The 6 Best Trucking Payroll Software Vendors in 2024
The best trucking payroll software, tested by in-house HR tech experts at SSR. Find pricing info, feature breakdowns, advice on product demos and more below.
Top Trucking Payroll Software
Running payroll in the trucking industry can be different than in most other fields. Since drivers can sometimes be compensated by the mile or load instead of getting a weekly or monthly paycheck, having the right payroll software can be key to saving time and headaches for HR.
While some of these solutions are geared specifically toward trucking companies, others are general payroll providers whose solutions adapt to the needs of any trucking business. Some are general bookkeeping tools, while others are full-on trucking management systems.
If you’re looking for a software solution that can run driver payroll, we’re confident that you’ll find at least a couple of these options to your liking. These are the best trucking payroll software vendors as of 2021.
To identify the few companies that would make sense to recommend as trucking payroll software vendors, we talked to business owners and HR professionals at trucking companies of various sizes, mainly in the US. We leveraged our years of experience in the payroll space, engaging in conversations with each product team and some of their trucking clients.
Our final selection was guided mainly by vendors’ performance across three critical criteria: trucking-friendly payroll features, ease of use, and customer support.
- Trucking-Friendly Payroll Features: Naturally, we placed significant emphasis on payroll software that caters to the unique needs of trucking companies. The chosen solutions may provide specialized functionalities such as driver pay calculations, per diem tracking, compliance with Hours of Service (HOS) regulations, and seamless integration with fleet management systems.
- Ease of Use: User-friendliness is paramount for efficient payroll management within the fast-paced trucking industry. We focused on software solutions that prioritize intuitive interfaces and straightforward workflows.
- Customer Support: We prioritized the payroll software vendors who are well known for their reliable assistance. The chosen solutions are very customer-centric, striving for uninterrupted payroll operations and timely issue resolution.
Our selection process also prioritized tools boasting a contemporary user experience (UX) and streamlined workflows that effortlessly guide both payroll managers and trucking business owners. To gain deeper insights into our methodology, delve into our comprehensive criteria for evaluating HR tech vendors.
Related HR Software Categories
Gusto
ADP
QuickBooks
Truckbase
Axon Software
Axis TMS
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Gusto
Gusto's powerful payroll software makes it easy to pay contractors, including contract drivers, whether they operate within the U.S. or globally. While it can accommodate businesses of any size, it is particularly well-suited for small to medium-sized companies.
PROS
- Gusto supports payments for domestic and international contractors.
- Supports online signatures, automatic deductions, and automated tax filing.
- Flexible payroll schedules and unlimited pay runs.
- Unlimited contractor payments in the U.S.
- Responsive customer support.
- Transparent pricing. No long-term contract is required.
- Free account setup.
- The dashboard feature keeps tabs on compliance tasks
- The hiring and onboarding sequence is nicely streamlined between HR and the new hire
- Post-offer, pre-start tasks are made easy with integrations like CorpNet (state tax set up) Checkr (background checks)
- Easy payroll for U.S.-based W-2 folks, domestic, and international contractors
- Person-to-person phone support, email, and other customer service resources
- The business model is responsive to customer needs
CONS
- While it’s one of the best payroll tools around, it’s not built specifically for the trucking industry and might lack features for this market.
- No built-in accounting tool for earnings and expenses monitoring.
- The 'Simple' tier plan lacks in-built time tracking and online signature features, necessitating third-party integrations.
- Premium plan or Plus plan with add-ons offer features like federal/state compliance alerts and broker/health insurance plan integration, not available with the Simple plan.
- No provision for a free trial.
- Gusto can support payments for international contractors, but not employees
- No native accounting feature to keep earning and spending under the same roof
- Analytics dashboard is simplistic
Gusto offers unlimited contractor payments in the U.S., ensuring hassle-free processing. With features like online signatures, automated tax filing, and flexible payroll options, it is a convenient and efficient solution for managing trucking payroll.
The platform's automatic deductions streamline benefits administration, while person-to-person support and licensed benefits advisors ensure excellent customer service.
Gusto's transparent pricing, responsive business model, and free account setup make it an attractive choice for small to medium size trucking businesses.
Note that the platform lacks a native accounting feature for tracking earnings and spending, and advanced features, like time tracking and online signatures, are only available through third-party integrations.
Additionally, the analytics dashboard is simplistic, and federal/state compliance alerts and broker/health insurance integration are only included with the Premium plan, or as add-ons with lower-tier plans.
