Why is record-keeping important? IFTA Audit
Two words why you need to be keeping a close eye on your record-keeping: IFTA audit. It’s pretty easy to let numbers slide. Some people don’t fill out the monthly reports, don’t keep the old decals (did you know you need to keep those for 4 years?)...Last Minute Gift For Your Trucker
How Hard Is It to Buy for Your Trucker? (We know! We’re in the same boat!) Looking for a last minute gift for the trucker in your life? Want a gift that isn’t just something for the day or two, but the trucker will use every day for the next year?...Shouldn’t Your Trucking Management Software Go On the Road With You?
You can buy a bunch of different programs to manage your trucking business. Dispatch software is vitally important software in today’s quick bid load board sites. You’ve got a window to get in and get that great load, but if you’re spending time...Santa Trucker and the LTL Sleigh
Bill has a problem. Bill has grandkids and his wife thinks she’s Mrs. Claus. With the holiday’s interruptions, his billing is going down faster than old St. Nick down the chimney. It’s the end of the year and his regular lane is going to be half the usual load. Bill...Why Buy Separate IFTA Software?
We’re starting to see some #IFTA tweets on Twitter and some Facebook comments – not many yet, but a few. Since we’re gearing up for our IFTA, we guess we’re just noticing it more. There’s a bookkeeping service out there that charges per...
What Is a Remit to Option and How Does It Work?
There are lot of reasons to use a factoring service. Suppose I haul a load for the local steel company, but I have to pay the fuel and the other expenses before I get the payment. I might use a factoring service – a company that will give me the...Happy Thanksgiving – Thanks to Truckers
How did that cranberry sauce get on your table? If you’re not in New England, it’s a good bet that a trucker brought it to the store. Even if you are in New England, a trucker delivered to the store. The entire meal is probably thanks to truckers....How Do You Thank Your Mechanic?
Is there a tougher job than the on-the-road truck mechanic? I see them along the sides of the highways and think about the times I’ve needed their help. Maybe I had to wait longer than I wanted. A breakdown on the road, especially when I hauled the extra-heavy...See How Easily You Can Thank Your Truck Drivers
I ran a fleet of trucks for a few years. Had a pretty good crew of guys working for me. And appreciated the ways they built my business. Fleet managers have a tough job – they have to maintain that “professional” distance but they want to have a...Do You Make This Customer Appreciation Mistake?
Owner-operators have the biggest challenge in trucking, as far as I’m concerned. When I was driving for a trucking company, I was told where I was going and what I was picking up and where to take it. I didn’t have to worry about IFTA filings, getting...The Secret of Truck Parking and Why You Should Be Worried
I hear truckers say they can’t find a safe place to stop for their rest breaks and I totally get it. It seems that sometimes people want their goods but don’t care about how they get there – unless there’s a big accident with a fatigued...Are You Afraid of the IFTA?
It was a dark and stormy night. One Friday when the fleet manager went out to inspect each of the trucks, he noticed that in the first truck the odometer was 1,000 miles off from the driver’s logbook. In the second truck, the difference was even greater…...The Tool Most Truckers Don’t Use Enough
What tool do you use the most in your trucking business? Your smartphone is your best tool. There are plenty of great tools out there that you could say revolutionized trucking, but I think the smartphone has changed the trucker’s life in a lot of positive ways....4 Things to Winterize that Truck Now
A friend asked me recently about the trucks she’s noticed on the roads. “Does everyone wash their trucks every day? I noticed a dirty truck on the road today – it’s the first one I’ve seen all summer.” Yep, we take pride in our...Speed Up Your Billing With Your Smartphone or Tablet
Truck drivers are discovering the benefits of sending the customers pictures of bills of lading to confirm delivery. A quick snapshot with a smart camera or tablet and email to the customer’s office and the payments arrive quicker than relying on snail mail....The Right Tool for LTL Success
Are you trusting your memory? Or maybe a white board? Or a deck of index cards? For me, keeping track of LTL shipping was enough to stop me from trying it. I liked hauling the full loads – even the heaviest loads – so long as I didn’t have to try...
Profit and Loss or Company Overview Report?
Do you know how much you make in profit per mile? Why would you want to know? TruckingOffice PRO trucking software offers a Profit and Loss Report (P&L) , but we believe that most trucking businesses will be far more interested in a Company Overview Report. The...3 Good Reasons to Go to GATS
The year has flown by. It is cliche to say, but it feels like yesterday that we were flying down to the Greatest American Truck Show for 2014. I like going to trade shows like GATS. It’s great to meet you and learn what you’re doing and how we can help...Coffee-Motivated Billing
I have a friend who is constantly running low on money. Abby has regular lanes and is a good driver. She loves being on the road with her dog and sometimes her husband Nick. But the money end of the business? Always a problem for her. She’ll go without her own dinner...Customer Acquisition Part 2: Most Important Rule
“It’s all in who you know,” is the old proverb. That’s probably right – you need to create a relationship with a shipper so they’ll think of you when they have a shipment going out. Last week, I talked about sending emails to a potential new customer. That works, but...Customer Acquisition Part 1
I just got off the phone with one of my drivers. He had a few words to say about freight hauling. I just happened to be the one who got the earful. Fuel may be down in price, but according to the driver, so are the loads. He said he’s having a rough time finding a...IFTA is due Friday. This Friday.
