Running a small trucking business can be very challenging. You have to monitor fuel consumption, keep track of expenses, and always stay on the right side of the IRS. You also have to collect employee taxes and file reports in a timely manner. Our Payroll is the best payroll software for small trucking business from all over the world. [“Best Payroll Software for Small Trucking Business”].
This trucking office software is very simple, easy to use and efficient. This small business payroll software is specifically designed for small businesses and it eliminates the need for expensive and time-consuming bookkeeping staff on a full-time basis. It allows small business owners, who run their own payrolls as a part of their daily operations, to streamline their payrolls with this specialized trucking software.
Gusto: Best Overall Payroll Software for Trucking Companies
Overall Score: 4.49 OUT OF 5
- Affordable plans with health benefits in all tiers
- Contractor-only plan
- Multiple payment options, including payroll card and on-demand pay
- Responsive customer support
- Lacks integration with TMSes
- Has limited trucking-specific features
- Health insurance not available in all 50 states
Gusto Pricing
- Core: $39/month + $6/employee/month
- Complete: $39/month + $12/employee/month
- Concierge: $149/month + $12/employee/month
- Contractor: $6/employee/month
Add-ons
- Retirement: $49/month + $8/participant/month
- Health Reimbursement: $15/employee/month
- HSA: $2.50/participant/month
- FSA: $4/participant/month ($20 min)
- Commuter: $4/participant/month ($20 min)
- 529 college savings: $6/participant/month ($20 min)
No free trial
Gusto ranks No. 1 on our lists of best online payroll software and best payroll solutions. Here, it also tops the list, with a score of 4.49 out of 5. It calculates employee and contractor pay, handles paid time off (PTO) and time tracking, and files federal, state, and local taxes. Like QuickBooks Payroll and ADP (Run and Roll), it does not include TMS features like International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) information tracking. However, it does offer several HR benefits the trucking-specific providers on our list do not. Gusto also offers health insurance in 39 states and is working to get coverage for the other 11. Many users find its interface intuitive and its support team helpful.
Gusto Pricing
- Core: Priced at $39 + $6 per employee monthly, this plan comes with unlimited pay runs, two-day direct deposits, benefits administration, automated payroll taxes, PTO tracking, new hire reporting, and employee self-service tools.
- Complete: For $39 + $12 per employee monthly, you get all of Core’s features plus next-day direct deposits, time and project tracking, hiring, and team management tools.
- Concierge: This plan costs $149 + $12 per employee monthly and includes additional premium features like compliance alerts, dedicated support, and access to certified HR experts.
- Contractor-only: If you have only contractors in your workforce, then Gusto lets you process payroll for them for $6 per person monthly.
- Add-ons: Gusto doesn’t charge administration fees for its health insurance and pay-as-you-go workers’ compensation plans, but you have to pay the applicable premium costs (custom priced). You also have to pay participation fees for the following:
- Retirement plans: Monthly fees start at $49 plus $8 per participating employee
- Commuter benefits: $4 per month, per participating employee (requires a monthly minimum of $20)
- Health reimbursement plans: Monthly fees cost $15 per month, per participating employee, and you pick a monthly contribution
- Health savings accounts (HSAs): $2.50 per month, per participating employee
- Flexible spending accounts (FSAs): $4 per month, per participating employee (requires a monthly minimum of $20)
- Commuter benefits: $4 per month, per participating employee (requires a monthly minimum of $20)
- 529 college savings: $6 per month, per participating employee (requires a monthly minimum of $20)
Gusto’s payroll includes time-off tracking, benefits, and more. (Source: Gusto)
Gusto Features
- User-friendly platform: Gusto’s intuitive platform makes navigating through all its features easy for users. Its online tools are simple to learn, unlike ADP Run, which has a moderately steep learning curve; if you do have questions about its functionalities, Gusto offers unlimited phone, email, and chat support.
