When you drive deliveries or passengers, a shift is lots of short drives with a stop every few minutes, and writing them down by hand rarely lasts a week. Your phone is already on the dashboard, so it can keep the record. This guide covers what a driver's mileage record usually has, then how to keep one with Mileage Cat, our mileage tracker for iPhone.
What a driver's mileage record usually has
For each drive, most records keep:
- The date and time, start and end.
- Where from and where to.
- The distance, in miles or kilometres.
- What it was for: a delivery run, a passenger trip, or the platform or company you drove for.
- Work or personal, so the work miles can be added up on their own.
Which miles you can claim, and how, depends on where you live and how you're paid. Mileage Cat records the drives and adds them up. It isn't tax advice, so check with your tax authority or an accountant.
Record a whole shift
The simplest way is one trip per shift, or one per run if you'd like each run on its own.
- Tap Start trip on the Trips tab when you head out. The first time, the app asks to use your location.
- Drive as usual. While it records, the Trips tab shows Recording until you stop it: stops for pickups and drop-offs don't end the trip.
- Tap Stop & save when you're done. Started one by mistake? Tap the trash button next to Stop & save, then Discard trip.
The distance is measured by GPS on your phone. If Mileage Cat shows a warning such as Precise Location is off, tap Open Settings and fix it; in the app's words, without it "distances will be rough".
Sort your trips after the shift
Trips you record wait under To classify on the Trips tab. Tap Business or Personal under each one, or swipe: right for Business, left for Personal. Swiped the wrong way? Tap Undo on the note at the bottom of the screen.
Open a trip to add the details:
- Purpose, like "Delivery run". Once you've used a purpose, it's suggested when you fill in the purpose on another trip you open.
- Client or job, for the platform or company you drove for, if you drive for more than one.
A recorded trip also shows its start and end time and how long it took. Later, search by place, purpose or client from the search field at the top of the Trips tab.
Fix a distance or add a missed drive
GPS distance looks off? Open the trip and type the right figure under Distance. Your correction is the one used in reports, and the arrow button next to it goes back to the GPS distance.
Forgot to start? Tap Add trip or + and fill in From, To, Distance and the date. For there and back, turn on Round trip and the trip is logged at twice the distance. The type starts on Business.
Share your mileage log
Open the Reports tab.
- Pick the period: This tax year, Last tax year, This month, Last month or Custom.
- Check for loose trips. If some trips in those dates aren't classified yet, Reports says so. Sort them on the Trips tab first.
- Add your name under More options if you want it on the log. Personal trips stay out unless you turn on Include personal trips.
- Share it. Tap Share PDF, CSV for a spreadsheet, or the printer button.
The CSV has a column for each trip's date, start and end times, from and to, purpose, client, distance, rate and amount, so you can sort the trips by client in your spreadsheet. To see an amount as well as miles, set a rate under More › Rates: the published rate for the US, UK, Canada or Australia, or your own. More on keeping the log in how to keep a mileage log. For fuel, parking and tolls, see how to track business expenses on iPhone.
What it costs
Recording trips, sorting them, the totals and the PDF and CSV log are free, with no trip limit. There's no watermark, no ads and no account. The free version keeps one vehicle.
Mileage Cat Pro, a one-time purchase, adds several vehicles with odometer readings, client and project tags with a report for one tag (handy if you drive for more than one platform), and a weekly or monthly reminder that opens last period's report in the share sheet. More on the Mileage Cat page.
Your trips, routes and places are kept on your device and in your own backups unless you share, save or print them. Apple Maps turns a trip's start and end points into street names and draws the maps.
Quick answers
Does a pickup stop end my trip?
No. A trip you start with Start trip records until you tap Stop & save.
Can I track miles for more than one platform?
Yes. Type the platform in Client or job on each trip, then search for it on the Trips tab or sort the CSV by its Client column. A report for just one client or project tag comes with Mileage Cat Pro.
I forgot to start a trip. Can I add it later?
Yes. Tap Add trip and type the from, to, distance and date.
Which miles count for my taxes?
That depends on where you live and how you're paid. Ask your tax authority or an accountant. Mileage Cat keeps the record; it isn't tax advice.
Try Mileage Cat
Try Mileage Cat: free, no watermark, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/mileage-cat