Why this matters now for small fleets and O/Os
For many owner-operators and small fleets, the difference between a profitable quarter and a painful one often comes down to disciplined recordkeeping—capturing receipts, tracking fuel and miles by jurisdiction, and documenting inspections. A new iOS app, Riglog: Trucking Expense Log, aims to bundle those back-office chores into a single, low-cost package. The developer positions Riglog as a one-time purchase with no subscriptions or ads, designed to work offline and store data on-device. For one truck or a small fleet, that combination could be appealing at a time when many business platforms have migrated to recurring fees.
What Riglog includes
- Expense tracking built for taxes: Riglog lets drivers log expenses in a few taps, snap receipt photos, and organize spending into IRS-aligned categories mapped to Schedule C. That alignment can cut down on bookkeeping time and help ensure deductions aren’t missed when it’s time to prepare returns.
- AI voice logging and Q&A: The app supports voice expense entries and includes an AI assistant the developer says can answer common compliance and business questions, from hours-of-service basics to deduction guidance. AI features are included in the one-time price, with a daily usage allowance.
- Trip profitability tools: Beyond raw expenses, Riglog calculates net profit, net per mile, and net per hour, and lets users set weekly or monthly income goals with “pace” tracking. There’s also deadhead ratio analysis and revenue-per-hour metrics to help evaluate lanes and loads more like a larger carrier would.
- IFTA-ready fuel logging: Riglog records fuel stops with state tracking, calculates MPG from fill-ups, and exports state-by-state fuel tax reports as CSV or PDF—useful for building your quarterly IFTA return.
- DVIR and maintenance: The app offers pre-trip and post-trip inspection checklists for tractor and trailer, photo documentation, driver signatures with PDF export, and a maintenance scheduler with history and cost tracking.
- Detention documentation: A built-in detention timer with GPS timestamps, grace-period countdown, and PDF export is aimed at supporting broker or shipper claims.
- Privacy and price: The listing emphasizes offline functionality, on-device storage, and optional iCloud backup. Riglog is sold as a one-time $4.99 purchase with a seven-day free trial and no in-app ads or subscriptions.
Compliance context: taxes, IFTA, and DVIR
For taxes, Schedule C categories and clean receipts are still foundational. The IRS’s 2025–2026 guidance sets the transportation-industry meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) per diem at $80 for travel within the continental U.S. and $86 outside CONUS. While an app can’t replace a tax pro, mapping expenses to the proper categories and producing a Schedule C summary can streamline filing and reduce errors when you hand data to your accountant.
On IFTA, carriers must file quarterly returns that summarize jurisdictional miles and fuel purchased in each state or province. Accurate, contemporaneous fuel receipts and trip distance by jurisdiction remain essential recordkeeping elements. Riglog’s state-aware fuel log and exportable reports address the prep work, but you’ll still submit through your base jurisdiction’s portal and should confirm that exported formats meet your state’s requirements.
For DVIR, FMCSA rules under 49 CFR 396.11 and 396.13 require drivers to document defects and ensure vehicles are safe to operate, with specific recordkeeping and certification steps. Riglog’s checklists, photos, and signature capture align with these expectations and can help standardize documentation across drivers.
Early take and buying considerations
Riglog is new and, as of this writing, has limited public ratings. It’s also iOS-only, so mixed-device fleets should plan accordingly. Before adopting, test-drive the seven-day trial on one tractor-trailer combination: run a full trip cycle with expenses, inspections, fuel stops, and a mock IFTA export; share the Schedule C and IFTA PDFs with your accountant or compliance partner to confirm they meet your workflows. Given the one-time price, even partial use—expense capture plus DVIR, for example—could replace a more expensive subscription if the exports check out.
- If you claim per diem, make sure your logs and travel records match IRS substantiation rules; per diem won’t cure poor documentation.
- For IFTA, verify that CSV/PDF outputs include jurisdictional miles and tax-paid gallons with receipt images readily retrievable for audits.
- Train drivers on consistent category use so Schedule C mappings remain clean at year-end.
- Back up device data routinely—iCloud is optional, but any single-device system needs a recovery plan.
Bottom line: If Riglog delivers on its promise—fast receipt capture, IRS-aligned categories, solid IFTA/DVIR reporting, and useful profitability analytics—owner-operators may get large-fleet-style visibility without the large-fleet software bill.
Sources Consulted: Apple App Store listing for Riglog; Internal Revenue Service (Internal Revenue Bulletin 2025-41; Publication 463; Schedule C Instructions); Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration guidance on 49 CFR 396.11 and 396.13; Arizona Department of Transportation and Colorado Department of Revenue guidance on IFTA reporting and recordkeeping.
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This article was prepared exclusively for truckstopinsider.com. For professional tax advice, consult a qualified professional.
