QuickBooks for Trucking Companies: Complete Setup Guide

Why QuickBooks for Trucking?

QuickBooks for trucking companies has become the de facto standard for small-to-midsize fleet accounting. There are several good reasons for its popularity. First, QuickBooks is affordable compared to trucking-specific accounting packages that can cost thousands per year. Second, virtually every accountant and bookkeeper in the country knows how to work with QuickBooks, so you will never struggle to find professional support. Third, QuickBooks integrates with a wide ecosystem of business tools, including TMS platforms like FleetLegend, payroll services, banking institutions, and fuel card providers.

While QuickBooks trucking setups require some customization since the software is not designed exclusively for transportation, the flexibility of its chart of accounts, class tracking, and custom fields allows you to tailor it precisely to fleet operations. With the right configuration, you can track revenue and expenses by truck, by driver, and by load type, giving you the financial visibility you need to make profitable decisions.

This guide walks you through every step of configuring QuickBooks for a trucking operation, from initial setup through advanced integration with your TMS.

QuickBooks Online vs Desktop for Trucking

Before you begin setup, you need to choose between QuickBooks Online (QBO) and QuickBooks Desktop (QBD). For most trucking companies starting fresh in 2026, QuickBooks Online is the recommended choice. Here is how they compare:

For trucking companies that want to integrate with FleetLegend or other cloud-based TMS platforms, QuickBooks Online is the clear winner. Its API supports real-time, two-way data sync that QuickBooks Desktop simply cannot match.

Within QuickBooks Online, choose the Plus or Advanced plan. The Plus plan includes class and location tracking (essential for per-truck reporting), while the Advanced plan adds custom fields, batch invoicing, and more user seats. The Simple Start and Essentials plans lack class tracking, making them unsuitable for fleet operations.

Setting Up QuickBooks Step-by-Step

Follow these steps to configure a new QuickBooks Online account for your trucking company:

1. Create your QuickBooks Online account: Sign up for a Plus or Advanced plan. Enter your company's legal name, EIN, MC number, and DOT number in the company information section. While QuickBooks does not have dedicated fields for MC/DOT, you can add them in the company address or custom fields area so they appear on invoices and correspondence.
2. Set your fiscal year: Most trucking companies use a calendar fiscal year (January through December). Set this under Settings > Company > Advanced. Also select your accounting method. Accrual basis is recommended for trucking because it recognizes revenue when a load is delivered (invoiced), not when payment is received, giving you a more accurate picture of profitability.
3. Enable account numbers: Go to Settings > Advanced > Chart of Accounts and enable account numbers. This allows you to assign a standard numbering system to your accounts, which is critical for organized trucking bookkeeping.
4. Enable class tracking: Under Settings > Advanced > Categories, turn on "Track classes." Assign one class per truck in your fleet (e.g., Truck 101, Truck 102). This lets you run profit-and-loss reports per truck to see which units are profitable and which are costing you money.
5. Enable location tracking (optional): If you operate from multiple terminals or divisions, enable location tracking to segment your financials by terminal. This is separate from class tracking and provides a second dimension of reporting.
6. Connect bank accounts and credit cards: Link your business checking account, savings account, and any business credit cards. QuickBooks will automatically import transactions daily, reducing manual data entry. Match each connected account to the appropriate account in your chart of accounts.
7. Set up sales tax: Configure sales tax settings if your state requires it. Most freight transportation services are exempt from sales tax, but accessorial charges or non-transportation services may be taxable depending on your jurisdiction. Consult your accountant.
8. Configure invoice templates: Customize your invoice template with your company logo, MC/DOT numbers, payment terms, and remittance instructions. Set default payment terms (Net 30 is standard in trucking for broker/shipper invoices).

Creating a Trucking Chart of Accounts

The chart of accounts is the backbone of your trucking accounting system. It determines how every dollar of revenue and expense is categorized, which in turn drives the accuracy of your financial reports and tax filings. A generic QuickBooks chart of accounts is not sufficient for trucking. You need accounts tailored to freight revenue streams, fleet operating expenses, and transportation-specific assets and liabilities.

For a complete, ready-to-use template with account numbers and descriptions, see our trucking chart of accounts template. Below is an overview of the key account categories.

Revenue Accounts (4000 Series)

Trucking revenue is not a single line item. Breaking it into specific categories helps you understand where your income comes from and identify trends:

• 4000 - Freight Revenue (Linehaul): The core revenue from hauling loads. This is the line-haul rate charged to brokers, shippers, or direct customers.
• 4010 - Fuel Surcharge Revenue: Fuel surcharges passed through from customers. Tracking this separately lets you compare it against actual fuel costs to see if surcharges are covering your fuel expenses.
• 4020 - Accessorial Revenue: Revenue from detention pay, layover charges, stop-off fees, lumper reimbursements, and TONU (Truck Order Not Used) charges. Each of these can optionally be broken into sub-accounts for detailed tracking.
• 4030 - Detention Pay Revenue: Fees charged when drivers are detained at shippers or receivers beyond the free time window.
• 4099 - Other Revenue: Miscellaneous income that does not fit the categories above.

