Long-distance truckers don’t get paid by the hour. We get paid by the mile. So tracking time seems unnecessary. TMS trucking software is an essential tool in today’s industry – and it tracks miles, not hours. So why are we talking about time?
For a closer look at where the hours actually go, see how trucking accounting software handles IFTA, expenses and invoicing in one place.
Selling Time
Because our time is valuable.
If there’s one thing that trucker sell, it’s time. Time for us to pick up a load, time for us to haul it over the road, and time to deliver it. Shippers don’t always think about us that way. They’re thinking about our equipment and the capability to haul their cargo. If they think about time at all, it’s about getting their goods loaded and what day and time we’ll arrive at the destination.
That’s to be expected, I guess. The transportation part is our business.
And it is a business. That means we have to manage the behind-the-scenes work too.
Running Your Trucking Business
When we first get into the trucking industry as drivers, often we’re drivers, not self-employed business people. We don’t have any way to see how the back office works. Billing, paying taxes and payroll, maintaining the equipment isn’t the job of an employee. But that back office is crucial when we run our own trucking companies.
Invoices have to be sent.
Taxes have to be paid.
Those things are time-based, not miles based.
TMS Trucking Software is Your Right Hand Man
Trucking management software is a single back-office system that turns one set of load data into dispatches, invoices, expense records, and IFTA and IRP reports, so the same details are entered once instead of retyped for every document. Also called TMS trucking software, it isn’t optional in this business any longer. There may be a few holdouts, but in this job, computers aren’t optional.
- Invoices are sent out via email.
- Taxes are filed online.
- Payroll is usually direct deposit.
It is the 21st century, after all.
For those still working strictly on paper, we’d like to suggest you stick your toes into TMS trucking software. You may find it’s less intimidating and more profitable for you. If you’re working on a free platform like Google Docs and Sheets, you’ve probably put a lot of hours into creating and maintaining it.
This is where time factors in. It’s a simple question:
How long does it take for you to send an invoice?
How long does it take to compute IFTA or IRP?
Even if you’re using a Google doc for the invoices, you’re probably repeating work. Typing in (or cut and paste) the shipper’s name and address, the pick up and delivery dates, times, and locations… all of those things take more time than we think. Errors can creep in – and then we spend more time chasing them down.
That’s time that we’re not on the road.
On the road is where we make money. Not sitting behind a desk trying to figure out where the math error is that has our invoice billing 13% less than what we know we should get for a trip.
Or we forgot to notice when we crossed a state line, so we end up guessing on our IFTA or IRP filing.
Some independent truckers hire a bookkeeper or a virtual assistant to handle the paperwork. After all, we’re truckers, not office workers. Our skillsets aren’t exactly the same. And we wouldn’t be wrong to think they could do it faster than we could.
But that means we’re paying out more money and not necessarily bringing more in.
TMS Trucking Software – What do we need?
What we really need is automation that will take the rate con and from that, it can
- create a dispatch ticket
- find the best route
- create a bill of lading
- attach the BOL to an invoice
- send the invoice via email
- track the invoice to make sure it’s paid on time.
With TMS trucking software, you don’t need to hire a virtual assistant for data entry. In fact, with TruckingOffice TMS trucking software, all you have to do is upload the rate con PDF and you’re on your way. In the same way, you can use your receipts for fuel, tolls, maintenance – any expense – and TruckingOffice PRO will enter it automatically. Even handwritten receipts upload and save you the time of data entry.
TruckingOffice PRO just added autofill for truck registration. If you’re running more than one truck in your trucking business, you can upload the registration PDF and BAM! it’s all done for you. It may be a one-time expense of time, but it’s time you can use in many better ways!
Save Time With TruckingOffice PRO Trucking Software Automation
We talked about time. Think about how much time you save with automatic uploads of rate cons and expenses. Then add in the time that you save by NOT going home to handle all this paperwork. TruckingOffice trucking software is accessible anywhere you can get on the internet. Your data is secure and accessible wherever you are. Even if you’re in a dock, waiting for a load, you can be handling the paperwork of your trucking company without ever getting out of your cab. How’s that for saving time? Your time at home is yours – not managing your company. (We bet your family will like that!)
Best of all, you can save yourself some money to find out what Truckingoffice PRO can do for you. We’ve got a free trial waiting for you to sign up today! Explore what TruckingOffice PRO offers — no payment required to get started. Add TruckingOffice’s ELD and see what TMS and ELog integration can do to save you time and money by producing compliant HOS reports. TruckingOffice PRO and ELD are designed to support accurate, compliant reporting with ease.
Sign up today for your free trial!
Frequently Asked Questions About Trucking Management Software
What is trucking management software?
Trucking management software is a single back-office system that handles dispatching, invoicing, expense tracking, and IFTA and IRP reporting from one set of load data. It replaces the spreadsheets and paper files an owner-operator would otherwise keep by hand, so the shipper, date, and location details are entered once instead of retyped for every document.
How does trucking software save an owner-operator time?
It automates the paperwork chain that follows every load. With TruckingOffice PRO you upload the rate confirmation PDF and the software creates the dispatch ticket, finds the best route, builds the bill of lading, attaches the BOL to an invoice, sends the invoice by email, and tracks it to make sure it is paid on time. Fuel, toll, and maintenance receipts upload the same way, and truck registration autofills from the PDF.
Do I need a bookkeeper or virtual assistant for trucking paperwork?
Not for data entry. Some independent truckers hire a bookkeeper or a virtual assistant because truckers are not office workers, and they would not be wrong to think someone else could do it faster. But that means paying out more money without necessarily bringing more in. With trucking software you do not need to hire a virtual assistant to key in your data.
Is a spreadsheet good enough for trucking invoices and IFTA?
A free platform like Google Docs or Sheets takes a lot of hours to create and maintain, and it makes you repeat work: typing or pasting the shipper’s name and address, the pickup and delivery dates, times, and locations for every load. Errors creep in, and then you spend more time chasing them down, like a math error that bills an invoice 13% under what the trip was worth.
Can I handle my trucking paperwork from the road?
Yes. TruckingOffice trucking software is accessible anywhere you can get on the internet, and your data is secure and accessible wherever you are. Even sitting at a dock waiting for a load, you can handle your trucking company’s paperwork without ever getting out of your cab, which keeps your time at home yours.
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