Techtalks: Traveltech

If you realized that your fleet needs a trucking accounting software (TAS), here is what matters.

Features. TAS must be able to perform such necessary operations as:

• load tracking: detailed information for each load (delivery date and time, truck info, driver details, etc).
• trip reports: generate a trip report with all expenses for each load (vehicle mileage, maintenance, etc. to charge customers and pay drivers)
• Income and expenses tracking like tolls, parking, fuel, etc.
• IFTA tax reporting: record all the required load details to fill out IFTA reports

Pricing. Let’s have a look at what’s there on the market. TruckBytes offer a free plan that includes all the necessary features except for IFTA reporting. Its paid version has quarterly IFTA monitoring and is one of the cheapest - $15 a month per truck. One thing is missing though. It’s a payroll solution which you’ll have to integrate from outside.

Another one - QuickBooks. Although it’s a general accounting solution, it’s widely used in the trucking industry. Many logistics solutions integrate with QuickBooks for accounting functions. They have four pricing plans starting from $25 up to $150 per month.

However, many TAS providers don’t share prices publicly. So, you’ll have to contact them directly for the trade in question. For example, a highly customizable software ProTransport. Another example - RigBooks solution for small fleets. They don’t share prices either, but they do offer a free 30-day trial.

Learning curve and usability. Answer the following questions to know how soon you’ll be able to leverage the TAS you chose:

• How fast your staff can figure out the software and start applying it in their daily operations?
• Does it cause them any trouble or vice versa - cuts corners optimizing the process?

Customer reviews. Be sure to check what others say about using this solution. It might seem like a perfect fit for you from the first glance, but turn out a disaster because of poor customer support or bugs present. If the solution has a trial version - even better. Don’t miss a chance to try it out before making any investments.

By the way, we have an article encompassing a full pack of fleet-related aspects under the umbrella term - fleet management software. Check it for a bigger picture.