Tracking Work Related Vehicle Mileage.

TheBigLebowski · Jan 30, 2021

What kind of tools are available for keeping track of job related vehicle mileage?

Currently I just write the start/end mileage for work related trips down on a notepad. This has gotten to be a pain because half the time I don't remember to write it down. On several occasions I have ripped the page out of the notepad and lost it.

Ideally I would like some kind of gadget on the dash where I just push a button if it is work related, and it would record the odometer reading at the time of the button push, and mark the trip end as when the key is shut off, logging that mileage also. Then, when tax time roles around, I can pull that log file from it and record all the values.

I know there are some GPS based tools out there, but thats not what I want. I just want a tool that pulls 2 numbers from the obd2 port, trip start and trip stop, it would then append those values to a log file with an entry date so I can enter everything in my books at the same time. Does something like this exist? A google search only shows gps based ones.

motion guru · Jan 30, 2021

I did a google search of OBD2 Mileage Tracker and this was the first hit . . . will this work for you?

https://www.gofar.co/

One popped on Amazon as well - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006TZ8A5...=1&psc=1&keywords=Car Mileage Tracker Devices

Garwood · Jan 30, 2021

This is a feature I want to incorporate into an opensource project I'm involved with. What kind of features would you like to see? Like would you need a smartphone app or would you rather navigate it on it's own screen? Would you like a keyboard to add notes?

Would it be oversimplifying it if you had a small momentary button with an LED light ring that would light up when you pressed it for "business" and push again for "personal" use. Could have a reminder scroll across the screen when you start the engine to select business mode?

TheBigLebowski · Jan 30, 2021

Garwood said:
This is a feature I want to incorporate into an opensource project I'm involved with. What kind of features would you like to see? Like would you need a smartphone app or would you rather navigate it on it's own screen? Would you like a keyboard to add notes?

Would it be oversimplifying it if you had a small momentary button with an LED light ring that would light up when you pressed it for "business" and push again for "personal" use. Could have a reminder scroll across the screen when you start the engine to select business mode?

I personally think it would be best if it was a standalone unit (no smartphone app req'd for basic operation), from my point of view making sure you fire up a smartphone app and connect Bluetooth every time you go for a drive could be nearly as cumbersome as just writing down the mileage.

The simpler the better, I think its far more likely to be used if its single button push type operation, especially from the point of view of getting employees to use it. I like the idea for the led lights, heck even a single led to indicate that you are logging the current trip would be slick. Taking notes isn't something I would personally need, but I am sure other people might want that. If it had removable memory (sd/usb) that you could just pop out and take inside to pull the logs from that would be extra sweet.

idacal · Jan 31, 2021

I have a time clock that we carry in the trucks for when we are doing prevailing wage jobs. Clock in at the shop, then onsite clock in on another time clock, Fits in the glove box. it has to be simple or it doesnt get done. A milage reader like that with gps Should be easy enough To find. Truckers have to keep track of milage look at some of the technology they use.

alphonso · Jan 31, 2021

The odometer in my wife's car (Ford Fusion) has two trip mileage readers. I make it a habit to reset one of them whenever I put gas in the car. Have used the second one to record total mileage of vacation trips.

AndyF · Jan 31, 2021

TheBigLebowski said:
I personally think it would be best if it was a standalone unit (no smartphone app req'd for basic operation), from my point of view making sure you fire up a smartphone app and connect Bluetooth every time you go for a drive could be nearly as cumbersome as just writing down the mileage.

The simpler the better, I think its far more likely to be used if its single button push type operation, especially from the point of view of getting employees to use it. I like the idea for the led lights, heck even a single led to indicate that you are logging the current trip would be slick. Taking notes isn't something I would personally need, but I am sure other people might want that. If it had removable memory (sd/usb) that you could just pop out and take inside to pull the logs from that would be extra sweet.

The ability to easily transfer the data to Quickbooks would be helpful.

Ox · Feb 1, 2021

TheBigLebowski said:
What kind of tools are available for keeping track of job related vehicle mileage?

Currently I just write the start/end mileage for work related trips down on a notepad. This has gotten to be a pain because half the time I don't remember to write it down. On several occasions I have ripped the page out of the notepad and lost it.