Expense Accounts (5000-7000 Series)

Trucking has a unique cost structure dominated by fuel, driver pay, insurance, and maintenance. Set up these expense accounts:

• 5000 - Fuel Expense: The largest single expense for most fleets. Track diesel and gasoline separately if you have mixed-fuel vehicles.
• 5100 - Insurance - Truck/Auto: Commercial auto liability, physical damage, and bobtail insurance premiums.
• 5110 - Insurance - Cargo: Cargo insurance premiums.
• 5120 - Insurance - General Liability: General liability and umbrella policy premiums.
• 5200 - Maintenance and Repairs: Routine maintenance (oil changes, filters, brakes, belts) and unscheduled repairs.
• 5210 - Tires: Tire purchases and tire-related services. Tires are a significant enough expense to warrant their own account.
• 5300 - Tolls: Highway tolls, bridge tolls, and toll transponder charges (E-ZPass, PrePass).
• 5400 - Driver Pay / Settlements: Gross driver compensation. If you use both company drivers and owner-operators, consider sub-accounts for each.
• 5500 - Dispatcher Pay: Compensation for dispatchers and dispatch services.
• 5600 - Truck Lease Payments: Monthly lease payments on trucks and trailers.
• 5700 - Permits and Licensing: IRP registration, UCR, MCS-150, oversize/overweight permits, state-specific permits, IFTA decals.
• 6000 - Fuel Taxes (IFTA): IFTA fuel tax payments. Tracking this separately from fuel purchases gives you a clear view of your total fuel-related costs.
• 6100 - Office Expenses: Office supplies, postage, and general administrative costs.
• 6200 - Software Subscriptions: TMS software, ELD/telematics, accounting software, load boards, and other technology subscriptions.
• 6300 - Communications: Cell phones, internet, satellite communication for trucks.
• 6400 - Professional Services: Accounting, legal, and consulting fees.
• 6500 - Bank Fees and Interest: Bank service charges, credit card processing fees, and loan interest.

Asset Accounts (1000 Series)

• 1000 - Business Checking: Primary operating account.
• 1100 - Business Savings: Reserve or savings accounts.
• 1200 - Accounts Receivable: Unpaid invoices from customers and brokers.
• 1500 - Trucks (at cost): The purchase price of owned trucks.
• 1510 - Accumulated Depreciation - Trucks: Contra-asset account for truck depreciation.
• 1600 - Trailers (at cost): The purchase price of owned trailers.
• 1610 - Accumulated Depreciation - Trailers: Contra-asset account for trailer depreciation.
• 1700 - Equipment and Tools: Shop equipment, tools, and other fixed assets.

Liability Accounts (2000 Series)

• 2000 - Accounts Payable: Money owed to vendors.
• 2100 - Credit Card Payable: Outstanding credit card balances.
• 2200 - Truck Loans Payable: Outstanding loan balances on financed trucks.
• 2300 - Trailer Loans Payable: Outstanding loan balances on financed trailers.
• 2400 - IFTA Tax Payable: Accrued IFTA fuel tax liability for the current quarter.
• 2500 - Insurance Payable: Insurance premiums due but not yet paid.
• 2600 - Payroll Liabilities: Accrued payroll taxes, withholdings, and related liabilities.
• 2700 - Driver Escrow Payable: Escrow deposits held on behalf of drivers, to be returned upon departure in good standing.

Setting Up Customers

In trucking, your "customers" in QuickBooks typically fall into three categories:

• Freight brokers: The most common customer type for small fleets. Create a customer record for each broker you work with. Include their company name, billing address, email for invoice delivery, and payment terms. Standard payment terms for brokers are Net 30, though some pay faster (Net 15 or Quick Pay with a discount).
• Direct shippers: Companies that hire you directly without a broker intermediary. These often have longer payment terms (Net 45 or Net 60) but typically pay higher rates.
• Factoring companies: If you factor your invoices, set up the factoring company as the "bill to" address on invoiced loads. This ensures payments are correctly recorded when the factor pays you.

For each customer, set the default payment terms, preferred delivery method (email), and any custom fields your operation requires (broker MC number, for example). Consistent customer records ensure clean aging reports and faster collections.