- Robust payroll tools: You get full-service payroll with unlimited and automatic pay runs, plus you can add custom earning types such as by miles—something most payroll companies don’t do. (You’ll need an integration like Teemeo to track miles, however.) In addition to payroll tax payments and filings, Gusto automatically generates and sends electronic copies of W-2s/1099s to employees for free—under all its plans. This is unlike ADP Run’s plans, which charge an additional fee for that service.
- Multiple payment options: You can pay employees through manual checks, pay cards (ADP Run also offers this), and direct deposits with next-day, two-day, and four-day options. It also has a “Gusto Cashout” feature that lets your staff access earned wages (wherein the amount is based on estimated accrued net salaries) before paydays. This could be useful for advances for drivers.
- Efficient HR tools and support: Aside from payroll, you are granted access to hiring, onboarding, time tracking, and self-service tools, including compliance alerts and support from HR experts. Its health benefits cover only 39 states. ADP Run and QuickBooks Payroll offer health insurance in all states; the rest don’t offer health benefits. Gusto also provides several options like medical, dental, vision, retirement, commuter benefits, workers’ compensation, health reimbursements, HSA, FSA, and 529 college savings.
- Smart reporting: You can run and customize a wide range of reports, from payroll registers to bank transaction summaries and workforce costs. Gusto also has a report builder that lets you create custom payroll journals, employee lists, and employment status reports.
QuickBooks
Why we love it
:
Quickbooks is one of the highly-trusted names in financial tracking, payroll, expense reports, and even time and attendance software for small businesses.
QuickBooks
Review
As one of the most popular payroll and accounting software in the world, QuickBooks’ offering for the trucking industry fits the niche particularly well. More than 10,000 transportation SMBs use the product to manage labor costs, tackle payroll tax calculations, track time, and much more.
The QuickBooks accounting platform can help to provide same-day direct deposits to drivers, manage health benefits & workers comp, create customizable payroll reports, generate stubs, and much more. Payroll can be automated along with taxes and forms, almost in a set-it-and-forget-it manner.
The main benefit of QuickBooks in relation to trucking companies is that it’s got built-in time tracking, letting you account for every hour worked and then approve payroll when ready. Additionally, it helps that QuickBooks is a fuller accounting solution, so you can manage all your finances in one place.
Payroll4Free: Best overall
Best overall free payroll softwarePayroll4Free
3.9
- How it’s free: In-software ads, paid plan options
Employee self-service portal and payslip access
Pre-filled end-of-year tax forms
Direct deposit and paycheck printing
PTO and vacation time tracking
Payroll4Free is a master in the free payroll software genre. For one thing, it’s chock-full of functions that are often enjoyed only in premium, top-tier platforms. Some of these perks include:
- Paycheck calculations
- 1099 contract and W-2 employee payments
- Direct deposit and paper check options
- Federal, state, and local payroll tax calculations
- Pre-filled tax form access
- Reports on taxes, benefits, payroll statistics, and more
- Employee self-service portal
- Paid time off, vacation, and sick time accruals
- Accounting software integration, including QuickBooks
Payroll4Free’s reporting and paid time off (PTO) tracking features are particularly impressive. (Even many paid providers don’t include those features with their cheapest plans.) And while Payroll4Free can’t file your payroll taxes for free, it calculates payroll tax deductions and autofills the tax forms. You have to do the actual filing, but form filling is easily the most time-intensive part of the process.
Don’t worry though if you’d prefer to let someone else handle taxes: the company offers full-service tax filing for a below-average $15 monthly fee.
Now that you know the good stuff, here’s the catch. The platform is barebones, so most of the features mentioned above require patience and some basic administrative knowledge. Afterall, the title’s made for getting the job done at no cost, so you get what you pay for when it comes to user-friendliness and visual allure.
That leads to our next point. Payroll4Free is only gratis because it’s loaded with advertisements. This might feel distracting and cumbersome, although this marathon of marketing doesn’t fundamentally alter your payroll process.
