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Trucking Software Considerations For Very Small Trucking Businesses

by Eva Gilbert

Many smaller trucking companies shy away from trucking-centric software packages. Many software solutions can seem either unnecessary or cost prohibitive to a company with a very tiny fleet. However, if you want some help with maintaining your business, you can seek affordable software solutions with the following considerations in mind.

What Kind of Help Do You Need?

When seeking trucking software, you may run across many large enterprise solutions. If you have a single truck, or even a handful, that may seem like a bit much. Mostly, a small trucking business will need the same things as a larger one, but on a smaller scale.

What kind of software do you need?

  • Accounting program
  • Order tracking
  • Trucking dispatch software
  • Maintenance tracking and scheduling
  • IFTA tracking and reporting
  • Equipment tracking

Depending on your setup, you may also need payroll software and other packages that help with running your business.

What Can You Do Yourself?

For a small trucking business, the good news is you can do many of the software tasks yourself. This is especially true if you only have a single truck. Some simple record keeping is all you will need. A few spreadsheets or macros can even help you automate a few things.

Make a list of the things you need to keep track of.

  • What can you track yourself?
  • What are you willing to learn how to track yourself?
  • What takes too much time, or is a pain to track?
  • What do you need the most help with?

Understanding precisely what your small trucking company needs will help you seek the software solutions that will work best for you. The more you narrow your needs, the less you will have to spend on a solution that facilitates those particular needs.

Look For Scalable Solutions

If you don't want to juggle several different programs, you can look for trucking-specific solutions that encompass all the things you need. When looking at these types of software solutions, make sure they come with a measure of scalability.

For example, if you choose small trucking company software geared towards a business with five or less trucks, what happens when you add two new trucks to the fold? Will your investment in the software become invalid? Or can you upgrade to add in the additional trucks, drivers, and everything that comes along with them?

Professional software represents a real investment. You want your investment to keep producing value for you, not become a problem for you. This is especially important for small trucking businesses, where budgets are often tight, and operations need to happen without a hitch.

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