trucking software advice

I have been a fan of spreadsheets for many years. The one I use is FREE... Open Office. It will do 95% of everything that Microsoft Excel will do. I run multi layared, relational sheets so that an entry on one will reflect on another. Takes some time to set up, and may not be a good choice for a novice, but there is no software that can compete with a custom setup designed by you for your use. You can do all the "what if's" about the operation and see, in detail, where everything is.

Quicken is a good product. That would not be a bad choice. It may or may not end up doing everything you want, but it would be a good start.

A good scanner is almost essential as well. You can scan every piece of paper or receipt into a PDF and keep it backed up. Eventually, you will lose something you wish you had a copy of. By scanning it and backing it up, you will have access to everything quickly. The IRS has no issues with doing this and they, in fact, prefer it.

 

Yup best way. Plain and simple. Tally it up at end of quarter and send info off to tax man.

 

Thanks for the input. I know me well enough to know that I have to record the expense immediatly. I must make this a daily task and do it regularly or I will get lax. I certainly agree with the custom designed spreadsheet designed for you by you. I know my way around excel well enough to put together a rudementary system. Access might be a good choice for data entry. I don't know if I have the determination to create something. Quicken or quick books might be nice but isn't as truck friendly as I would like. For example, excel would do dollars and mpg and anything else. I will use quicken to pay the bills anyway so quicken is already in the mix.

I would like to be able to do some efficiency analysis. Excel is perfect for that as is access. I'm talking about expense vs miles etc. Tracking trips and analyzing resulting income, paid miles vs actual, and the freedom to dream up other ways to look at your situation means entering all kinds of data that won't get used all the time.

I did a tabletop analysis to determine what your most efficient speed was. It showed that more income was made at 70mph than at 55mph even though you burned more fuel. It was tabletop so the result isn't necessarily practicle but, that is the kind of analysis I want to run. Oh, and take care of my accounting at the same time. Accounting and the IRS are most important but to effectively run a business the other analysis will either drive you nuts or make you money, your choice.

 

Im just getting my truck up and running and im trying to find out if anyone could give me an idea of some good accounting software for us owner ops. Any one got some suggestions? Thanks