Ideally I would like some kind of gadget on the dash where I just push a button if it is work related, and it would record the odometer reading at the time of the button push, and mark the trip end as when the key is shut off, logging that mileage also. Then, when tax time roles around, I can pull that log file from it and record all the values.

I know there are some GPS based tools out there, but thats not what I want. I just want a tool that pulls 2 numbers from the obd2 port, trip start and trip stop, it would then append those values to a log file with an entry date so I can enter everything in my books at the same time. Does something like this exist? A google search only shows gps based ones.

That sounds handy, but if you don't remember to write the start mileage down, what makes you think that you will remember to push the little button?

At least with the written down method, you can note your mileage when you get to your destination and just double that when you get home.

Or, if you have made that same trip before, you can just look it up in your past chart.

We have little mileage journal books made specifically for this, but I have no clue where they come from?
Maybe from the accountant?
Maybe from one of the office supply stores?

Garwood said:
This is a feature I want to incorporate into an opensource project I'm involved with. What kind of features would you like to see? Like would you need a smartphone app or would you rather navigate it on it's own screen? Would you like a keyboard to add notes?

Would it be oversimplifying it if you had a small momentary button with an LED light ring that would light up when you pressed it for "business" and push again for "personal" use. Could have a reminder scroll across the screen when you start the engine to select business mode?

Somehow to be able to go back and say that "this trip" or "these miles" that I forgot to track at the time were for this application.
Some way to retroactively log miles.
(I hope that is clear?)

----------------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

Garwood · Feb 1, 2021

Ox said:
That sounds handy, but if you don't remember to write the start mileage down, what makes you think that you will remember to push the little button?

At least with the written down method, you can note your mileage when you get to your destination and just double that when you get home.

Or, if you have made that same trip before, you can just look it up in your past chart.

We have little mileage journal books made specifically for this, but I have no clue where they come from?
Maybe from the accountant?
Maybe from one of the office supply stores?

Somehow to be able to go back and say that "this trip" or "these miles" that I forgot to track at the time were for this application.
Some way to retroactively log miles.
(I hope that is clear?)

----------------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

That's doable. We use a wireless keyboard to interface our "thing". We could add a menu item to edit/add mileage logs. It's not going to keep track of where you've been though. Our prototypes have GPS chipsets in them, but the final product may not. This would just log miles using canbus information.

Don't get too excited though. The "thing" isn't plug and play. It's 50/50 gearhead/super nerd so install is as invasive as a car stereo and it's all open source so you have to download files and configure it how you want. I think it would work exceptionally well for this though. I don't think forgetting to push the button would be a problem.

TheBigLebowski · Feb 1, 2021

Ox said:
That sounds handy, but if you don't remember to write the start mileage down, what makes you think that you will remember to push the little button?

At least with the written down method, you can note your mileage when you get to your destination and just double that when you get home.

Or, if you have made that same trip before, you can just look it up in your past chart.

We have little mileage journal books made specifically for this, but I have no clue where they come from?
Maybe from the accountant?
Maybe from one of the office supply stores?

----------------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

I tend to stick the notepad I use in the glovebox/console, and because its out of sight I often forget about it. For me personally, a little box on the dashboard is much harder to miss when its always staring you in the face.

I think the round trip thing would be no big deal, maybe just push the button twice or something to indicate it, the entry in the log file could then be tagged with a trip type. This would be easy to parse with a simple program later on, or the math could be done as soon as the key turns off so you don't have to.

There is also always the "force compliance via annoyance method". Have two buttons, one is for work related the other is for personal. if the car has been in drive for 30 seconds and no trip type selected, make the box beep at you just like your car would if you aren't wearing a seatbelt. I personally wouldn't want this though, would be to likely to break it on an "off" day.

macgyver · Feb 1, 2021

One way I double check my mileage is to use my receipts. If I stop to eat or get a drink etc, that receipt reminds me to enter that trip if I haven't already.

mjr6550 · Feb 2, 2021

Google has a feature that allows you to view where you have been. You can see the route and number of miles. At the end of 2020 I looked up millage for every day of the year. However, they don't have an option to total it for you.