Setting Up Vendors

Create vendor records for every company you regularly pay. Common trucking vendors include:

• Fuel companies: Pilot, Love's, TA/Petro, or your fuel card provider. Track fuel card transactions under these vendors.
• Maintenance shops: Mechanics, tire shops, dealership service centers, and mobile repair services.
• Insurance companies: Each insurance provider (auto, cargo, general liability, workers' comp) should be a separate vendor.
• Truck/trailer lessors or lenders: Finance companies or leasing companies for your equipment.
• Toll and scale providers: E-ZPass, PrePass, Bestpass, and similar services.
• Software and technology: TMS, ELD, telematics, load board, and other SaaS subscriptions.
• Government agencies: State DOT offices for permits, IRP, IFTA, and UCR fees.

Include each vendor's payment terms, W-9 information (for 1099 reporting at year-end), and default expense account. Setting the default expense account on the vendor record saves time during transaction categorization because QuickBooks will automatically suggest the correct account.

Invoice Tracking Best Practices

Consistent invoicing practices improve cash flow and reduce the time spent chasing payments:

• Invoice immediately after delivery: Do not wait until the end of the week or month. The sooner you invoice, the sooner you get paid. If you use FleetLegend, invoices can be generated directly from completed loads and synced to QuickBooks automatically.
• Include all required documentation: Attach the signed BOL (Bill of Lading), rate confirmation, and any accessorial documentation to the invoice. Many brokers will not process payment without these documents.
• Use consistent invoice numbering: A sequential numbering system (INV-001, INV-002) makes it easy to track and reference invoices. QuickBooks assigns numbers automatically, but you can customize the prefix.
• Monitor accounts receivable aging weekly: Run the A/R Aging Summary report every week. Follow up on any invoice past 30 days immediately. The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to collect.
• Record partial payments correctly: If a broker pays less than the invoiced amount (short-pay), do not write off the difference without investigating. Record the partial payment and create a follow-up task to dispute the short-pay.

Expense Tracking and Categorization

Accurate expense tracking is essential for understanding your cost-per-mile and overall profitability. Follow these practices:

• Categorize every transaction: Do not leave transactions in the "Uncategorized" account. Review bank feed imports daily or weekly and assign each transaction to the correct expense account.
• Assign classes to every transaction: Tag each expense with the truck class it belongs to. This allows you to run per-truck profit and loss reports. If an expense applies to the entire fleet (such as office rent), you can either split it proportionally or assign it to a "General" class.
• Use rules for recurring transactions: QuickBooks allows you to create bank rules that automatically categorize transactions based on description keywords. Set up rules for your most common vendors (fuel card charges, toll payments, insurance premiums) to save time.
• Separate owner draws from business expenses: Never run personal expenses through your business account. If you must take an owner draw, record it correctly against the Owner's Equity / Draw account, not as a business expense.

Reconciliation Tips for Trucking

Bank reconciliation is the process of matching your QuickBooks records to your actual bank statements. For trucking companies, monthly reconciliation is the minimum, but weekly reconciliation is strongly recommended because:

• High transaction volume (fuel stops, toll charges, multiple customer payments) means discrepancies accumulate quickly.
• Catching errors early, such as duplicate fuel charges or unauthorized transactions, prevents them from compounding.
• Weekly reconciliation keeps your books accurate enough to make real-time business decisions rather than relying on outdated financial data.

During reconciliation, pay special attention to:

• Fuel card charges: Verify that fuel card statement totals match QuickBooks. Discrepancies often indicate unauthorized purchases or data entry errors.
• Customer payments: Ensure every payment received is matched to the correct invoice. Unmatched payments create phantom receivables on your books.
• Loan and lease payments: Verify that principal and interest portions are allocated correctly. QuickBooks does not automatically split loan payments unless you set up a memorized transaction.

Common QuickBooks Mistakes Trucking Companies Make

These are the errors we see most frequently when working with trucking companies on their QuickBooks setup:

1. Using a generic chart of accounts: QuickBooks default accounts are designed for general business. Without trucking-specific accounts for fuel, driver settlements, IFTA, and equipment, your financial reports will be meaningless. Start with a trucking-specific template.
2. Not using class tracking: Without classes assigned to trucks, you cannot see per-truck profitability. This is the most important reporting dimension for a fleet operator. Enable it from day one.
3. Mixing personal and business expenses: Commingling personal and business transactions makes bookkeeping a nightmare and creates tax compliance risks. Use separate bank accounts and credit cards for business.
4. Ignoring accounts receivable: Small fleets often do not track aging invoices rigorously. A single uncollected $3,000 invoice can wipe out an entire week's profit. Run aging reports weekly.
5. Manual double-entry between TMS and QuickBooks: Typing invoices and expenses into both your TMS and QuickBooks doubles your workload and doubles the chance of errors. Use an integration to sync data automatically.
6. Not reconciling regularly: If you only reconcile at tax time (or never), errors go undetected for months. By the time you discover them, tracing the source can take hours. Reconcile weekly.
7. Incorrectly recording equipment purchases: Trucks and trailers are fixed assets, not expenses. Recording a $150,000 truck purchase as an expense will dramatically distort your financial statements. Capitalize equipment purchases as assets and depreciate them over their useful life.
8. Forgetting to record IFTA liabilities: IFTA tax owed is a liability that should be accrued quarterly. If you only record it when paid, your quarterly financial statements will understate liabilities and overstate profits.