This is a good tool for trucking businesses seeking efficient payroll management.
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- Simple Plan: $40 per month plus $6 per person.
- Plus Plan (Limited Time Sale): Starting at $60 monthly plus $9 per person.
- Premium Plan: Customized plan options available by contacting sales.
- Contractor Only Plan: $6 per person per month, designed for businesses with contractor drivers and no W-2 employees.
Best For
Gusto offers robust payroll software for contractor drivers within the U.S., and the ideal business size is small to medium.
We process payroll semi-monthly, so we use Gusto at least 24 times a year. Occasionally, I log in to update benefits information, such as 401k contributions. It's convenient to store employee documents digitally, eliminating the need for paper files. Gusto is set up to automatically calculate and deduct 401k contributions, including our 25% match up to the maximum. Additionally, it automatically transfers these funds directly to our provider, so I don't have to worry about making separate payments.
The interface is user-friendly. Benefits deductions are seamlessly integrated with payroll processing. I appreciate how support tickets are efficiently tracked within Gusto.
Our small business needed a cost-effective payroll solution, and Gusto provided an affordable option. We've been using it for just under a year to manage payroll for our two employees. We also needed a solution for direct 401k deductions from our payroll, which has allowed us to save on taxes with pre-tax deductions.
I am not pleased that the support team seems to be outsourced outside of the USA, which occasionally makes me question the accuracy of the information provided. Also, I wish I didn't have to use one of their partners to integrate our 401k plan.
Gusto's interface is superior to many competitors with its ease of use and straightforward setup. It intuitively understands my needs without requiring setup in multiple areas to achieve the desired functionality.
Gusto might not be ideal for larger companies. It can be challenging to manage frequent payroll changes due to the platform's complexity in this area.
Since I am relatively new to using Gusto, I am not familiar with its historical changes or updates.
Gusto is very well-suited for small businesses with fewer than 20 employees.
Companies with more than 50 employees or those with frequent payroll changes may find Gusto less accommodating.
ADP
An affordable payroll solution from one of the top names in this type of software, used by thousands of organizations.
PROS
- Native, all-in-one technology suite for recruitment, payroll, and compliance.
- 17 RPO service centers in 14 countries and provide services in 42 different languages.
- Dedicated team of AIRS-certified recruiting professionals.
CONS
- Technology options outside ADP’s dedicated HR tools are limited.
As what is probably the best-known company in the payroll services space, it’s no surprise that ADP has an offering that could adapt to the trucking industry. Although not made specifically for trucking companies, ADP Run is their simple, fast, and affordable payroll solution for SMBs. It is used by nearly 700,000 organizations.
They strive to make the payroll process effortless, so you have more time to run the other parts of your business. You can do payroll and tax filing in just a few easy steps, pay employees by check, direct deposit, or paycard, and it’s all doable from either the phone, the web, or their mobile app. One thing to note, however, is that they lack trucking-specific features like being able to pay drivers by the mile.
Should you run into any snags with the rest of their offering, ADP has 24/7 customer support from a team of payroll experts. They can also manage health insurance for truckers in all 50 US states. It is also worth mentioning that ADP does have other products for larger businesses, and not just for payroll, so they can certainly grow with you.
Best For
We use ADP to manage payroll. It is also used to provide affordable benefits. The HRBP helps to ensure we remain compliant and provides resources as needed. In addition, the helpline is always available. The MyLearning tool has also provided hundreds of training sessions.
The pros of using ADP are having an HRBP and a Payroll Advisor who works directly with you. The HRBP has been great at ensuring that we are following the proper guidelines for our HR-related issues. Having a payroll advisor gives us direct 1:1 support while doing payroll. It has also been great for updating our employee handbook, I love the way they make sure our policies are up to date as new policies develop.
We have been using ADP since 2017. As a small nonprofit organization, it was important to find a PEO. This helped with lowering the cost of benefits for our staff as well as managing our payroll. It has also provided us with endless HR resources.
When thinking about buying this tool, think about your company’s specific needs. Take into account the size of your company and what your expectations are. Be sure to have a budget that shows what your company will pay for benefits versus your employees. Think about what HR resources you are interested in (will you solely rely on ADP or will you also have in-house assistance)? Thinking about these things will help you when speaking with the representatives.
Over time we have been able to upgrade from Total Source to WorkForce Now. This has allowed us to have better reposting and made it easier on our accounts when submitting payroll. It has saved us a ton of time with spreadsheets. ADP is great at keeping you up to date on ungraded to their system. They have also evolved their MyLearning tool which provides a ton of training and now they have more live training and even in-person leadership training.
