The best gifts for truck drivers are the ones that fit a life lived in a truck cab: small, useful, and tied to the job. Cab space is limited, so for an independent trucker or owner-operator the most valuable gift is usually something that saves time and money running the business — not one more thing to find room for.
It’s often hard to know what to get for someone who lives in their truck cab. The amount of room in a cab is extremely limited, so anything that isn’t valuable to the job is hard to justify. Of course, kid’s drawings and pictures of family are important, but there are limits. So what can you give an independent trucker?
Useful vs. Fun Gifts for Truck Drivers
Let’s talk about gift-giving.
Some people want to give surprises. Others want to give something intensely personal. Still others want to give a useful gift. Nobody is wrong! Giving any gift expresses love and appreciation!
So if you’re looking for a fun gift, consider a streaming service or a Kindle subscription.
If you want to give a personal gift – we suggest a subtle conversation about dreams and hopes.
But if you want to give a useful gift, take a look at what can help them run their trucking business.
What Does an Owner Operator Trucking Business Need?
What a truck rig needs is too specific for us to make a suggestion. What a trucking business needs – that we can help with.
Every business needs business software. The problem is that trucking companies have several specific taxes and reports. Those are not usually available from common and popular accounting software packages like QuickBooks. (No shade at QuickBooks — we have a way to export data to QuickBooks for the accountants to use, and we compare the two in detail in Trucking Software vs. QuickBooks.)
- IFTA reports IFTA quarterly reports are based on miles per state. In a standard accounting software package, a mileage report doesn’t show miles per state, nor will it have the current tax rates, which can be changed in one jurisdiction but not another.
- IRP reports Another report required to get apportioned truck license plates. If you’re old enough, you may remember the wall of state license plates on the back of trailers – meaning the trucker had paid for a plate to drive through that state. These days, the IRP (International Registration Plan) allows the trucker to submit a report showing miles per state per half-year (not quarterly like IFTA) and make a single payment with the report to show how the funds should be distributed.
- Revenue Per Loaded Mile report Not all miles are attached to a load. “Deadhead miles” aren’t related to the Grateful Dead – it’s travel between loads when the trailer is empty. Those miles are part of the job, but they’re a factor that some truckers try to control when looking at load boards. They don’t want to drive too far to get a load because that reduces profit. Having a report that shows profits per loaded mile.
These are just three of many more reports that standard accounting programs do not prepare but independent truckers need.
Trucking Software for Independent Truckers
So how does an independent trucker get those reports? Complete trucking software — built for trucking rather than general accounting — is what they need.
There are specialized software packages for trucking. Trucking software is a broad category, but the keyword is complete. Unless a package provides all of those reports listed above and more — including invoicing, dispatching, routing, and maintenance records — then it is not complete trucking software. Some software packages do not provide all the services necessary to run a trucking business. Many do not provide IFTA reports. Others do not meet the accounting standards needed for business taxes. It is important to examine what a trucking software package offers and what it leaves out.
TruckingOffice PRO: A Gift That Works All Year
TruckingOffice offers the best options for the independent owner operator. We’ve got affordable trucking management software that handles everything, including automatic rate con load entry and expense receipts. TruckingOffice PRO handles
- dispatches
- routing
- invoice generation and tracking
- expense management
- IFTA and IRP
- maintenance
- Trucker Stats™– reports to show the state of your trucking business.
Designed by a trucker for truckers, this complete trucking software will streamline all the facets of running an independent trucking company.
That means the trucker may have more time at home with the family and friends and less time stuck in front of a desktop computer.
More business organization means less time spent searching when the DOT or FMCSA requests records. Instead of spending hours on tax filings, your trucker will be free to spend time doing the important things in life.
Try TruckingOffice PRO Free for 30 Days
We don’t expect you to take our word for it. If you’re buying a TMS, you want to know how the system works.
We agree. That’s why we give a free trial of the complete program. Nothing hidden, no limits on what can be entered or what reports can be run. You can sign up without a credit card, bank card, or checking account number for this free trial right away.
Give your trucker the gift of TruckingOffice PRO.
Gifts for Truck Drivers: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best gift for a truck driver?
The best gift for a truck driver is something small, useful, and tied to the job, because cab space is extremely limited. Anything that is not valuable to the work is hard to justify keeping on board. For an independent trucker or owner-operator, that usually means a gift that helps them run the business rather than one more object to store.
What do you get a trucker who lives in their truck?
If you want a fun gift, a streaming service or a Kindle subscription takes up no cab space at all. If you want something personal, a subtle conversation about their dreams and hopes is a good place to start. If you want a useful gift, look at what can actually help them run their trucking business.
Why is trucking software a good gift for an owner-operator?
Trucking businesses have several specific taxes and reports that common accounting packages do not produce. IFTA, IRP, and revenue-per-loaded-mile reporting are not standard features in general accounting software. Complete trucking software covers those reports plus invoicing, dispatching, routing, and maintenance records, so it saves an owner-operator hours of paperwork every month.
What reports do owner-operators need that standard accounting software does not provide?
IFTA quarterly reports are based on miles per state and need current tax rates, which a standard mileage report does not track. IRP reports show miles per state per half-year so the trucker can get apportioned license plates with a single payment. A revenue-per-loaded-mile report separates paid miles from deadhead miles, which is how truckers judge whether a load is actually profitable.
Can you try TruckingOffice PRO before giving it as a gift?
Yes. TruckingOffice offers a free trial of the complete program with nothing hidden and no limits on what can be entered or which reports can be run. You can sign up without a credit card, bank card, or checking account number.
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