Integrating QuickBooks with Your TMS

The most transformative step you can take with your QuickBooks trucking setup is connecting it to a TMS that handles the transportation side of your business. When QuickBooks and your TMS share data, you eliminate the manual double-entry that consumes hours each week and introduces errors.

FleetLegend's two-way QuickBooks sync provides a deep integration that goes far beyond basic invoice export:

• Customer sync: Create a customer in FleetLegend and it automatically appears in QuickBooks, or vice versa. Contact information, payment terms, and billing details stay consistent across both systems.
• Invoice generation and sync: When a load is completed in FleetLegend, the invoice (including line-haul, fuel surcharge, and accessorial charges) is automatically pushed to QuickBooks with the correct revenue accounts, class (truck), and customer assignment.
• Settlement recording: Driver settlement amounts calculated in FleetLegend are recorded in QuickBooks as payables, categorized to the correct expense accounts.
• Real-time webhook updates: When a payment is recorded in QuickBooks, FleetLegend is notified via webhook in real-time, so your dispatch team can see payment status without switching systems.
• Consistent categorization: FleetLegend maps to your QuickBooks chart of accounts, ensuring every synced transaction hits the correct account automatically. No more manual re-categorization.

The result is a single source of truth: FleetLegend handles dispatch, loads, settlements, and IFTA, while QuickBooks handles the general ledger, bank reconciliation, and tax reporting. Data flows seamlessly between them, and you spend your time running your fleet instead of typing numbers into spreadsheets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which QuickBooks Online plan do I need for my trucking company?

At minimum, you need QuickBooks Online Plus, which includes class tracking (essential for per-truck reporting) and supports up to five users. If you need more users, custom fields, batch invoicing, or advanced reporting, upgrade to QuickBooks Online Advanced. The Simple Start and Essentials plans do not support class tracking and are not recommended for fleet operations.

Should I use cash basis or accrual basis accounting?

Accrual basis is recommended for most trucking companies. It records revenue when earned (when the load is delivered) and expenses when incurred, giving you an accurate view of profitability at any given time. Cash basis only records transactions when money changes hands, which can make profitable months appear unprofitable (and vice versa) depending on payment timing. Discuss with your accountant, as the choice also affects tax planning.

How do I track profitability per truck in QuickBooks?

Enable class tracking and create one class per truck (e.g., "Truck 101," "Truck 102"). Assign a class to every income and expense transaction. Then run the Profit and Loss by Class report to see revenue, expenses, and net profit for each truck. This is the single most valuable report for a fleet owner because it shows which trucks are making money and which are losing money.

Can I use QuickBooks for IFTA tracking?

QuickBooks can record IFTA payments and accrue IFTA tax liabilities, but it cannot perform IFTA calculations (miles by jurisdiction, fleet MPG, taxable gallons, and tax due by state). For that, you need either dedicated IFTA software or a TMS like FleetLegend with built-in IFTA reporting. FleetLegend handles the IFTA calculations and syncs the resulting tax amounts to QuickBooks.

How often should I reconcile my QuickBooks accounts?

Weekly reconciliation is the best practice for trucking companies due to the high volume of transactions (fuel stops, toll charges, customer payments, vendor bills). At minimum, reconcile monthly. The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to identify and correct discrepancies.

Do I need a bookkeeper or accountant who specializes in trucking?

While any competent bookkeeper can manage day-to-day QuickBooks transactions, having an accountant who understands trucking is valuable for setup, tax planning, and year-end filings. Trucking-specific issues like IFTA, IRP, per diem deductions, equipment depreciation, and owner-operator pay structures have nuances that a general accountant may not be familiar with. At minimum, have a trucking-savvy accountant review your chart of accounts and tax strategy annually.

Conclusion

QuickBooks is the right choice for most small-to-midsize trucking companies, but only if you configure it properly for fleet operations. A trucking-specific chart of accounts, class tracking by truck, and regular reconciliation transform QuickBooks from a generic tool into a powerful fleet financial management system. The biggest mistake carriers make is manual double-entry between their TMS and QuickBooks. FleetLegend's two-way QuickBooks sync eliminates this problem, automatically pushing invoices, settlements, and customer data between systems so your books stay accurate without extra work.