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4 Best Payroll for Trucking Companies

Unlike hourly and salaried employees, truckers may have pay rates based on miles driven or truckloads carried. The best payroll for trucking companies can support these unique scenarios and fulfill trucking-specific requirements while simplifying salary calculations, driver payment processing, and International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) reporting. To find the top trucking payroll software, we looked…

Written By

Genevieve Que

Aug 2, 2024

11 minute read

Unlike hourly and salaried employees, truckers may have pay rates based on miles driven or truckloads carried. The best payroll for trucking companies can support these unique scenarios and fulfill trucking-specific requirements while simplifying salary calculations, driver payment processing, and International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) reporting.

To find the top trucking payroll software, we looked at 18 options—from general payroll solutions to transportation management systems (TMS) that include payroll. We narrowed it down to our four best.

QuickBooks Workforce (formerly QuickBooks Payroll): Best overall trucking payroll software for fast direct deposits
Gusto: Best for small trucking companies needing robust benefits options
ADP Run: Best payroll software with strong HR tools
TruckLogics: Best TMS with driver settlement tools to pay contractors

Best Trucking Payroll Software Compared
QuickBooks Workforce: Best Overall
Gusto: Best for Small Trucking Companies Needing Robust Benefits Options
Run by ADP: Best Payroll Software with HR Tools
TruckLogics: Best TMS with Driver Settlement Tools to Pay Contractors
Trucking Payroll Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Bottom Line

Best Trucking Payroll Software Compared

All the trucking payroll software on our list can handle driver payments, direct deposits, and manual check payouts. Below are some of the standout features.

	Overall Rating	Starter Monthly Pricing	*Contractor Plan ($/Month)**	Pay by Mile, Work Hour, or Percentage	Built-in IFTA Reporting Tools
	4.36/5	$50 per month + $6.50 per employee monthly	$15/month for 20 contractors + $2/additional contractor	Limited	✕
	Visit QuickBooks Workforce
	4.19/5	$49 per month + $6 per person per month	$6/contractor + $35 base fee	Limited	✕
	Visit Gusto
	3.67/5	$2.23 for each employee weekly pay run + $40 base fee**	✕	Limited	✕
	Visit Run by ADP
	3.50/5	$39.95/month for 1-2 trucks	✕	✓	✓
	Visit TruckLogics
Contractor plan is for businesses without W-2 employeesBased on a quote we received*

Payroll for Trucking Companies Quiz

QuickBooks Workforce: Best Overall

Pricing: 5.00 out of 5

Trucking-specific Features: 3.63 out of 5

HR Features: 4.50 out of 5

Popularity: 3.75 out of 5

Reporting: 5.00 out of 5

Payroll Features: 4.75 out of 5

Expert Review: 3.75 out of 5

Ease of Use: 4.75 out of 5

Pros

Supports multiple pay items; you can also create your own pay types (eg., pay by per diem, etc)
Next-day direct deposits included even in starter tier (same-day option available in higher plans)
User-friendly with an intuitive interface
Seamless integration with QuickBooks accounting
Low-cost contractor payment plans

Cons

Limited trucking-specific features; lacks IFTA tracking
Requires QuickBooks to integrate payroll and bookkeeping, including third-party TMSes and other software
Doesn’t handle local payroll tax payments and filings unless you upgrade to its higher tiers
Health insurance doesn’t cover all states (unavailable in Hawaii, Vermont, and Washington, D.C.)

Who should use it

QuickBooks Workforce is ideal for trucking companies that are already using QuickBooks as it integrates seamlessly with the existing QuickBooks system. Moreover, it is also the best choice for trucking companies that want flexible payment options, including next-day and same-day direct deposit capabilities. By providing direct deposit payments, businesses can ensure their drivers and employees are paid on time even when they are on the road.

Why we like it

QuickBooks has a user-friendly interface and robust reporting capabilities. It will even remit payroll tax payments, file tax forms, and prepare year-end W-2s/1099s for you. When used with QuickBooks accounting software, it can integrate with TMSes, making it one of the best payroll options for trucking companies. With it, you can run unlimited payrolls and pay employees via next- and same-day direct deposits.

It doesn’t charge for setup, plus it works with SimplyInsured for employee health benefits and Mineral for expert HR support. This is in contrast to TruckLogics, which doesn’t offer benefits plans and lacks HR features.

