While QuickBooks is a robust accounting tool, it may not provide all the KPIs and operational metrics specific to the trucking industry. Integrating it with a specialized TMS can give you insights that help in decision-making and improving your business operations. Join over 1 million businesses scanning & organizing receipts, creating expense reports, and more—with Shoeboxed. Each membership tier allows for a different integration into a third-party system, which lets the trucking company select the software that will help them maintain their fleet. PCS TMS doesn’t have its own software but instead partners with other systems to provide custom-fit software for trucking companies.
All the features you need to manage trucking payroll
- Shoeboxed integrates with a variety of software including Xero, Wave, ScanSnap, One Price Taxes, HP printers, and more.
- Keeping your fuel and mileage data under the same roof as your accounting software is far more efficient than managing everything in two or more places.
- With the lack of industry-specific features, getting QuickBooks to meet all of your needs as a trucker or dispatcher will be a challenge, and in some cases, impossible.
- However, while it’s a full-fledged double-entry bookkeeping software, its accounting features are not as robust as those of QuickBooks.
- Toro TMS is a trucking management solution tailored to the specific needs of family-owned bulk haulers.
The Standard plan might suffice for many independent truckers needing to track their income and expenses, but if you need to also pay bills from your vendors, then I recommend the Professional plan. Quarterly tax advice for owner-operators and trucking companies, including the most common mistakes to avoid like losing track of income. So you don’t need to pay for advanced features like driver payroll and invoicing if you are an individual owner operator leased on to a carrier. These aren’t bad reasons, and I don’t blame anyone who uses Quickbooks, especially when they’re just getting started. But if you’re unsure whether Quickbooks will work for you, it can be one of the best decisions you make in your business to figure out exactly what you need from your accounting software. Take a closer look at your company’s finances and get the information you need with customizable payroll reports.
Why QuickBooks is Still the Best Accounting Software for Truckers in 2024
If you need specialized tools like load and dispatch management, then consider integrating QuickBooks Online with RAMA Logistics Software. Q7 is a great standalone trucking-specific accounting solution, while Rigbooks is ideal if you have a small fleet and want an affordable platform. Most trucking business owners likely don’t have accounting experience, so the best bookkeeping software for truckers should be easy to understand and use. Axon stands out with its extensive feature set, designed specifically for mid- and large-scale operations that manage complex logistics and administrative tasks. What I appreciate most is its advanced functionality, like real-time tracking, which makes it easy to monitor vehicle locations and driver activities in real-time. When you run a trucking company, you have to stay on top of driver and vehicle expenses.
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The integration between the software and Quickbooks and Quickbooks online is seamless, giving bookkeepers and accountants easy access to the information of trucking companies. Whether you’re an employed trucker or you own a trucking company, keeping up with loose receipts is a hassle when you’re constantly on the road. Accounting software for trucking companies must meet specific requirements that are unique to the trucking industry.
TruckLogics: Best TMS with Driver Settlement Tools to Pay Contractors
QuickBooks aids in making informed decisions when choosing to lease or purchase a truck. It helps you evaluate the financial implications of both options, ensuring that you choose the most cost-effective solution for your business. Careful accounting and bookkeeping practices aren’t fascinating by any stretch of the imagination. But they’re essential for owner-operators, helping to determine operational effectiveness, the amount owner-operators spent on business expenses, and tax-deductible items. Detailed reporting capabilities offer insights into various aspects of your business, from financial health to operational efficiency. They help you analyze trends, identify areas for improvement, and make informed decisions.
Additionally, I couldn’t award a higher score for pricing because of the combined cost of the two software programs. Sure all businesses share some basic needs like keeping track of revenue and expenses, and QB can handle that well, but your trucking company has specific needs to make you successful. For small trucking businesses, QuickBooks with a trucking-specific set-up tends to work best.
Just like QuickBooks, we add up all of your revenue and expenses on your Profit and Loss report. The most common reasons truckers use QuickBooks is that “everyone uses it” or that their accountant recommended it. Inversely, QuickBooks doesn’t meet all the flexibility that a carrier TMS provides. It’s essential to choose a TMS that can integrate with QuickBooks without compromising on flexibility to meet your unique business needs.
