Say goodbye to painful business mileage tracking with MileTrack GPS

I despise tracking mileage when I use my personal vehicle for business purposes. If I don’t forget to write down the starting odometer reading when I leave, you can bet I’ll forget to write down the ending odometer reading when I get back. Sometimes I forget both.

Then it’s off to Google Maps to re-trace my route and logically deduce what the odometer readings must have been for my trip. And don’t even get me started what to do when part of the trip was really a personal errand I decided to run while I was out.

Yes, there is a better way

You know how tech people love to say that there has to be a better way? Well, Andrew Westberg found a better way with his MileTrack GPS product.

Here’s how it works. You plug the MileTrack GPS device into the power adapter (some still call it a cigarette lighter) and then start driving around. That’s it. Seriously.

Then, whenever you want, you log into your dashboard at miletrackgps.com, where you can view every trip logged by your MileTrack GPS, complete with maps displaying your route.

With a few clicks of the mouse here and there you can classify each segment as personal, business or a handful of other categories such as medical, moving or charitable. You can also set a default category if you know that most of your trips are personal or business.

Whenever you’re ready, you can generate a mileage report, save it online, or print it out to file with your tax records. It’s really that easy.

How it works

It’s so easy in fact that I had to email Andrew to ask him how the thing actually works. Turns out there’s a mini smartphone like device inside it which tracks and records your GPS coordinates as you drive around. Then periodically, it transmits your data via Verizon’s cellular network to the MileTrack GPS servers so you access the data through your online dashboard.

It also has its own storage capacity so, if for some reason, it can not connect to the network, it will save your data and transmit it the next time it establishes connectivity.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering (I know I was), you can leave the MileTrack GPS plugged in to your car at all times, even when your car is off. There is no power drain on your battery from the MileTrack GPS when your car is not running.

Pricing

The MileTrack GPS device goes for $150 and has a $25 one-time activation fee. After that you will need to pay for the cellular connection which is either $20/month or $220/year.

To me, the MileTrack GPS is a clear time vs. money device. In other words, you have to consider the cost of the MileTrack GPS vs. how much time you spend each year tracking your business mileage. And remember, the more accurately you track your mileage, the more you will likely get reimbursed from the IRS.

To learn more about MileTrack GPS or to purchase your own, visit miletrackgps.com.