Run by ADP: Best for Growing Trucking Companies Needing Strong HR Tools
Overall Score: 4.06 OUT OF 5
- Multiple payroll plans to choose from
- Feature-rich HR suite (offers hiring, payroll, time tracking, benefits, and talent management tools)
- Integrates with TMSes
- Discount for TruckersB2B members
- Pricing isn’t transparent
- Charges by pay run; has setup fees
- Lacks IFTA info tracking
Run by ADP Pricing
- ADP Run requires you to call for a quote. We received a quote of $132 per pay run for a small business with 10 on payroll and five contractors. Use this as a guide only.
No free trial
ADP Run is a versatile payroll program that can meet the needs of small to large businesses in a variety of industries, including trucking. It has multiple payroll packages with plans tailored for small trucking companies or those with 1,000+ employees. It also has a wide range of features for payroll and HR and can support trucking companies as they grow.
Scoring 4.06 out of 5 in our evaluation, ADP Run offers a better range of payroll tools for truckers than most general payroll software. It supports non-driver staff designations and integrates with trucking software. It also has background checks, which is useful when hiring drivers. However, pricing isn’t transparent, and you have to pay setup fees. Members of TruckersB2B get the setup fees waived and a 25% discount on processing costs, plus discounts on plans.
In terms of user reviews, many reviewers said ADP Run is generally easy to use with efficient payroll tools that help save them time. On the other hand, some users complained about its pricing structure, adding that many of the features they need are paid add-ons or require a plan upgrade.
Run by ADP Pricing
ADP doesn’t publish its pricing online, so you have to call them to discuss your requirements and request a quote. While it charges setup fees, you get your first few months free. (The number varies by deal.) For Payroll, we were quoted $132 per pay run for 10 employees, with $3 for each additional employee. For Payroll and HR, the price went up to $204 per pay run.
This makes ADP Run the most expensive payroll-only plan on our list. However, ADP offered us five months free. In addition, TruckersB2B members get a 25% discount on processing and waived setup fees.
If you want to learn more about ADP’s small business payroll solution, check out our ADP Run review.
ADP Run lets you manage payroll on the web or mobile. (Source: ADP Run)
Run by ADP Features
- Feature-rich platform: Compared to the TMSes and other payroll software in this list, ADP has the most extensive HR solution suite, enabling you to efficiently handle the entire employee lifecycle. Aside from payroll, it offers recruitment, time and attendance, benefits, learning and development, and performance management tools. It even provides HR outsourcing and professional employer organization (PEO) services. Of course, these extras come at an increased price. There’s also a mobile app for running payroll.
- Efficient HR solutions: While several of the products on our list have rudimentary onboarding tools, ADP offers complete employee onboarding tools, including background checks. Its mobile apps (iOS and Android) also let your employees access their pay stubs, tax forms, time sheets, and benefits information while on the go. Plus, if you need expert support, ADP has a team of HR professionals that can assist you with compliance and HR issues—provided you subscribe to its higher tiers.
- Trucker-friendly payroll tools: ADP can handle non-driver staff designations and integrates with TMSes such as Tenstreet and allGeo. It also has the capability to pay by alternate means like miles—a pay processing functionality that most trucking companies need. QuickBooks can’t do this automatically, and Roll does not do it.
- Multiple payment options with secure paychecks: In addition to direct deposits (which are offered for free), you can pay employees through a Wisely Direct debit card. (Gusto also has a pay card option.) If you subscribe to ADP’s premium payroll packages, you are granted access to paychecks with advanced fraud protection features, as well as check stuffing services.
- Robust reporting: You can view, run, customize, and print a wide range of payroll and HR reports.
Conclusion
Running a small trucking business is hard enough without the headaches of figuring out what deductions need to be made and who gets paid how much. That’s why you should choose our top rated payroll software for your shipping company. It will calculate payroll taxes, handle leave requests, give you patient advice on hiring new employees, send out paychecks and more.