The best trucking accounting software can be a standalone trucking-specific accounting software or a versatile accounting solution that seamlessly integrates with specialized trucking tools. We evaluated the leading solutions based on price, ease of use, and whether they have essential accounting and trucking-specific features—such as invoicing, bill management, load and order management, and carrier and driver management.
Here are our five best trucker accounting software:
- QuickBooks Online: Best overall trucking accounting software when integrated with RAMA Logistics Software (RLS)
- Q7: Best standalone trucking-specific accounting software
- Tailwind TMS: Best invoicing and billing software with trucking features
- Rigbooks: Most affordable and easy-to-use trucking solution for small fleets
- Zoho Books: Best mobile accounting app for independent truckers
Best Trucking Accounting Software: Quick Comparison
Trucking Accounting Software Quiz
Which trucking accounting software is best for you?
QuickBooks Online: Overall Best Trucking Accounting Software When Integrated With RAMA Logistics Software
Pros
- More affordable than most complete bookkeeping software
- Direct integration with RLS for trucking features
- Strong accounting features like bank reconciliation
- Track mileage from your smartphone
- Plenty of QuickBooks ProAdvisors nationwide for assistance
Cons
- Requires separate subscription to trucking management software
- Cannot directly call customer support either with QuickBooks Online or RLS
- Users may need time to learn how to use the integrated system
Pricing & Plans
- Simple Start: $30 per month for one user
- Essentials: $55 per month for three users
- Plus: $85 per month for five users (our recommendation for truckers)
- Advanced: $200 per month for 25 users
New users have the choice of 50% off for three months or a free 30-day trial with no credit card required.
We recommend trucking companies using QuickBooks Online to purchase the RLS integration as well. Some of the trucking platform’s most notable features include:
- Load management: RLS allows you to create, manage, and track loads until they are successfully delivered to the customer.
- Dispatch management: Managers and dispatchers can identify unassigned loads and quickly match them with available trucks and drivers.
- Customer record maintenance: Although it has no dedicated customer database, RLS enables you to store and manage customer-related information, such as contact details and addresses.
- Location maintenance: Users can store and manage information relevant to the trucking business.
- Driver record management: Important driver records—such as contact details, driver license number, mileage rates, and extra stop rates—are recorded in the customer’s profile.
- Trucking-specific reports: Users can run different types of trucking reports, such as load, driver, carrier, customer, and commission reports.
RLS costs $45 per month for one user or $80 per month for eight users. You can sign up for a 30-day free trial without providing your credit card details. Go to our detailed review of RAMA Logistics Software or visit RAMA Logistics Software for more information.
QuickBooks Online has enhanced standard accounting features that can be easily customized to nearly any type of business, making it our overall best small business accounting software. It has no trucking-specific features, but when you add RLS, it becomes a powerful trucking management system (TMS) and accounting software combined.
While QuickBooks Online handles all your accounting processes, RLS helps you accomplish trucking-related tasks. For instance, you can use RLS to manage your loads, dispatch orders, and track delivery status. You can then transfer the load information to QuickBooks to create invoices, track expenses, and generate reports.
Although there are other QuickBooks trucking integrations available, RLS stands out due to its direct integration with QuickBooks. This means the platform can be purchased directly from the QuickBooks App Store, and you can launch it from your QuickBooks account. Other QuickBooks trucking integrations require complicated setup and third-party connectors.
QuickBooks Online now offers a free meeting with a QuickBooks ProAdvisor to help new users set up their accounts and provide guidance on how to get the most out of the software. This offer is only available when you sign up right away without the 30-day free trial.
Q7: Best Standalone Trucking-specific Software
Pros
- Full-fledged bookkeeping solution
- Choice of desktop or cloud-based program
- Has a built-in trucking payroll management system
- Extensive list of trucking management features
- Custom features, such as the mileage interface, can be added for an additional fee
Cons
- No upfront pricing
- Desktop version is incompatible with Mac
- Complex system requires training and dedication
Pricing & Plans
You need to contact Q7 directly for a free demo and a customized price quote.
Q7 by Frontline Software Technology is an all-in-one solution that offers a comprehensive set of features tailored specifically to the needs of the trucking industry. It allows you to manage bookkeeping tasks, such as paying bills, sending invoices, and reconciling bank accounts. It also has a powerful fleet maintenance program that will track your fixed assets and help you schedule routine maintenance, whether it’s based on months or miles driven.
Unlike other trucking-specific management software, Q7 does not require integration with accounting systems, as it already has built-in accounting capabilities. This means that you can manage all aspects of your trucking business—from load management to invoicing and financial reporting, within a single platform—without having to purchase and integrate external accounting software like QuickBooks.
Tailwind TMS: Best Invoicing & Billing Software With Built-in Trucking Features
Pros
- Comprehensive bill payment and invoicing features
- Integrates with QuickBooks Online and Desktop (depending on subscription)
- Includes customer and carrier self-service portals
- GPS-confirmed shipment and event tracking
- Multiple branch or division management capability
Cons
- More expensive than similar software
- Not a complete bookkeeping system
- No integrated payroll
- No bank reconciliation feature
Pricing & Plans
- Pro: $117 per user, per month
- Enterprise: $176 per user, per month
- Unlimited: $235 per user, per month
Most freight brokers will be well served by choosing the Pro plan. The Pro and Enterprise plans have a free trial available with no credit card required
While Tailwind TMS isn’t a complete bookkeeping solution, it’s great for invoicing and bill payment, which are two major needs of a trucking company. It has comprehensive A/P and A/R features that let you track bills and payments from different personnel involved in your operations, such as vendors, employees, carriers, and customers. The Invoice List and Bill Posting modules are intuitive and comprehensive, and they help you review and track bills and invoices easily.
