Business software

I use quickbooks once I got the hang of it I love it.

 

Check out the fog lines software. There is a thread that is only a few days old. Looked pretty good.

 

Here it is.

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...owner-operator/203638-fog-lines-software.html

 

Quick books is a joke for trucking you need real trucking software something that shows you the brake down in miles since you're getting mileage pay, quick books is a one time deal unless you're doing payroll than you must pay that every year.

 

The new foglinesoftware will do what you need. I have been using their software for a number of years. I really like the latest version. It just came out a short time ago. It will do your day to day revenue and expenses, IFTA, maintenance and payroll. It allows you to set drivers up on hourly, mileage, percentage or tonnage. It doesn't have a table to do the calculations for payroll, but it will do everything else. I have set up a spreadsheet to do driver payroll.

You can download it for a trial and see how you like it before buying. It is specifically designed for the trucking industry. The only other program that comes close is The Truckers Helper. But, I don't know if Truckers Helper is still around. Some people think that Truckers Helper is a little more complex to use. One thing that I have always liked about foglines software (Trucknpro) is that it is so simple to use. They have several versions you can purchase, but if you need to do payroll and manage multiple trucks the newest version is the best way to go. It is called Trucknpro Professional Business Manager. They have an online training video you can download at no extra charge. It will explain how the program works. I wrote something the other day as I was going through the new program.

 

I bought quickbooks before 2000 and have used the same version since. I quess you can update whenever a new program comes out. I haven't. I used it for the employees payroll. Used xl for other data.

 

Just got truckers helper. I would say if you run under your own authority, it covers everything...ifta, payroll, 2290, fuel expenses, schedule for maintenance, income and expense for tax man, permit and license renewal reminders etc. If you need it, it's in the program somewhere. If your an employee or leased owner operator, $25 a month might not be a wise investment. And it is labor intensive setting everything up.

 

Trucknpro Business Manager does pretty much everything you need running your authority and you just pay one time. I liked Truckers Helper the way it was prior to the change. You are correct about it being somewhat complex to use. I don't want to be forced to pay a monthly user fee for software. I like paying one time and having access to the program for as long as I choose. I think that I would rather use a spreadsheet than pay a monthly fee that never stops. There are reminders in the foglinesoftware program for maintenance, etc., A couple of things that I liked about Truckers Helper was the payroll function and driver qualifications file. Foglinesoftware has put those into the new Trucknpro Business Manager program. I don't think that Truckers Helper has changed or improved their program in some time. Foglinesoftware is constantly making changes and updating their software to meet customer needs and wants. They will send emails from time to time asking for suggestions on ways in which to improve their software. I have been encouraging them to put payroll into the program. I am glad that is finally available. They had a feature for the invoice number on fuel receipts on earlier versions of their software. They took it out of the last program, Trucknpro Elite. I think they took it out when they started putting in the scanning feature. I suggested they put the invoicing feature back into the program. I suppose others may have made the same suggestion since it is now in the new Trucknpro Business Manager program. I have had issues with other software that I have purchased. Most seem to care less about their customers. It is much different with Foglinesoftware.

There is another feature they put into the latest program, "per diem." It makes it easy to keep track of your days on the road for your per diem deduction and maintains a running total. It also has a feature for tracking maintenance for your APU. This is the first time I have seen either feature in any trucking software.