Are you done yet? I’ve been watching the Twitter hashtags about IFTA this month and it looks like there are a lot of people out there still working on it. I guess that’s natural, people put things like tax filings off to the last minute. The stress this...30 Day Free Chance to Finish Your IFTA
We know you can sign up for our free 30 day trial to do your IFTA report for free. We want you to. We believe that if you take the time to enter a quarter’s worth of loads, you’ll find our IFTA report is worth every penny that you’ll pay for in the...Get Organized WITH Your IFTA!
Get Organized WITH Your IFTA! Every year, I thought the same thing – I need to be ready for the IFTA. I’d do everything I could think of to get organized and ready for it. Every year, I’d find something else that could go wrong and I’d spend a couple of days wondering...Organization – Paper or Electronic Copy?
It would be a nightmare if I’d gotten this call before we started TruckingOffice. A bill that’s almost 6 months overdue is being contested because they claim they hadn’t gotten the bill of lading. In the old days, first I would have had to go through my spreadsheets...Organize Your Invoices: TruckingOffice Makes It Easy
Fifteen hundred miles from home, Joe finds out he is close to broke and buying enough fuel to finish the job is too close for comfort. That doesn’t make any sense – he’s been running regular lanes, never had a problem until now. What changed? What changed was one of...How Much Does That Unit Make?
Unit Operation Income Report New to TruckingOffice I’ve owned multiple rigs in my time. I managed all the details – the lanes, the drivers, the receipts, the billing – but I rarely could figure out which truck was making me the most money. Here at...Tracking with PC*Miler and TruckingOffice
Nancy is checking her company’s receipts today – and something isn’t adding up. Why was Frank buying fuel in Oklahoma when his lane from Pittsburgh to Dallas didn’t go through Oklahoma City? Then there’s Leon, buying fuel in Knoxville?...Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky
There’s nothing like a good truck show. Look the new show trucks, walk around the miles of displays about products and catching up with old friends – is there a better way to spend a weekend? I always enjoy going to the truck shows, not just to promote TruckingOffice...Owner Operator Organization Tips
As an owner operator, you’re responsible for all of your paperwork and compliance to all the laws. I found I could get snowed under really quickly if I didn’t take care of my paperwork. If I didn’t do it after every load, I at least had to do it...Taxes Ahead – Trucker Tax Referral
Dave is a brand new trucker – just started on the road last November. It’s been a good job for him. He got a route from a local potato chip company that let him come home every night to his wife Maureen and kids. It’s the new year, and Maureen is...Did I Make Money or Not?
When I started my trucking career as an owner/operator, I worked on the accounting system that made sense to me. If the money was in my bank, then I was good. I never counted my billable income until it was in my pocket. This is called the Cash Accounting Method....
IRP State Mileage Report
Once a year, every truck has to get a new license plate. If you’re an owner-operator with a single vehicle, it’s an annual expense that you have some time to prepare for. But the paperwork headache is still a bear. For the small fleet owner or manager, this can be...IFTA Failure – What Happens If You Don’t File
What happens if you don’t file the IFTA? There are those people who think they can beat the system. Avoiding government scrutiny becomes a game for them. The IFTA is not a game you want to play. The consequences to not filing start at mildly annoying and move...
The Basics of IFTA Reports: Deadlines, Fines, and More
Our software makes IFTA reports easier to file. This is important because staying on top of IFTA matters is one of the most important duties of a transportation professional. Fortunately, TruckingOffice makes the task fast and easy, giving you...Enforcing DOT Regulations in Your Workplace
Obeying DOT regulations is a key part of succeeding in the transportation industry. The rules of the road, even those you may not agree with, are intended to protect both professional drivers and the public. Breaking them can result in fines, loss of business or...
Three Steps to Getting New Customers
When loads on load boards are consistently paying less than you need, you may want to work on getting new customers the old fashioned way. By building your own customer base, you’ll have less dependence on load boards and may develop long-term business...Auditing the Driver Logbook: Preventing Future Problems
After auditing a driver logbook, you may find everything to be in perfect order. If that’s the case, then thank your lucky stars. It’s more likely, however, that you’ll find at least a few causes for concern. In some cases, you may even discover some very shocking...5 Benefits of Dispatch Software for Trucking Business Owners
Let’s face it – it’s not fun being the pencil-pushing, jacket-and-tie type. Being that kind of businessperson is rarely interesting. That’s probably one reason why you got into trucking in the first place. You love the adventure and excitement of being on the road and...Free Load Profit Calculator for Truckers
How To Get Your Own Trucking Authority
Get Your Own Trucking Authority
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