You can choose from three QuickBooks Workforce plans:

Workforce Payroll: $50 per month + $6.50 per employee monthly
- Includes full-service payroll, next-day direct deposit, federal and state tax filings and payments, and access to 401(k) plans and benefits
Workforce Premium: $88 per month + $10 per employee monthly
- Core + same-day direct deposit; federal, state, and local tax payments and filings; workers’ compensation administration; and HR support center
Workforce Elite: $134 per month + $12 per employee monthly
- Premium + multiple state tax filing, project tracking, personal HR adviser, tax penalty protection up to $25,000 per year, and expert setup

QuickBooks also has a special plan for businesses that only hire contract workers.

Contractor payments: $15 monthly for 20 workers; plus $2 for each additional contractor
- Includes next-day direct deposits, unlimited pay runs and 1099 e-filings, and a free online account where contractors can complete W-9s and provide bank deposit information

QuickBooks Payroll system helps you set up how often they are paid and what their deductions are when adding employees.

When adding employees into QuickBooks Workforce, the system helps you set up how often they are paid and what their deductions are. (Source: QuickBooks)

QuickBooks’ intuitive interface allows you to set up and do payroll in just a few clicks.

It offers customer support (through phone and 24/7 live chat), how-to guides, video tutorials, and a community forum with other QuickBooks users.
It has online onboarding, time and PTO tracking, and employee benefits are just some of the HR features that come with QuickBooks Workforce.
You can connect to TMS solutions like Tailwind and Kuebix—provided you have QuickBooks.

Gusto: Best for Small Trucking Companies Needing Robust Benefits Options

Pricing: 5.00 out of 5

Trucking-specific Features: 2.88 out of 5

HR Features: 4.50 out of 5

Popularity: 5.00 out of 5

Reporting: 5.00 out of 5

Payroll Features: 4.50 out of 5

Expert Review: 3.75 out of 5

Ease of Use: 4.25 out of 5

Pros

Reasonably priced plans with full-service payroll in all tiers
Unlimited pay runs and custom pay items
Multiple payment options, including a payroll card
Has with hiring, job posting, and performance review tools

Cons

Lacks integration with TMSes
Has limited trucking-specific features
Health insurance is available only in 38 states + Washington, D.C.
Multi-state pay processing and time tracking tools are only available in higher tiers

Who should use it

Gusto ranks No. 1 on our lists of the best online payroll services and leading payroll solutions. It is also one of our recommended payroll services for trucking companies because it can manage pay processes for both driver and non-driver staff at reasonable rates. For a monthly fee of $40 plus $6 per person, it can calculate employee and contractor pay, handle off-cycle pay runs for fuel bonuses, and file federal, state, and local taxes for you.

Why we like it

Gusto offers essential HR tools like onboarding and new hire reporting and a variety of benefits options, from retirement and college savings plans to workers’ compensation and commuter benefits. If you need financial management tools, the provider offers a Gusto Wallet app that you can download for free.

Simple: $49 per month + $6 per person per month
- Includes full-service payroll, tax filings, payroll tax filings, single state pay processing, two- and four-day direct deposits, employee benefits, new hire reporting, offer letter templates, onboarding, and basic support
Plus: $80 + $12 per employee monthly
- Simple + next-day direct deposits, time and paid time off (PTO) tracking, applicant tracking, job postings, project tracking, and full support with extended support hours
Premium: Custom-priced
- Plus + performance reviews, surveys, full-service payroll migration, access to HR experts, direct line to priority phone and email support, and a dedicated account manager
Contractor-only plan: $35 + $6 per contractor monthly*
- Full-service payroll, four-day direct deposits, and state new hire reporting

*Get one month free when you run your first payroll. Offer will be applied to your Gusto invoice(s) while all applicable terms and conditions are met or fulfilled.

With Gusto, you can input additional employee earnings like per-diem for meals, bonuses, and commission payouts.

Inputting_additional employee earnings like per-diem formeals, bonuses, and commission payouts.

With Gusto, you can input additional employee earnings like per-diem for meals, bonuses, and commission payouts. (Source: Gusto)

Gusto automatically generates and sends electronic copies of W-2s/1099s to employees for free.
Gusto allows you to pay employees through manual checks, pay cards, and direct deposits with two- and four-day options (next-day if you get its higher tiers).
You have access to onboarding, time tracking, hiring, performance reviews, and self-service tools, including compliance alerts and support from HR experts.
You can run and customize a wide range of reports, from payroll registers to bank transaction summaries and workforce costs.