I feel like ADP can be useful for any size organization, it all depends on the needs. Whether it’s for part of the platform or the entire platform they have something to suit everyone’s needs.
QuickBooks
Quickbooks is one of the highly-trusted names in financial tracking, payroll, expense reports, and even time and attendance software for small businesses.
PROS
- Unlimited pay runs, auto full-service payroll, and same-day deposits included.
- Supports unscheduled payrolls and automatic year-end tax filings.
- Reminders for tax readiness provided.
- Pricing transparency. 30-day free trial available.
CONS
- No employer app.
- More expensive than some competitors like Patriot.
- Limited third-party integrations.
- No global payroll features.
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.
Best For
We use QuickBooks on a weekly basis for all of our AP and AR needs. We send client invoices through QB, and we pay vendor invoices through a QB integration with Bill.com. We also use QuickBooks to distribute team payroll on a bi-monthly payroll. All of these features are directly tied to our management of the company's P&L and Balance Sheet.
- QuickBooks is very affordable and reasonably intuitive.
- Out-of-box, it comes with a generous offering of features, and you are able to add more through its ability to connect with third-party applications (Bill.com).
- The online version allows us to access our financials from any computer, and there is a mobile app available for quick views and expense tracking.
- QuickBooks also has a fairly extensive self-help library if you are unfamiliar with certain features or processes.
My company was in the market for a new accounting software to handle AR, AP, and payroll. The software we used before QuickBooks Online was too complex and more robust than what we needed, and the pricing structure was simply unaffordable. We've been using QuickBooks Online for 3+ years. It handles all of our invoices and vendor payments, and also helps us manage and distribute our payroll.
- Unfortunately, QuickBooks has terrible customer service. In most cases, it is extremely difficult to contact a human customer service representative, and their support ticket system is very slow.
- QuickBooks also has issues connecting with smaller banks, so some features may not be available if you use a local bank or credit union.
- There are also a number of CSS and UX issues that hide certain Call To Action buttons or make them altogether unusable.
QuickBooks stands out from its competitors through its offering of a robust set of features at an affordable price. The price structure allows for affordable scalability, as you only need one license for each business entity. The interface is user-friendly and does not require a lot of details steps in order to customize your experience.
Before purchasing a license, you should think about how businesses you want to connect to the application. Other platforms may accommodate more elaborate business structures. You should also think about the total feature set you are looking to obtain. QuickBooks is great for general accounting, but its reporting capabilities are somewhat limited compared to other more customizable platforms.
QuickBooks continues to add integrations that increase the number of available features without directly altering the platform. Connections to third-party services like Bill.com allow you to do more than what is offered out of the box.
QuickBooks is great for small businesses and business owners that handle all of their own accounting needs.
QuickBooks is not ideal for companies that are looking for advanced accounting reports or performance metrics. Larger organizations that have dedicated implementation teams would be better suited for a more customizable platform.
Truckbase
Truckbase is a fully-fledged trucking dispatch software product made specifically for long-haul carriers. While payroll is handled via integrations, the platform offers dispatching, invoicing, settlements, truck tracking, and more.
PROS
- AI-powered load importer eliminates data entry.
- Seamless ELD integrations for truck tracking.
- User-friendly interface requires minimal training.
- Customized, hands-on onboarding.
- Exceptional customer service and support.
- AI-powered load importer eliminates data entry.
- Seamless ELD integrations for truck tracking.
- User-friendly interface requires minimal training.
- Customized, hands-on onboarding.
- Exceptional customer service and support.
CONS
- No built-in accounting and payroll module. There is a driver pay and settlements module, but it’s mostly to feed data into a seconday payroll tool or manual process.
- Not suitable for fleets with fewer than 10 trucks.
- Not a good fit for service shippers or pure brokers since they focus on carriers.
- Limited mobile phone access.
- No free trial is offered, only a money-back guarantee.
- No built-in accounting and payroll module. There is a driver pay and settlements module, but it’s mostly to feed data into a seconday payroll tool or manual process.
- Not suitable for fleets with fewer than 10 trucks.
- Not a good fit for service shippers or pure brokers since they focus on carriers.
- Limited mobile phone access.
- No free trial is offered, only a money-back guarantee.
