicle permit renewal is the classic example.
This is about your car, not the truck. The normal run from home to your usual depot is private, even for a weekend or pre-dawn start. What you can claim is driving between two separate jobs on the same day, travelling between depots for the same employer, and going from home directly to a training venue. Carrying bulky equipment can make a home trip claimable, but all three conditions must hold: the gear is essential, it is genuinely awkward to move without a vehicle, and there is nowhere secure to leave it at work.
Claimable: a sleeping bag and pillows used on a long rest break away from home; sunglasses and sunscreen for prolonged sun exposure; a compulsory uniform and protective clothing; renewing a special licence or permit for your duties. Not claimable: accommodation when you sleep in the truck; standard jeans, plain shirts and plain pants; getting or renewing your ordinary driver’s licence; food, drink and snacks during normal working hours. Music subscriptions, childcare and fines are out too, and nothing your employer paid for or reimbursed can be claimed.
Where Nomo fits: Nomo logs the trips you make in your own car, keeps the permit renewal and the rest-break receipts filed under the right ATO category, and has the lot ready for July.
General information only, not tax advice. Rules change and everyone’s situation is different, so check ato.gov.au or talk to a registered tax agent before you lodge. Nomo is a record keeping tool and does not lodge returns.