Q7 Trucking Business Software Review 2023: Features & Pricing

The A/R function allows you to create and send customizable invoices to your clients and record full or partial payments received from your customers. The invoicing system is tied to the dispatch module so that whenever an order is successfully delivered, you can easily process an invoice for that order.

You can customize invoices by adding your company logo and changing the invoice colors. You can also export invoices as a PDF or spreadsheet file and import to another system if needed.

Sample invoice in Q7 (Source: Frontline Software Technology)

One thing we like about the A/R module is that there are several tools you can use to post and track customer payments for invoices. For instance, from the Customer Payments screen, you can use the Config button to control how the invoices will be categorized in the Customer Payments grid, such as by due dates and invoice amounts.

Categorizing invoice list in Q7 (Source: Frontline Software Technology)

The A/P function lets you create purchase orders (POs) for your vendors easily. You can create a freight order that will list all the items you want to order from your vendor, which will help them plan the transport of the items. Q7 also allows you to pay your bills and track unpaid bills so that you can pay them on time.

While Q7’s A/P module is good enough for tracking and managing nonpayroll spend, it’s not as user-friendly as those of other similar software like QuickBooks Online. For instance, we found the vendor setup a bit complicated as the setup form includes many fields which may be overwhelming for new users.

Vendor setup screen in Q7 (Source: Frontline Software Technology)

Q7 lets you write and void checks, create deposits, transfer funds, and reconcile bank accounts. The banking program displays all check and deposit transactions in an organized grid so that you can view the details of each transaction easily at any time.

Q7 comes with a complete general ledger (GL) that you can customize to fit your business. The GL generates reports on balance sheets, trial balances, and corporate income statements with year-to-date comparisons and department reports.

Sample General Ledger in Q7 (Source: Frontline Software Technology)

The Financial Scoreboard offers a bird’s-eye view of all accounting, and you can customize the look and content of any report or create a new one from scratch. Profitability reports specific to the trucking industry are included, and you can use a live reporting tool to catch any accounting mistakes.

Financial Scoreboard (Source: Frontline Software Technology)

Q7 comes with a detailed employee profile that lets you track your employees’ name and contact details, applicable taxes and deductions, and other employee information. You can create a custom profile for each employee and manage company driver line haul methods and rates with ease.

The system supports all forms of taxable wages, nontaxable reimbursements, deductions, and every type of pay method: hourly, salary, by mile, percent of revenue, and flat pay. You can even create automatic triggers for load-specific types of pay like detention and extra stop pay.

Q7 also handles tax-exempt deductions and calculates employer contributions automatically. The Settlement program doesn’t just pay settlements for drivers and carriers, but it also serves as a batch payroll processing center. You can use the optional direct deposit feature or customizable payroll checks to pay your employees.

Essential payroll reporting is readily available, and all payroll reports are built-in and fully customizable. The Payroll Journal is used for a summary of one or more pay periods while the Payroll Tax Audit and 941 Summary is used for tax liability reporting. You can also view your unemployment tax liabilities and employer contributions. At the end of the year, printing complete W-2s for your employees is easy.

Sample Form W-2 in Q7 (Source: Frontline Software Technology)

Using a single-entry system, Q7 lets you enter orders manually easily or through load tenders using the optional Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) component. Charges can be billed by piece or volume, weight, or by the mile traveled by the trucker. The system calculates customer charges automatically, including fuel surcharges. You can create and send quotations and convert them into live orders once approved.

Order Management Board (Source: Frontline Software Technology)

Q7 Trucking Dispatch Software is the control center for planning and dispatch activities. It’s fully customizable and supports truckload, brokerage, and less-than-truckload (LTL) dispatch, which are described below:

• Truckload dispatch: Q7 maintains and displays the current position of tractors, trailers, carriers, and drivers. You can post check calls manually or via GPS systems, and view approaching or expired safety dates.
• Brokerage dispatch: The user-friendly dispatch console displays the status of load progress and provides access to both customer and carrier contact information. You can send carrier confirmations that detail load specifics, including pickup times, delivery times, and directions.
• Less-than-truckload (LTL) dispatch: Advance load planning features allow you to match loads to trucks quickly, preassign loads, and manage driver schedules. You can also drop manifested loads to a shop or warehouse, consolidate docked loads for outbound resources, and reassign individual load stops to other resources.