Run by ADP: Best Payroll Software with HR Tools

Pricing: 3.00 out of 5

Trucking-specific Features: 2.88 out of 5

HR Features: 4.63 out of 5

Popularity: 4.38 out of 5

Reporting: 5.00 out of 5

Payroll Features: 4.25 out of 5

Expert Review: 3.00 out of 5

Ease of Use: 3.75 out of 5

Pros

Multiple payroll plans to choose from
Feature-rich HR suite that offers hiring, payroll, time tracking, benefits, and talent management tools
Integrates with TMSes
Built-in compliance tools that flag potential errors

Cons

Pricing isn’t transparent
Time tracking, health insurance, retirement, and workers’ compensation are paid add-ons
W-2/1099 form delivery and filing are available for an additional fee
Lacks IFTA tracking

Who should use it

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 a wide range of payroll and HR features to support trucking companies as they grow. It even offers professional employer organization (PEO) services if you need expert assistance in handling HR administrative tasks without expanding your in-house HR team.

Why we like it

ADP Run offers a wider range of payroll tools for truckers as it supports nondriver staff designations and integrates with trucking software. It also has background checks, which is useful when hiring drivers. However, nontransparent pricing, additional fees for year-end tax reporting, and the lack of IFTA tracking features prevented ADP Run from ranking higher on our list.

With ADP, you have to call its sales team to discuss your requirements and request pricing details. In the quote we received, a 25-employee business under its starter Essentials plan will be charged $2.23 per employee, per weekly pay run, plus a $40 base monthly fee.

For more information about ADP Run’s plan options, including some of the features included in each plan, see the list below.

Essential: Custom-priced
- Includes full-service payroll, tax filings and year-end tax reports, new hire reporting, background checks, and onboarding tools
Enhanced: Custom-priced
- Essential + check signing and stuffing services, state unemployment insurance (SUI) management, and ZipRecruiter job postings
Complete: Custom-priced
- Enhanced + access to HR forms, salary benchmarks, an employee handbook wizard, and a dedicated HR support team
HR Pro: Custom-priced
- Complete + applicant tracking, online training programs, employee handbook creation assistance, and HR advisory services

ADP Run lets you manage payroll on the web or mobile.
(Source: ADP Run)

ADP Run has the most extensive HR solution suite, enabling you to efficiently handle the entire employee lifecycle. It even provides HR outsourcing and PEO services at an extra cost.
ADP Run can handle nondriver staff designations and integrates with TMSes, such as Tenstreet and allGeo.
It supports pay calculations by other means like miles driven—a pay processing functionality that most trucking companies need.
Its premium payroll packages offer paychecks with advanced fraud protection features, including check signing and stuffing services—a feature that none of the other providers in this guide offers.

TruckLogics: Best TMS with Driver Settlement Tools to Pay Contractors

Pricing: 5.00 out of 5

Trucking-specific Features: 5.00 out of 5

HR Features: 0.00 out of 5

Popularity: 1.88 out of 5

Reporting: 5.00 out of 5

Payroll Features: 2.25 out of 5

Expert Review: 3.13 out of 5

Ease of Use: 3.50 out of 5

Pros

Easy to learn and use
Includes IFTA tracking
Inexpensive for very small trucking companies/indie drivers
Driver settlement solution supports expense and allowance payments

Cons

Driver settlement tool doesn’t include payroll tax filings
You have to integrate with third-party software (like PayWow) for time tracking and payroll for non-driver employees
Lacks employee benefits options and benefits administration tools

Who should use it

TruckLogics is ideal for fleet managers, small carriers, and owner-operators who need a comprehensive TMS that includes everything from truck dispatch and IFTA tracking to maintenance scheduling and driver management. It also has business intelligence tools and online document management—plus, it can handle driver settlements and manage your accounts.

If you want payroll for your nondriver staff, you have to integrate with third-party software solutions like PayWow, which can handle payments for contractors and hourly and salaried employees.

Why we like it

TruckLogics is the only trucking payroll software we reviewed that has a complete set of trucking management tools. Its features include dispatch scheduling and assignment, miles calculations, bills of lading, and invoicing. You can also monitor truck maintenance schedules, driver preferences, and IFTA information. TruckLogics even offers several reporting options, from year-end taxes to equipment maintenance and insurance tracking. Plus, it provides an online portal for drivers.

TruckLogics’ pricing plans are based on the number of trucks you have. The provider also offers special plans for trucking lease operators and brokers. While you can opt to pay on a month-to-month basis, you get discounted rates if you sign up for an annual billed plan (but the fees are paid upfront, in a lump sum).

