There’s a sense of adventure the first time a person climbs into the driver’s seat of a truck cab. No doubt, that person has imagined what it would be like to sit up front, controlling the power of the big rig, heading down the highway and looking for… (ok, yeah, I was going to say adventure…) Looking for control of their destiny. A future bright with potential. That’s all possible the first time a man or a woman climbs up and sits down. That’s also why truckers need trucking software.
The Power of Trucking
If nothing else, the past 2 years have proven to all of us that we need truckers. Supply chains disruptions have caused cascades of worry about the availability of food this winter. No one wants to go back to the Great Toilet Paper Crisis of 2020.
So when we talk about the power of trucking, we’re really talking about the foundation of our communities. Of almost everything, really. When truckers can’t do their job and do it well, everyone suffers.
That’s why we want – no, we NEED you to succeed as a trucker. And if we don’t provide you with the tools to do it right and do it profitably, we all pay the price.
Profitable Truckers Need Trucking Software
You need to make money. They need our products shipped. It seems like a natural combination.
But too often, shippers don’t understand what truckers need to do the job. Shipping is a very bad place to cut corners. A shipper will get the desperate trucker with an unsafe rig when they don’t recognize how much good truckers spend to haul a load.
Some truckers don’t know that either. They only count the cost of fuel and maybe some living expenses and guess at how much it costs per mile. So they take what they think is the best offer. At some point, new truckers learn how to negotiate and ask for more money.
Truckers use transportation management system software to make a profit. That doesn’t happen until they know their numbers.
Truckers Need Trucking Software
You want to feel that first surge of power under your feet again, not dread for another horrible winter of slog through rain and snow with nothing to show for it. That’s what trucking software helps you avoid.
Why do truckers need trucking software? The power of a complete trucking software produces in an owner-operator is life- changing. Business-changing.
Did you know you have what to need to build a great trucking business? You do. You have that information. But how do you get it?
Trucking software gives it to you.
1. It starts with dispatches and routing.
The dispatch and routing package has to recognize the route a trucker can take. (Does Google do that? Do they tell you about low bridges or no-thru-trucks routes?) Owner-operators need that data like a trucker needs coffee after lunch.
2. Invoices – Past, Present, and Future
Payments have to be processed. The owner operator trucking invoice must include all the billable expenses, the copy of the signed BOL, any fuel reimbursements. Then those invoices must be sent out in a timely fashion as well as tracked to be sure they’re paid. Making sure there’s money in a trucker’s pocket isn’t optional. It’s the whole point of the job. If you’re depending on an accounting software that isn’t designed for truckers, you’re spinning your wheels instead of getting ahead.
3. Maintenance Records and Scheduling
If there’s one thing a trucker can do to insure a more profitable future in trucking, it’s taking care of their equipment. Truck maintenance software is a great tool to add to the toolbox. DOT and FMCSA record-keeping aside, having a record of repairs (and possible warranties) and a schedule of when future work needs to be done is the key component to trucking business success. You can’t win if the truck is on the side of the road.
4. ELD
Electronic Logging Devices were mandated years ago. But most of the ELDs on the market are not integrated with a trucking software package. The data from an ELD can produce to the mile reports when it’s time to file IFTA and IRP. That data alone will save you hours of computations and headaches.
Test Drive TruckingOffice PRO Trucking Software
Truckers need trucking software.
Many of them think they can do it themselves with a combination of free software options like Google Docs, Sheets, Maps, Forms, etc. But those programs, while they do integrate with each other, take time to program. If Google updates, will all that program still work? Is the data safe, secure, and accessible?
Kinda hate to say it, but using Google’s free software to build a trucking software system is reinventing the wheel. In an 18-wheeler world, that’s a lot of time that a trucker could be on the road. Instead of spinning your wheels, why not try out for free a trucking software that has 10 years behind it? One that has helped many truckers start with one truck and build a fleet?
Try it out for free? Sound too good to be true? It’s not. We’ll give you a free trial to check out how powerful TruckingOffice PRO is. Add on a year’s subscription to TruckingOffice ELD and you’ll have a powerful program designed by a trucker for your trucking business.
When you have TruckingOffice PRO and TruckingOffice ELD together, then you’ll have the confidence to
- know your numbers to make good business decisions
- keep your rig in prime condition to avoid the on-the-road emergencies
- build a business to support you and your family long into the future.
We mean it. Test drive TruckingOffice PRO for free now and get ready to explode into a great future next year!
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