Itinerent Worker

EIM66205 is for Lorry Drivers and for Employees, I am neither. I am a self employed same day courier (light haulage) driving a small van. I travel anywhere in the country, at short notice to deliver items and often sleep in the back of my van (or occasionally in cheap hotels). Each day I have no idea where I am going, nor where I will end up. I follow the work. Although I'm in a small van, the way I operate is largely similar to the way national long distance lorry drivers operate. I am definitely an "Itinerent worker". This means I can claim reasonable subsitstance and accommodation as allowable expenses. To date I have been doing this with actual costs. Having come across the "Benchmark scale rate payments" of EIM66205, I would much rather use these payments as a form of simplified subsistance accounting. As a non lorry driver, and as a non employee, am I allowed to do this? If I am not, what other options might there be available to me? To me, it makes sense to be allowed to use these simplified scale rate payments.