Owner Operator (one to two trucks): $39.95 per month (or $35.96 per month, if billed yearly)
Small Fleet (three to seven trucks): $79.95 per month (or $71.96 per month, if billed yearly)
Mid-size Fleet (eight to 14 trucks): $199.96 per month (or $179.96 per month, if billed yearly)
Large Fleet (15 to 24 trucks): $249.95 per month (or $224.98 per month, if billed yearly)
Enterprise (25 + trucks): Call for a quote
Leased Operator: $39.95 per month (or $89.96 per month, if billed yearly)
Broker: $99.95 per month (or $35.15 per month, if billed yearly)

The basic sub-packages include truck dispatch, load, contact, document, and staff management tools. Higher tiers come with extensive IFTA reporting features. TruckLogics also charges extra for quarterly IFTA reports. It costs $24.95 per report for business owners and $19.95 per report for service providers.

Screenshot of TruckLogics employee's payment and licensing details

TruckLogics, by itself, can handle paying drivers. (Source: TruckLogics)

TruckLogics’ mobile app works for employers and drivers and has no limit on users. The toolset depends on the plan you purchase but can include dispatch, filing Form 2290s, logging trips, fuel purchases, per diem, storing receipts, and more.
The software can handle drivers’ reimbursements.
It helps reimburse drivers and lets you pay drivers by miles driven, a flat hourly rate, and a percentage of hauling fees.

How We Chose the Best Payroll Software for Trucking Companies

In our evaluation of the best trucking payroll software, we compared a mix of trucking software with payroll functionalities and payroll software that would allow payment by miles or loads. We chose solutions that offered the best combination of payroll processing and trucking-specific features, giving priority to the latter. Trucking-specific systems (like TMSes) usually scored high for trucking-related features but low for essential HR and payroll functionalities. Similarly, payroll software providers offer solid pay processing and HR solutions but limited trucking features. You’ll need to decide your priorities when selecting. To see our full evaluation criteria for the best payroll software for trucking companies, click through the tabs in the box below:

Methodology weights

Trucking-specific tools 20%

Pricing 15%

Payroll features 15%

Expert review 15%

HR features 10%

Reporting 10%

Ease of use 10%

Popularity 5%

Trucking Payroll Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Trucking companies often compensate drivers based on mileage or the number of loads delivered, rather than hourly or salaried pay. Good trucking payroll software should have the capability to calculate driver pay based on these variables, integrating data from GPS tracking, electronic logging devices, or load management systems. The ability to handle complex pay rules and rates for different types of drivers is essential.

Over-the-road truck drivers may receive per diem pay or reimbursements for meals, lodging, and other travel expenses. Trucking payroll software needs to be able to properly track and calculate these additional pay components, which can involve different taxable/non-taxable rules. Look for software that simplifies managing travel pay policies while remaining compliant with tax regulations.

Bottom Line

Trucking companies have many moving parts to keep track of—and we’re not just talking about the trucks themselves. With the best trucking payroll software, especially one that is part of a TMS or can integrate with one, your office staff can keep your drivers paid on time and accurately.

Although it’s not TMS software, we chose QuickBooks as the best payroll software for trucking companies. It has an excellent range of payroll and HR features, including benefits. In addition, you can set it to pay according to mileage or load rather than by hour or salary. It has a cheaper plan for contractors, too. Sign up for QuickBooks today.

Visit QuickBooks

Genevieve Que

Genevieve has more than 13 years of writing experience, working with different clients in various industries. Genevieve also worked as an HR Head of a local manufacturing company, and has helped small businesses set up their business and HR processes.

4 Best Payroll for Trucking Companies

Best Trucking Payroll Software Compared

Payroll for Trucking Companies Quiz

QuickBooks Workforce: Best Overall

Gusto: Best for Small Trucking Companies Needing Robust Benefits Options

Run by ADP: Best Payroll Software with HR Tools

TruckLogics: Best TMS with Driver Settlement Tools to Pay Contractors

How We Chose the Best Payroll Software for Trucking Companies

Trucking Payroll Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Bottom Line

Genevieve Que

Company

Categories

4 Best Payroll for Trucking Companies

Why You Can Trust Fit Small Business

Best Trucking Payroll Software Compared

Payroll for Trucking Companies Quiz

QuickBooks Workforce: Best Overall

Gusto: Best for Small Trucking Companies Needing Robust Benefits Options

Run by ADP: Best Payroll Software with HR Tools

TruckLogics: Best TMS with Driver Settlement Tools to Pay Contractors

How We Chose the Best Payroll Software for Trucking Companies

Trucking Payroll Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How does trucking payroll software handle pay for drivers based on miles driven or loads delivered?

Can trucking payroll software account for per diem pay and other travel reimbursements?

Bottom Line

Genevieve Que

Company

Categories