If QuickBooks is slowing you down due to lack of functionality, it’s time to look at some QuickBooks alternatives that are specific to the transportation industry. Though it doesn’t have the complex accounting features that QuickBooks offers, it does have a proven track record of simplifying trucker expense management. Though it’s not designed to be trucking accounting software, QuickBooks can still be a viable option if you have complex accounting needs. Trucking-specific systems (like TMSes) usually scored high for trucking-related features but low for essential HR and payroll functionalities. Similarly, payroll software providers offer solid pay processing and HR solutions but limited trucking features.
This integration makes it easy to send invoices to your customers, process payments to drivers, and track customer details and interactions. One of the significant pain points for many trucking businesses is the need to enter data in multiple systems. An integrated solution eliminates this need, ensuring that data entered in the TMS is automatically synced with QuickBooks. While all of the trucker accounting software on this list is great for integrating into a trucking business, it’s a good idea to consider your needs and weigh your options before choosing one. The features of this software quickbooks for trucking include fleet maintenance, order management, payroll, and accurate accounting processes such as accounts payable, freight billing, and dispatch.
Whether you need help with QuickBooks setup, tax planning, or financial reporting, we’ve got you covered. QuickBooks integrates smoothly with various other services and apps, enhancing your accounting experience. Whether you need to handle driver payment tracking, manage subcontracted truckers, or file taxes, QuickBooks has you covered. Real-time tracking features provide up-to-the-minute data on the location and status of your shipments. This capability helps you monitor fleet operations, improve dispatch efficiency, and enhance customer service by providing accurate delivery estimates.
However, I didn’t find any integrations that could solve this weakness, unlike QuickBooks, which integrates with trucking software like RLS. What I really appreciate is the flexibility Tailwind offers with those modules. For instance, you can post related bills together with the invoice or handle expenses and bills separately, depending on what works best for your specific needs. This level of customization really stands out compared with other trucking-specific software.
- We also added extra scores to providers that have transparent pricing and trucking-specific features.
- If your trucking company doesn’t need comprehensive accounting features and focuses mainly on trucking management, it is a cost-effective solution.
- QuickBooks has to provide things like inventory management because the e-commerce store or shoe store and a bunch of other kinds of businesses need it.
- When used with QuickBooks accounting software, it can integrate with TMSes, making it one of the best payroll options for trucking companies.
- Because it’s not built for transportation, QuickBooks doesn’t accommodate the way carriers work.
- We understand not all trucking companies are the same size or have the same needs.
Dr Dispatch has no published pricing information, but third-party sources indicate that prices start at $99 per user, per month. If you’ve been leased onto a company or working as a company driver for a while, you’ve probably considered stepping out and getting your own authority. For example, you might delete the “Tarping” revenue category and add “Lumper” if you haul reefer freight. You might want to add “Loadboards” or “Broker Fees” as expense categories if you have your own authority.
Choosing the best software for trucking
Additionally, if you have experience with accounting software, learning your daily accounting tasks will be intuitive. QuickBooks accounting software also offers payroll so you can manage payments to employees and your business expenses in one place. Over-the-road truck drivers may receive per diem pay or reimbursements for meals, lodging, and other travel expenses.
QuickBooks can be difficult to integrate with a transportation management system (TMS). QuickBooks lacks an automated feature for International Fuel Tax Association (IFTA) reporting, so you’d need to manually tally miles driven in each state. Toro, however, tracks every trip from pick-up to delivery and automatically calculates the miles driven in each state—without any manual input required. Toro uses each driver’s pay details along with their weekly load data to instantly calculate what they’re owed. If you make any stops along your trip to grab lunch or fill up, you can still snap a photo and upload that receipt to your Shoeboxed account without stopping the mileage tracker. QuickBooks’ receipt scanner is finicky, so tracking expenses on the go may prove to be more of a headache than you anticipated.
