I worked as a local driver part of last year, but had to do about 16 overnight trips. Can I deduct meals as per diem ($63/day) or only exact amount?

[JohnW15]

Unfortunately, if you were an employee in 2018, and received a Form W-2 that reflects your earnings, there is no longer an Employee Business Expense deduction.  This means that no job-related expenses -- including per diem or actual meal amounts -- are deductible under the new law. 

Please see the TurboTax FAQ "Can employees deduct any job-related expenses?" below for more information. 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/3300622

However, if you were a self-employed owner-operator -- who's income generally appears on a Form 1099-MISC -- then you can still claim this deduction.  You can use the standard meal allowance of $63 method as an alternative to the actual cost method, if your work "regularly requires you to travel away from home and, during any single trip, usually involves travel to areas eligible for different standard meal allowance rates."