Free driver daily log sheet

What is a driver daily log sheet?

A driver daily log sheet is a record used to document each trip taken in a vehicle during the day. It captures departure time, destination, arrival time, trip purpose (business or personal), odometer readings, kilometres driven and fuel purchases. Driver log sheets are essential for fleet compliance, fatigue management, fringe benefit tax (FBT) reporting and driver accountability. In Australia, the ATO requires substantiation of business use for vehicles subject to FBT, and a driver log sheet provides the evidence needed to claim the operating cost method. The log also supports chain of responsibility obligations by recording driving hours and rest breaks.

Beyond tax compliance, a well-maintained daily log sheet gives fleet managers visibility into vehicle utilisation, route efficiency and driver behaviour patterns. When combined with odometer readings, the log helps trigger distance-based maintenance schedules and supports accurate fuel consumption analysis across the fleet. For organisations with chain of responsibility obligations, the daily log also provides evidence that driving hours and rest breaks were managed in accordance with fatigue management legislation.

Under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), drivers of fatigue-regulated heavy vehicles must maintain a work diary that records work time, rest time and the vehicle details for each 24-hour period. The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) enforces these requirements and can issue infringement notices for incomplete or falsified records. Section 19 of the WHS Act 2011 places a primary duty of care on the PCBU to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers, which includes managing driver fatigue through documented rest break records. A driver daily log sheet that captures trip times, rest breaks and total driving hours provides the evidence needed to demonstrate compliance with both the HVNL work diary requirements and the broader WHS duty of care. Organisations that operate mixed fleets of heavy and light vehicles often use a single daily log format across all vehicles for consistency, even where the HVNL work diary obligations apply only to heavy vehicles.

Learn more about gps and fleet tracking in MapTrack.

Benefits of digitising forms in MapTrack

When you move your log / registers from paper to MapTrack, you get:

• Field users can easily scan a QR code to complete a form on mobile. Unlimited users.
• Automatically get alerts when faults are identified.
• Link every form digitally as a PDF to the relevant asset, location or person.
• Receive a digital PDF copy with every submission to your email.
• Ability to share forms digitally.
• Build conditional logic (show or hide questions based on answers).
• Take pictures or attach photos. Not possible with a paper-based form.
• Electronic signatures.
• Edit forms later without reprinting.
• Restrict permissions (who can view, complete or approve).
• Build forms with AI (describe what you need and MapTrack suggests the form).
• Monitor odometer and service-interval triggers across your entire fleet.
• Capture fuel receipts and trip logs alongside vehicle inspection data.
• Compare vehicle downtime and repair costs to inform replacement decisions.

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What to include in a driver daily log sheet

This driver daily log sheet covers 7 key areas:

• Driver and vehicle details: date, driver name, vehicle/unit number, registration, starting odometer.
• Trip log: departure time, destination, arrival time, purpose (business/personal), end odometer, km this trip , 15 rows across two pages.
• Fuel purchases: time, station/location, litres, cost , 3 rows.
• Daily summary: total km, business km, personal km, total fuel litres, total fuel cost.
• Rest breaks: start time, end time, duration, location , 4 rows.
• Incidents/notes: 3 ruled lines for recording incidents or observations.
• Fatigue declaration: driver confirms adequate rest and fitness to drive, with signature.

How often should you complete this log / register?

A driver daily log should be completed every day the vehicle is used. For FBT logbook purposes, the ATO requires a continuous 12-week logbook period, but best practice is to maintain daily logs year-round for fleet compliance, fatigue management and cost tracking. Each trip should be recorded at the time of travel , not from memory at the end of the day. The completed log should be submitted to the fleet manager or supervisor for review and retained for a minimum of five years for FBT record-keeping purposes.

Applicable regulatory standards

This template aligns with the following regulations and standards:

• Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) - Fatigue management and work diary requirements
• WHS Act 2011, Section 19 - Primary duty of care
• NHVR Work Diary requirements for fatigue-regulated heavy vehicles
• ATO Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) logbook requirements

Related resources

More fleet templates and guides:

• Driver's daily log with duty status grid (US/FMCSA)
• Driver's work diary template (NHVR-aligned)
• Fuel usage log sheet
• Vehicle pre-start checklist
• DVIR (Driver Vehicle Inspection Report)
• Vehicle annual service record
• Truck and heavy vehicle pre-start checklist
• GPS tracking
• Inspections and checklists
• Fleet management
• Resource centre
• Fleet pre-start inspections
• Pricing