Truckbase is a comprehensive trucking dispatch software designed specifically for over-the-road (OTR) carriers. While not able to handle payroll natively (you have to set up an integration), the platform excels in providing a unified suite of services, including dispatching, invoicing, settlements, truck tracking, and EDI integrations. They're the only dedicated trucking software company that we know of that’s doing so much to leverage AI, so that’s why we include them on this page despite the payroll drawback.
To give you an example, a standout feature of Truckbase is its AI-powered load importer, which significantly reduces manual data entry, a common pain point for many trucking companies. Additionally, the platform’s real-time ELD integrations offer live truck tracking, enhancing visibility and reducing the need for check calls. This is particularly useful for companies managing medium to large fleets where real-time data is crucial for operational efficiency.
One of Truckbase's most significant strengths is its ease of use. Unlike competing solutions that often require extensive training, Truckbase’s intuitive design allows users to become proficient quickly. This user-friendly approach is complemented by its highly praised customer support, which offers customized and hands-on onboarding to ensure a smooth transition and continuous support.
Again, Truckbase has its limitations. Its major drawback, at least for the context of this page, is that it cannot handle payroll within the platform. You have to set up an integration with another provider, but the platform is crucial in ensuring the right amounts and extra compensation owed to drivers based on mileage, stops, or rates.
Truckbase is currently used at companies like Herlache Truck Lines, Package Runner, Z Brothers, Nica's Freight, among many others.
Pricing for Truckbase is not publicly disclosed and is usually quoted based on individual company needs. Prospective users are encouraged to book a demo to review the options and get a tailored pricing quote.
Best For
Truckbase is best suited for medium to large OTR carrier companies with over 10 trucks looking for an all-in-one dispatch and operations management solution that offers AI features and seamless integrations. As expressed before, it’s also only suitable if you’re willing to use it in tandem with a payroll tool of your choice, which we hear is an excellent combo for large trucking companies.
Axon Software
As a fully-fledged trucking management system, Axon offers real-time and meaningful information that is instantly updated across every area of the business.
PROS
CONS
This Canadian company has been doing trucking software exclusively for decades, boasting a trucking accounting software tool that can help to increase cash flow and staff retention. It aids in saving time for fleet owners by streamlining payroll, settlement processes, accounts receivables, payables, invoicing, and other recurring financial tasks.
While it’s not the most modern-looking solution out there, Axon Software is notable for its real-time approach to the handling of trucking data. Information entered into the system automatically updates your dispatch, driver pay, fuel management, fleet maintenance, accounting, routing, and billing.
Best For
Axis TMS
Axis is a trucking command center with all the features you'd need to run a trucking business smoothly, although payroll is offered as an add-on.
PROS
CONS
Axis is a trucking management system which claims to have all the tools you’d need to run such a business. Their trucking software features includes a driver mobile app, a billing module, carrier functionalities, maintenance management, an IFTA add-on, and brokerage.
As for trucking payroll, Axis does it as an add-on. You can run payroll weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, and do auto-recurring or amortized deductions. Their systems also lets owner operators choose between paying drivers by the mile, load, or hour.
Lastly, Axis is also notable for being the only vendor on this list that does hardware for trucking as well as software. They sell tablets for truck drivers, dash cameras, asset trackers, and sensors.
Best For
TruckLogics
Up-and-coming vendor in the trucking payroll space, with years of experience on pure trucking management software.
PROS
CONS
As a trucking management software company, it makes sense that TruckLogics has a part of their product made specially to pay contractor drivers. While not fully available yet, the system will be integrating with PayWow in order to offer a specialized trucking payroll solution within their platform. If you’re not convinced by the vendors above, this one might be worth keeping an eye on, or getting in touch with.
Best For
Final Advice on Buying Trucking Payroll Software
The main question with picking out trucking payroll software is whether to go with a full trucking management system, or pick a payroll-focused solution and integrate it with what you already use.
On the one hand, you’d get a myriad of trucking features and specialized support, but on the other you’d get a more modern solution with better UX and far more payroll & HR features.
Our advice here would be to make a list of the 3-5 key features that you need and see which vendors from this list fulfill all of them. If you’re leaning towards a payroll-focused vendor, it’s just a matter of making sure they integrate well with your other software.
The best way to make sure of these two factors, is to get a demo with the vendors that you shortlist. Then, show up to that with a detailed set of questions from you and your team, take notes, and don’t be afraid to take control of the demo or even request a trial of the solution.
It could be a lengthy process, but in the long run, considering all the man hours and tedious tasks that it will save you, it will certainly be worth it.
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