Q7 Brokerage Dispatch Board (Source: Frontline Software Technology)

With Q7 Document Management, you can scan, import, and save any type of document, such as proof of delivery or delivery receipts. You also have the option to assign your own references and other user-defined data to each of the documents. When you pair this feature with the Q7 Email interface, you can attach all documents for the load against the invoice and send them to your customers in one PDF. This feature is available for an additional fee.

Q7 document management board (Source: Frontline Software Technology)

The Fleet Maintenance feature allows you to track services and equipment in Q7 so that you can avoid costly emergency repairs. By first creating a customizable list of equipment services, you can create groups of service or maintenance for efficiency. You can then build default schedules for each type of service.

Over-the-road (or long haul) costs and in-house service sales are tracked in accounting. Services are added to equipment profiles for specific tracking. You can schedule service based on a period or on the number of miles driven between services. Q7 also allows you to set a customized advance warning so that you’ll know when a piece of equipment is due for routine servicing.

Q7 fuel and mileage tools are thorough and easy to use. You can combine mileage and fuel purchase data for complete fuel tax reports and create driver deductions for individual purchases on the spot, which appear automatically when processing pay settlements. Fees, repairs, cash advances, and other purchases can also be included in the entry.

Tax miles can be entered by hand or calculated using the optional Mileage interface, which tallies miles per load. Q7 also interfaces with leading trucking mileage programs like Rand McNally and ProMiles. All fuel purchase, state mileage, and IFTA tax reports are included, and they’re completely customizable. You can maintain detailed fuel purchase records, including the responsible driver, invoice number, truck stops, and amounts.

Sample Q7 fuel purchase report (Source: Frontline Software Technology)

A useful feature is the IFTA import tool which allows you to import your current IFTA tax rates into the system, eliminating the need to calculate IFTA tax rates manually. Q7 will help generate an IFTA report instantly based on your fuel purchases and tax miles. To import IFTA tax rates, click on the Import Rates field on the IFTA form and upload the quarter you wish to use.

Importing IFTA Tax Rates in Q7 (Source: Frontline Software Technology)

The Q7 management reporting feature provides complete control over your operation. The reports calculate detailed data, such as generated revenue and profit based on drivers and equipment. You can also evaluate profit per mile, carrier cost, fuel, and repairs. View your GL accounts and use the Real-Time Reports dashboard for live custom reporting. Any custom report can be created by connecting directly to your underlying data.

Q7 interfaces with leading electronic logging devices (ELDs) from providers, such as Samsara, Omnitracs, and SkyBitz. ELDs are intended to be a substitute for driver logbooks. Q7’s integrated communications console allows you to send communication to and from the mobile device.

The Pay Settlement software lets you funnel information from other areas of Q7 to create detailed pay settlements and reports for drivers and carriers. It supports all driver pay and deduction methods, whether that’s percentage of revenue, hourly or flat rate, tonnage, mileage, or pieces.

You can also include weekly deductions and reimbursements, such as health insurance or per diem and payroll tax details. Provide your drivers with settlement sheets that summarize pay, deductions, and reimbursements.

Sample Pay Settlements in Q7 (Source: Frontline Software Technology)

The Safety Console allows you to ensure proper safety compliance for your fleet. You can manage key safety dates to avoid costly violations and keep track of safety-related expiration dates for all types of resources like licenses and registration, inspection, and maintenance.

Safety flags are visible to dispatchers at all times, and you can set a color code that’s based on how far away an expiration date is. The System Health Monitor alerts you with a count of drivers or equipment with expiring safety dates. When safety alerts appear, you have the option to run the report as a formal safety notice or give the report to the driver or carrier.

Q7’s Safety Console (Source: Frontline Software Technology)