As a small trucking concern, you might think that you don’t need software.  You may think it’s optional, like whether you want new seat covers this year. Small trucking company management software can make the difference between a business succeeding and failing.  But the prices of most trucking management software packages are too big for a small trucking company to pay.  So they make do with a Google Business Suite set of files.  TruckingOffice PRO trucking software is a better solution.

Seat covers aside, we’d say that small trucking company software isn’t optional.  It’s vital to the success of your company.

Trucking Software Organizes Your Business

We know from experience that running a small trucking company with the right software is a game-changer. We are truckers ourselves, and we know how hard it can be to keep a small trucking business running smoothly. In addition to the mountains of paperwork you have to contend with, you also have to keep track of DOT regulations and IFTA/IRP reporting requirements. Then there are the dispatches, customer invoices and maintenance records to keep tabs on. Did we mention accounting and payroll? The tasks that go along with running a trucking business are seemingly endless, but the more time you spend attending to these tasks, the less time you are spending on the road, and in turn making money. 

That is exactly why we developed our trucking software with owner-operators and small fleet managers in mind. Because we know exactly what goes into running a successful small trucking business, and we want to help other businesses reach their full potential without suffering through the headaches. Our trucking software gives you everything you need to streamline your operations and manage every aspect of your business in one convenient place. With our trucking software, you can finally take control of your trucking business and increase profits while cutting your paperwork in half.

What’s the Difference Between Big and Small Trucking Company Software?

Price.

Do you need a software that can manage hundreds of trucks in a variety of fields?  It’s out there and you’ll pay for an expensive, hard to learn, and beyond-what-you-need program.

On the other hand, you might get a small trucking company software and end up with something that fails to manage all the parts of your business.  It will create a dispatch but not an invoice.  The software manages the accounting but ignores maintenance.  There is such a thing as too small.

The right small trucking company software needs to be as perfect as Goldilocks needed for her porridge, chair, and bed! Are you asking too much?  Not at all, when you understand the value of what the just-right software can do for you.

Small Trucking Company Software Makes You Money

Let’s take a look at Google.  You can use Google for the vast majority of record keeping for a trucking business.  With Google Maps, you can create a routing.  Then you can build an invoicing system.  You can create a system to manage the expenses.  Now you can find a way to keep track of your customers.  You might even find a way to compile an IFTA report. (Good luck with that.)

How much is your time worth?

Let’s just guess that you’re pretty good at programming and Google is your playground.  Even so, we’re talking a lot of time to develop five different applications on a platform that, frankly, isn’t really interested in your needs.  Google’s suite of programs is basic, not particularly easy to integrate and doesn’t have a database to store your data, unless you want to pay for that.  Oh, now it’s not free.

But say you spend 20 hours on each of those 5 applications.  (We’re sure you could do that in 20 hours, right?  We couldn’t, but you might.)  That’s 100 hours that you’ll not be on the road, earning money.

Then if something goes wrong – something always goes wrong – who you gonna call to fix it?  Won’t be Ghostbusters!  You’ll have to manage it yourself with more hours off the road.

How much is your time worth?  Is it worth a week off the road?  Two weeks?

Maybe investing a few dollars per day  is worth it.  You can have a small trucking company software that already takes care of

• Customer management
• Dispatch creation
• Automatic routing with PC*Miler
• Driver payroll or settlements
• Invoice creation
• Accounting, including past due invoice management
• Expense and profitability reports
• IFTA reports
• IRP reports
• Maintenance scheduling
• Maintenance records

without learning how to write computer code or create something using Google sounds like a better investment.

Customer Development

You don’t want to be dependent on a load board for all of your loads.  You might get some good pay with some unexpected trips, but in the long run, developing regular lanes with customers will pay you better and with more consistently.  That makes life a lot easier to plan for.  Having a system that reminds you of past shippers and keeps track of their contact information so you can be in touch gets you started on that customer development path.  Unless you’re going to keep everything handy in a notebook under your seat and will pull it out while you’re waiting for the shipping crew to finish, a good small trucking company software will have that at your fingertips, in your cab, for you to drop a friendly email.  “Just checking in…” you could say.

Customer development makes you money.

Small Trucking Company Software Saves You Money

Ever have a driver lose the delivery address and drove extra miles trying to find it?  Or dropped a couple hundred on fuel and forgot to get the receipt?

Tracking your expenses is the single best way you have to control your business.  We want the lowest possible prices on fuel, but we can’t control that.  We can control when and where we buy our tires, windshield wiper blades, get our engine oil changed or have our brakes checked.  The prices of those things on the road are high and likely to go higher in an emergency.

By controlling where you spend your money and managing your trucks’ maintenance to reduce the likelihood of an expensive roadside assistance call, you can save a significant amount of money.

Do you have keep records of where and when your maintenance was done?  It would be helpful to have that accessible in the cab and not in a file cabinet back at home.

We’re not here to say you can’t build a software system on Google.  

We want to know why you would want to that when you can use software ready for your small trucking business right now?

What should your small trucking company software include?

The list above is the basics of what you’re going to need.  We know, because we had truckers on our team when we built TruckingOffice trucking management software.  Let’s look at the best parts of why our trucking management software is better than all the rest for your small trucking business.

• TruckingOffice enables you to manage every aspect of your business from anywhere in North America with an Internet connection. All you need is a web-capable device like a laptop or smartphone to calculate payroll, invoice clients, figure IFTA taxes, stay on top of vehicle maintenance, and perform hundreds of other tasks that take up so much of your time.
• TruckingOffice is cloud-based. Your software and your company information are kept constantly up-to-date with the latest security protocols—the kind used by the big boys.  Even if your office is wiped out by a tornado or other disaster, your data will be safe and sound.
• When you use TruckingOffice, you not only get a great product, you also receive the combined knowledge of our team of tech support specialists. They’re always just an email or toll-free phone call away if you have a question or concern.

Enough talk. Find out for yourself how good TruckingOffice is by taking our small trucking company software for a free, no-risk test drive. You’ll be glad you did.