Vehicle Log Book Format
Trip log with odometer readings and purpose.
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Dear Sir / Madam,
Log for vehicle [registration no.] ([make and model]) for [period], driver [driver].
Total distance recorded in the period: 0 km.
Odometer readings must be entered at the start and end of each trip, not reconstructed later. Personal use, where permitted, must be logged separately as it may be a taxable benefit.
What is a Vehicle Log Sheet?
A vehicle log sheet records each trip a vehicle makes: date, driver, start and end odometer readings, distance, and the purpose. It is what supports a mileage claim, separates business use from private use, and shows who had the vehicle when a fine or an incident is traced back to it. Without it, business mileage becomes an estimate, which is exactly what a tax authority will disallow.
Sole traders and employees claiming mileage, companies operating pool cars and vans, taxi and courier operators, care providers, sales teams, farms and councils all keep one. It is also kept per vehicle in fleets to allocate fuel and running costs, to trigger servicing at the right distance, and to answer the question that arrives with a speeding notice or a parking charge: who was driving. In many businesses the same sheet doubles as the daily walk-round defect check.
The evidence a tax authority accepts for business mileage — what must be recorded, whether a full log or a sampling method is allowed, the applicable rate per mile or kilometre, and how a company vehicle's private use is taxed — is set where you file and changes from year to year. Fringe benefit and log book rules in Australia, approved mileage rates in the UK, standard mileage rules in the US, and perquisite valuation in India all work differently. Check the current rules for your country before relying on any format.
The log records journeys. It is not proof that a journey was for business — the purpose column has to say something a reviewer can accept, and ‘business’ written in every row invites exactly the scrutiny you were trying to avoid. It is not a maintenance record either; servicing belongs in a separate maintenance log. And it does not by itself transfer liability for a traffic offence: naming a driver is a formal process with its own deadline in most jurisdictions, and the log is supporting evidence rather than the notification.
What to put in a Vehicle Log Sheet
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Issuing organisation | For example: Maple Grove Homeowners Association |
| Organisation address | For example: 1420 Kinnear Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
| Vehicle registration no. | For example: OHV 4471 |
| Make and model | For example: Honda Civic LX |
| Period | For example: August 2026 |
| Driver | For example: Suresh Babu |
| Trips | One per line: Date | Purpose | Start km | End km |
| Issued to (full name) | For example: James Whitfield |
| Their address | For example: 588 Kinnear Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
How to write a Vehicle Log Sheet
Record the odometer at both ends
Start and end readings for every trip, not just the distance. The readings chain together, so a gap between one trip's finish and the next trip's start is immediately visible and has to be explained — which is what makes the log credible. A distance figure alone can be written from imagination; a continuous odometer sequence cannot.
Name the driver on every trip
One vehicle with several drivers is the normal case, and a log recording only the vehicle is useless when a penalty notice arrives naming a date and a time. Record the driver's full name rather than initials, and their licence reference if the vehicle is operated commercially. Add the second crew member where that matters to the job.
Write a purpose a reviewer will accept
‘Client visit, Aggarwal Textiles, Ludhiana’ or ‘delivery run, three drops, route 4’ stands up. ‘Business’ does not. Where a journey mixes business and private travel, record the split rather than claiming the whole trip, and note the from and to points so the distance can be checked against a map.
Log fuel and tolls against the trip
Record fuel added in litres and cost, with the receipt or fuel card reference, plus tolls and parking. Fuel logged alongside the odometer reading gives you consumption per hundred kilometres, and a sudden change in that figure is one of the earliest signs of a mechanical problem or of fuel going somewhere it should not.
Sign it off and file it properly
The driver signs each day or trip and a supervisor reviews the sheet periodically — an unreviewed log tends to acquire suspiciously round numbers. Keep completed sheets for the retention period your tax authority sets for expense records, filed by vehicle. A log reconstructed after a query is worth far less than one written at the time.
Common mistakes
- Writing distances without odometer readings removes the only internal check the log has, and it is the first thing an inspector tests.
- Entering ‘business’ as the purpose of every trip invites the whole claim to be examined, because no reviewer can verify a description that says nothing.
- Leaving the driver column blank on a shared vehicle means a speeding or parking notice cannot be attributed, and the registered keeper carries it.
- Reconstructing a month of trips from a diary at year-end produces a log with impossibly tidy numbers that gets treated as an estimate rather than a record.
- Mixing servicing entries into the trip log makes both records harder to read and loses the maintenance history a buyer or a warranty claim will ask for.
Frequently asked questions
What should a vehicle log sheet include?
Vehicle registration, date, driver name, start and end odometer readings, distance, from and to locations, purpose of the journey, and whether it was business or private. Add fuel added with cost and receipt reference, tolls and parking, and a signature column. A defect or walk-round check box is common on commercial vehicles and worth including.
Do I need a log book to claim mileage on tax?
Some form of contemporaneous record is normally required, but exactly what — a full log, a representative sample period, or an app record — and the rate you may claim are set by your tax authority and change over time. The UK, US, Australia, Canada, India and EU member states all handle this differently. Check the current rule before choosing a method.
Is a phone app acceptable instead of paper?
Generally yes, provided it captures the same detail, cannot be edited without leaving a trace, and can be exported when asked. Automatic GPS logging still needs the purpose classified by a human, since no app knows why you drove somewhere. Confirm the record-keeping requirements your tax authority sets for electronic records before switching entirely.
How long should vehicle logs be kept?
Long enough to cover the period your tax authority can review an expense claim, which in most countries runs several years from the filing date and can be longer where a return is under enquiry. Commercial operators may face a separate retention duty from their transport regulator. Confirm both periods locally rather than clearing sheets at the end of the year.
Is commuting counted as business mileage?
In most tax systems, travel between home and a regular workplace is private, while travel between workplaces or to a temporary site may qualify — but the definitions and the exceptions are specific to each country's rules and are a common area of dispute. Record the from and to points honestly and take the classification from your tax authority's current guidance or your accountant.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.