Basic Accounting For Trucking Companies

bookkeeping for trucking company

Bookkeeping and tax services specially designed for trucking companies also make it easy to access and complete all required tax forms for your business. Managing your trucking company’s books is one of the most essential activities that can be used to leverage its success. Companies million price today mm to usd live marketcap and chart can use trucking accounting software to track mileage, generate invoices, do payroll, pay expenses, generate profit reports and so much more.

If you have employees, you must also be able to manage payroll types of bank accounts for different types of pay and have flexible payment options. TruckingOffice is a TMS service that helps owners and operators track their miles, manage their expenses, pay attention to their profits and stay on top of fleet maintenance. However, they’re best used in tandem with QuickBooks for more comprehensive accounting and tax services. Trusted by over 20,000 owner-operators, ATBS has been helping truck drivers manage their books and file taxes since 1998.

bookkeeping for trucking company

Calculate Taxes

The company’s founders began their careers in the family trucking business, eventually converting all 350 drivers of their team to owner-operators. Today, they are the largest tax and accounting firm for owner-operators, offering a variety of service packages to simplify the business side of driving. Invoicing your customers promptly is a key factor in maintaining cash flow for your business because it ensures that you receive payment for your services as soon as possible. This will provide you with the necessary funds to pay for expenses such as fuel, maintenance, and wages. Waiting to invoice can result in payment delays and potential disputes over billing issues, which could strain the relationship with your customers and potentially result in loss of business. Timely invoicing also helps with maintaining accurate financial records and regulatory compliance.

It can track and categorize your expenses automatically, though you may need to keep some supplemental records. Our guide to the top trucking accounting software is backed by over two decades of research and user reviews, weighing key factors like IFTA reporting and mileage tracking. This is an important statement for small businesses and entrepreneurs because it shows a company’s day-to-day financial health. While the income statement shows how your company performed in the past, the cash flow statement shows how cash is being generated or used.

How Trucking Bookkeeping Is Unique

They’ll monitor your accounts, process your expenses, pay your bills and give you reports to track your profits and business growth. As a trucking business owner, you should keep records of all your expenses and the documents that support them, such as receipts and account statements. You should have proof of each expense’s amount, date, location, and business purpose.In addition, hold onto all documents you need to comply with Department of Transportation and IRS requirements. For example, that includes data from your ELD, invoices, bills of lading, payroll statements, and tax payment receipts. The software enables manual expense logging with categorization options and the ability to set up recurring expenses.

Saving for Year-End Taxes

AXON’s payroll system handles various compensation models, including mileage-based pay for drivers, hourly wages for office staff, and salary-based compensation for management. This integration automatically calculates driver pay based on completed trips, distance covered, or hours logged. Overall, AXON streamlines payroll operations, from timesheet verification to fund disbursement. Trucking accounting software is a specialized financial management tool designed to handle the unique accounting and business needs of owner-operators and freight carriers.

Plan for Necessary Expenses

It tracks both fixed and variable costs but lacks the functionality to track the checking or credit card account used. Profit and loss reports are available and can be customized for multiple trucks, showing key financial metrics such as total loaded miles and revenue per truck. Rigbooks supports IFTA compliance by tracking mileage per jurisdiction and providing detailed information for tax reporting. No matter the size of your fleet or how long you have been in business, having a strong grasp of trucking accounting best practices will help to ensure compliance with industry-specific regulations.

  1. You must be strategic about which tools you invest in to avoid wasting resources, but it’s worth utilizing in many areas.
  2. Trucking accounting software combines back-office bookkeeping functionality with industry-specific features necessary for fleet management.
  3. Ensure that you pay your balance in full every month to avoid high interest charges.
  4. The system allows for batch payroll processing and customizable reporting, which includes summaries, tax audits, and W-2 printing for year-end.
  5. At the end of each quarter, you must submit an IFTA report that lists the miles driven and the gallons purchased.

We believe it is only through the success of our clients that our own business will succeed. Executing proper transportation accounting procedures requires as much training and expertise as the transporting itself. free and open source accounting software While there’s no substitute for experience, here are some common pitfalls you should know to avoid.

Otherwise, check our guide to the best business credit cards for small businesses to find additional options. Whether it’s a problem with the numbers or the software, there may be times when you need help from a professional. Some trucker accounting software will offer live support options, so you can talk to a professional accountant or tech support to help you manage your finances.

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