Additionally, Tailwind’s TMS billing and invoicing modules provide greater flexibility than those in other trucking-specific software. For instance, trucking companies have the flexibility to post related bills together with the invoice or post the expenses and bills separately. This allows you to customize your billing workflows based on your specific requirements.
You might consider upgrading to the Enterprise plan to offer customer and carrier self-service portals. Customers can log in to view their account information, shipments, and invoices, whereas carriers can access available loads, shipments you have dispatched with them, and amounts you owe them.
Rigbooks: Most Affordable & Easy-to-Use Trucking Management Solution for Small Fleets
Pros
- Unlimited users
- Offers a free trial with all core features
- Affordable option for detailed load tracking
- Track miles per jurisdiction for easy International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) reporting
Cons
- Expensive for businesses with more than five trucks
- Not a complete bookkeeping system
- Lower plans do not include invoicing
- No mobile app
Pricing & Plans
- Basic Entry: $19 per month; $19 per additional truck
- Leased O/O: $29 per month; 24 per additional truck
- Independent O/O: $49 per month; $29 per additional truck
- Small Fleet: $149 per month for up to five trucks; $29 per additional truck
You can try Rigbooks for free for 30 days.
Rigbooks is ideal for small fleets with one or two trucks. For as low as $19 per month, you can track business expenses, fuel mileage, trips, and orders for a single truck. It’s an affordable option for small trucking companies that need to track cost per mile and understand which of their loads are the most profitable.
Also, we believe that it has the simplest user interface (UI) among all the software listed here, making it a great option for trucking owners with no accounting background. If your trucking company doesn’t require accounting features and solely focuses on trucking management, then Rigbooks is a cost-effective solution.
Zoho Books: Best Mobile Accounting App for Independent Truckers
Pros
- Has a feature-packed accounting mobile app
- Can call customer support directly
- Free plan doesn’t skimp on features
- Has many accounting features and more affordable than other software like QuickBooks
Cons
- Free plan limited to companies with less than $50,000 in annual revenue
- Additional seat requires extra fee if user limit is reached
- Has no trucking-specific features
- Doesn’t integrate with trucking management software
Pricing & Plans
- Free: $0 for businesses that make $50,000 or less in annual revenue
- Standard: $12 per organization, per month; up to three users
- Professional: $24 per organization, per month; up to five users
- Premium: $36 per organization, per month; up to 10 users
- Elite: $129 per organization, per month; up to 10 users
- Ultimate: $249 per organization, per month; up to 15 users
If needed, you can pay $3 per every additional user. You may also purchase the following add-ons:
- Advanced auto-scans: $10 for 50 scans per month in all plans
- Snail mails: $2 per credit in all plans
- Company branches (from Premium): $12 per branch per month
Just like QuickBooks Online, Zoho Books isn’t custom-tailored for trucking businesses. However, it has a powerful mobile accounting app that can help independent truckers in many ways.
For instance, they can capture receipts, record expenses related to fuel, tolls, maintenance, and other business costs, and then categorize them for reporting and tax purposes. They can also create professional invoices on the go and send them to clients or brokers directly from their mobile devices. Self-employed truck drivers needing basic tracking of their income and expenses can even save money with Zoho Books’ free plan.
How We Evaluated the Best Trucking Accounting Software
We ranked trucking accounting software based on pricing, ease of use, and how it performed across the general accounting and trucking-specific features we look for. To ensure the accuracy and integrity of our list, we evaluated all applications using an internal rubric scoring system with five categories, each with a calculated weighted score.
25%
General Accounting Features
25%
Trucking-specific Features
30%
Ease of Use & Customer Support
10% of Overall Score
We ranked each accounting software based on its affordability, considering the number of users included in each plan and the costs to add an extra seat.
25% of Overall Score
Regardless of the industry, specialized accounting software should include general bookkeeping features like A/P, A/R, and bank account reconciliation.
25% of Overall Score
The best trucking accounting software should be able to manage and track dispatches, orders, fuel and mileage, driver settlements, and IFTA reporting.
30% of Overall Score
We signed up for a free trial and tried the software ourselves to determine how easy it is to use. We also considered the available customer service options and how quickly the provider responds to a concern.
10% of Overall Score
We gathered unbiased user reviews from several review websites like G2 and Software Advice.
*Percentages of overall score
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Trucking accounting software has unique features, such as the ability to dispatch drivers and track load status. Meanwhile, general-purpose bookkeeping software lets you perform common accounting tasks, such as invoicing, billing, and expense tracking.
Trucking companies needing to track income and expenses and manage trucking operations in one platform should use trucking accounting software.
If you need specialized tools like load and dispatch management, then consider integrating QuickBooks Online with RAMA Logistics Software. However, Q7 is a great standalone trucking-specific accounting solution, while Rigbooks is ideal if you have a small fleet and want an affordable platform.
Yes, you can use free general bookkeeping software like Wave for your trucking business. However, a free solution might not be enough if you have complex trucking management needs. This is where we recommend premium software like Q7 or even an integration between QuickBooks Online and RAMA Logistics Software.
Bottom Line
Overall, there’s no single accounting or trucking management software that can cover all the various needs of truck drivers and fleet managers. To determine the right fit for your company, you have to assess your budget and needs and know what particular features you require.