It’s the 21st century. Why aren’t more tasks that run an owner operator trucking business automated? Good question. TruckingOffice has ways for automating your trucking business already waiting for you.
Automation From Dispatch to Invoice
It can seem like an optional expense when starting up an independent trucking business, whether or not to buy a trucking software package. Most of them look complicated to learn, don’t look like they’re offering what a new trucking company needs, or costs more than the budget can bear.
“Do it on Google for free!”
Well, some people think that’s possible. Mostly, those aren’t truckers, or they’re truckers that have already invested years worth of time and effort to build their systems. Change for them may be too hard to consider.
It’s called the Sunk Cost Fallacy.
When faced with a choice between continuing with a system that a person has already invested in, or changing to a new system that has questionable returns. In the sunk cost fallacy thinking, the time/effort/money expended is more valuable than the potential gains of moving to another system.
Consider it this way: You may already have a account with a specific bank that holds your truck loan, but another bank has a branch closer to home, better bank hours, a nice app, and a higher interest rate for savings. Do you switch?
It may feel like loyalty. It may feel like convenience to stick to what we know. But logically, it makes more sense to change.
Don’t fall into sunken cost belief that hinders your trucking business growth. Automating your trucking business is a key component to success. That may mean giving up the idea that doing it for free on Google is better than using dedicated software designed for truckers.
Automating your trucking business
Of course, driving a load – along with pick ups and deliveries – is the largest part of an owner-operator’s job. But there’s no pay unless there’s an invoice with the necessary supporting documentation. So time in the office is absolutely necessary.
But where your office is located can be what’s most convenient to you.
“Oh, I can do that with Google Docs.”
Sure you can. But where do you keep your records? Your BOL images? Are they secure? Back ups?
Having everything in one place – from dispatch to routing to invoice – makes perfect sense.
But in a hand-coded system, if one spreadsheet gets corrupted, the entire system can go down. Or if the owner operator doesn’t remember exactly when or who a load was for, searches can be exhausting.
- Managing an invoice from creation to attaching all the necessary documents (from a variety of sources – where did I save that BOL image?)
- Tracking payments (or non-payments)
- Producing IRS standard tax reports, including accurate mileage reports per state for IRP and IFTA.
- Uploading your rate con from the PDF – no retyping necessary.
- Entering expenses from receipts to link to a load. NEW FEATURE!
Automating your trucking business the right way
Creating a complete software package that can do all the work you need is years of work. Months of time you could be hauling freight and making money.
But the cost…?
And what if Google changes its platform?
What if all those formulas and links are broken by an update by Google?
When it comes down to it, we have no control over Google. When they decide to change their “free” Sheets, Docs, or Forms, what happens then?
Consider this: You wouldn’t build a house on land that wasn’t yours. You wouldn’t plant a garden on someone else’s yard. Why would you take the risk that someone would take your hard work away from you without notice?
Use the safe choice for your trucking business
Use a complete trucking business management software that’s designed for truckers (by a trucker!) that has
- more security (automatic back ups and off-site storage)
- invoice tracking (from production to tracking late pays)
- more accessibility (from home or on the road)
- no development time
- accuracy for taxes.
When your trucking management software and your ELD work together – like TruckingOffice PRO trucking software and TruckingOffice ELD, then you can have confidence that the paperwork is being handled accurately, to IRS standards, and you don’t have to spend any more than the minimum of time. Once you enter your data, TruckingOffice PRO uses is five ways from Sunday without requiring extra, repetitive data entry. Using the ELD data, your IFTA and IRP will be exactly right because the TruckingOffice ELD is integrated with TruckingOffice PRO trucking business management software. Locations of your load help track the miles per state, not just the hours or service.
So what’s the real cost? The time it takes to produce and refine a software program on a platform THAT CAN CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE? Or automating your trucking business with TruckingOffice and its history of over 10 years of helping owner-operators run their trucking companies.
TruckingOffice Trucking Management Software
Welcome to the 21st Century trucking management software for your owner operator trucking company!
TruckingOffice offers the best options for the solo trucker or the fleet builder. We’ve got affordable trucking management software that handles everything, including automatic rate con load entry. TruckingOffice PRO with TruckingOffice ELD makes your life easier and managing your business smoother by helping you handle your tasks better and faster:
- dispatches
- routing
- invoice generation and tracking
- expense management
- IFTA and IRP
- maintenance
- Trucker Stats™– reports to show the state of your trucking business.
Combined with the TruckingOffice ELD, you’ve got everything you need to build a successful trucking business – even from the cab of your truck.
Contact us today to try TruckingOffice PRO free trial help you avoid loads that cost you money to deliver and to discover what equipment is the most profitable for you.
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