Chip Chester · Feb 3, 2021

To me, it kinda boils down to whether you want the info just for yourself, or if you don't mind that Google knows and logs everywhere you went last year.

I only care about business miles, and don't need Quickbooks-compatible export options, so the optimum box for me would be one that notices you started the car, starts flashing its activation button, logs the current mileage, time and date, and opens a recorder where you just say 'headed to Lowe's to buy more shopvac bags for the Bennet project'. Saves all to a usb drive. No notepads, logins, etc. Every so often, you download the drive into an Excel spreadsheet(?) and it calculates trip mileage, notes time and date, and provides a link to your little audio note. You can then either enter that note data into the spreadsheet, "convert it" in your head to whatever job/tracking number you use, or just leave it as an audio file in the folder. Depends on how granular you want your data. Your spreadsheet will do the monthly/annual totals, export as CSV or whatever for your accounting.

I suppose it could exist as a smartphone app, too. Most OBDII interfaces come in wi-fi versions. Challenge is keeping an app 'running' with the frequent updates to iOS/Android operating systems and phone change-outs. And noticing whether it logged-in to the OBDII network when you got in the car. Cars have their own wifi networks now, to, so this approach might get complicated quickly.

DanielG · Feb 3, 2021

I would want a toggle switch on the dash that I can toggle work/personal. The log would record every trip: start time/date, end time/date, mileage, toggle position. I could then manually edit the output file if I had the wrong position on something. Quickbooks import would probably be useful for some people. I'll take a CSV.

Jashley73 · Feb 3, 2021

When I was in sales, I simply kept a journal via plain legal pad of my daily activities. Appointments, notes scheduled ahead of time, etc. we jotted down on the right of the page as a "note"

The "Official record" of the day went on the left of the page.

Start time & Mileage was recorded as the first line of the "Official" side of the page on the left. Mileage was always recorded to the left of the vertical left-margin line.

Each next stop/vendor/customer visited got their own next line on the page, again, mileage tracked to the left. Any "To-Do's" for that stop/customer/vendor were recorded via bullet points under their row.

And so on...

The last row on the page, was always the "End time" for the day, and ending mileage, again to the left.

This was pretty easy to then pull the info, and input into an excel file later. (As needed for our mileage reporting) One could do the same with a tablet - especially a Microsoft-Surface, which has regular ole' excel right there.

However, I kind of gravitate toward the low-tech side of things. It's quick, easy, and doesn't require an extra device to keep charged. Plus, the notebook was taken with me to the customer, and any "To-Do's" or highlights from the trip were recorded right there.

Low tech, but it worked quite well...

gustafson · Feb 3, 2021

For a vehicle I own with no rear window I wanted a full time rear view display with higher resolution and not wide angle. But where to get a low priced high def display, hmmmm, let me google that on my phone....oh wait

Buy a cheap ATT compatible phone or tablet with sim card. Buy for 5,99 a sim card from freedompop. It comes with 200mb free data a month.
2 1/2 years and I have never gone over that, and recently I went though and shut down a bunch of bloatware that dropped the usage way down.

You have to do a 'columbia house record club' dance to avoid getting charged for things from freedompop and I think you may have to download an app to make phone calls, but that is not the point

Betcha there is a mileage tracking app in the play store

And you can log into the google account[you started a captive google account for that device, right] and get any location info you want from anywhere

nateacox · Feb 3, 2021

I use expensify on my phone. It uses the gps to track the route, or you can manually type in the mileage.

paul39 · Feb 6, 2021

From 1967 to 1992 I kept a small calendar, one week to a page, in the car. I would write down client, start & end miles. Once in the habit it is easy. At tax time sit down with a calculator or have your staff add the numbers. If you get crap from the IRS, you have date, client, & miles. You could make a holder or a hook on the dash to hold whatever you use.

Paul

cg285 · Feb 6, 2021

TheBigLebowski said:
especially from the point of view of getting employees to use it.

that right there killed ANY method. good luck with getting an employee to track anything.

Tracking Work Related Vehicle Mileage.

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