Transportation & Logistics
Per-mile cost tracking and multi-state compliance for trucking companies, movers, couriers, and NEMT providers.
The Industry
A trucking company finishes the month with $85,000 in revenue. Fuel ran $22,000. Driver pay was $31,000. Insurance and maintenance added another $14,000. On paper, that’s $18,000 in profit. But the books don’t show the deadhead miles running empty between loads, the detention time waiting at docks, or the routes that barely cover fuel costs. Some lanes make money. Others lose it. Without tracking costs per mile and per route, you’re guessing which is which.
Transportation businesses deal with cash flow timing that doesn’t match the work. Fuel gets paid at the pump. Drivers need their check every week or two. But customers and freight brokers pay in 30, 45, sometimes 60 days. A growing transportation company can be profitable on paper and still struggle to make payroll because the money coming in doesn’t align with the money going out. Add multi-state operations with fuel tax reporting and varying registration requirements, and the administrative load piles up fast.
Who This Covers
Who This Covers
Trucking companies and owner-operators, moving companies, courier and delivery services, taxi and limousine operators, NEMT providers. Any transportation business in the Merrimack Valley and Greater Boston area managing vehicles, drivers, and routes.
What Complicates It
What Complicates It
Per-mile and per-route cost tracking. Cash flow timing gaps between expenses and collections. IFTA fuel tax reporting for interstate operations. Multi-state payroll and tax compliance. Fleet maintenance tracking by vehicle. Driver payroll with varying schedules and overtime. 1099s for owner-operators and subcontracted drivers.
What We Handle
Transportation accounting requires tracking costs at the vehicle and route level. We set up your books so every fuel purchase, maintenance expense, and driver hour gets assigned to the right truck or job. You can see which vehicles are profitable and which ones eat more in repairs than they generate in revenue. Route profitability becomes visible so you know which lanes to pursue and which to pass on when capacity is tight.
Multi-state operations create compliance obligations that need consistent attention. IFTA fuel tax reporting requires accurate mileage tracking across state lines. Payroll for drivers crossing multiple states needs proper tax allocation. We manage accounts receivable aging so slow-paying brokers don’t become bad debts. For owner-operators working with you, we track payments and prepare 1099s at year-end so nothing gets missed.
Fleet and Route Profitability
Fleet and Route Profitability
Costs tracked per vehicle including fuel, maintenance, insurance, and driver pay. Route-level profitability showing which lanes make money after all expenses. QuickBooks configured to allocate costs properly so monthly reports show actual performance. Historical data that informs rate negotiations and capacity decisions.
Compliance and Cash Flow
Compliance and Cash Flow
IFTA fuel tax reporting based on accurate mileage records. Multi-state payroll handled correctly with proper tax withholding. Accounts receivable aging tracked with follow-up on slow-paying customers before they become collection problems. Quarterly tax estimates to avoid April surprises. Year-end 1099 preparation for subcontracted drivers.
What Goes Wrong
Most transportation operators don’t know their true cost per mile. They know fuel prices and what they pay drivers, but insurance gets averaged across the fleet. Maintenance hits when it happens instead of being tracked by vehicle. Deadhead miles get absorbed without attribution to specific lanes. A route paying $2.40 per mile looks profitable until you realize the return leg runs empty and actual loaded miles are costing you $1.95 all-in. You keep taking that lane because the rate sounds good on paper.
Cash flow problems sneak up because the timing never matches. You book a great month in revenue, but half of it sits in receivables for 45 days while fuel cards and payroll are due now. IFTA reporting gets rushed or estimated because mileage records are incomplete. Multi-state payroll taxes get filed late because nobody realized the driver worked enough days in New Hampshire to trigger withholding requirements. These aren’t dramatic failures. They’re slow leaks that drain profitability over time.
Hidden Costs Per Mile
Hidden Costs Per Mile
Fuel tracked but not allocated by route. Maintenance expensed when paid rather than tracked per vehicle. Insurance spread evenly instead of weighted by vehicle type and usage. Deadhead miles ignored in profitability calculations. What looks like a 15% margin lane becomes 6% when you account for everything properly.
Cash and Compliance Gaps
Cash and Compliance Gaps
Receivables aging past 60 days while payroll and fuel eat available cash. IFTA returns filed with estimated mileage creating audit risk. Multi-state tax obligations missed until notices arrive. Owner-operators paid without W-9s on file creating 1099 scrambles in January. Small problems that compound into expensive fixes.
What Changes
Every route shows true profitability after fuel, driver pay, maintenance allocation, and deadhead miles. You stop guessing which lanes make money. Rate negotiations start with actual cost data instead of industry averages. Fleet decisions about which vehicles to keep, replace, or add are based on per-vehicle performance tracked over months. Capacity gets directed toward profitable work because you can finally see which work is profitable.
Cash flow becomes predictable. You know what’s coming in and when. Receivables get aged and followed up on before accounts become problems. Multi-state compliance happens consistently instead of reactively. IFTA gets filed on time with accurate data. Payroll runs without eating your weekend. Tax prep captures vehicle depreciation, fuel expenses, and deductions specific to transportation that often get missed or understated. You spend less time on paperwork and more time running the operation.
Better Decisions with Real Data
Better Decisions with Real Data
Route profitability visible so you pursue the right work. Fleet performance tracked by vehicle to identify which units earn their keep. Rate negotiations grounded in actual costs. Capacity planning based on which lanes and customers generate real margin after all expenses are properly allocated.
Operational Stability
Operational Stability
Cash flow forecasting that prevents scrambles during slow collection months. Multi-state compliance handled without surprises. IFTA filed accurately and on time. Payroll processed without owner involvement. Financial statements clean enough to support equipment financing or fleet expansion when you’re ready to grow.
The Merrimack Valley's Trusted Accounting Partner
The Next Step:
A 15-Minute Call
Tell us about your business and what you're dealing with. We'll listen, ask a few questions, and give you a straightforward quote.