[iversonks]

Hello-

I am hoping that someone there can offer me some help and some place to start.

My older brother is an Owner Operator. Currently leased through a great company, but he wishes to go it alone eventually. He asked me, who is currently in charge of his personal paperwork and [simple] accounting needs at home if I'd want to be the person that helps him to operate his business (Of course that's a yes) . Find the loads, track the work, do his paperwork, track everything. The only thing is, I have no idea where to start.

I know I'd be more than capable of learning whatever he'd need me to learn to do so, and learn as I go along, however my problem is not knowing what I'd need to learn to so and where to start. I'm writing to you to see if there is someone that could help me on figuring that out. Is there a software, books, etc., where I could start? I am writing as many people as I can to get some pointers and some starting places. I already have beginning work in Accounting/Bookkeeping, Business Math, and own my own small business (AVON) so I know the basics of Accounting work, but what else do you all have to keep track of [as O\O], and what else should I study?

Any info and tips?

Thanks so much for your time and cooperation. I appreciate anything that any of you can offer. If you can, please send your replies directly to my email address below. Thank you

Kim Iverson
[email protected]

[GMAN]

There are several software packages for owner operators. Most run from about $100-200. If he is leased to a carrier and they take care of his fuel taxes, you may want to check out Trucknpro at www.foglinesoftware.com. It is simple and runs about $75 for the owner operator version. Another is Easy Trucking. The customer support is lacking, but it has most everything including the fuel tax for $150. Loadledger is a good program. I don't recall how much it runs. I don't recall the websites for the other two programs. Truckers Helper is another decent program. They have several versions. Some people feel that it is more complicated to use than some others. It is also a little more expensive to purchase. I believe all of these programs have demo's you can check out on line.

A prepackaged accounting software such as Quick Books can work, but is not specific to trucking.

You will want to keep track of his loads. Pickups and deliveries, pro numbers, bill of ladings, insurance costs, maintenance costs, fuel costs, road expenses, truck payments, etc., The industry specific software is nice because it has menu's and prompts to help you get things into the system much more quickly than a standard accounting package.

[Justruckin]

Hi Kim,

What I have found that works book wise, is a program called HammerLane. With one truck you can get by with the owner operator edition. If you go to their website www.hammerlane.com you can download a trial version. The full version has the mapping routing software with it, but you really do not need that as long as your brother keeps track of his actual state to state mileage.

You can do all of your billing, and general accounting/expenses in HammerLane. There really is no need for QuickBooks or any other software. HammerLane pretty much does it all. And it was the least confusing of the software out there, just my opinion.

Also look at Truckers Helper. They also have a free trial download. But I found their software to be really annoying compared to HammerLane. www.truckershelper.com

And you are also going to find loads. This is not as hard as it sounds. There are plenty of load boards out there. The three we use are Chobinson.com, Truckersedge.com and GetLoaded.com. We also bid frequently directly with shippers. You can get into contact with them directly off of the last two load boards I mentioned. And stealing customers from brokers is a no no. Once you have established yourself with a few brokers, they will call you. And the rates will normally get better with time, as long as your brother does his part.

It will take some time for you to get the hang of dispatching your brothers truck, getting good rates and being able to negotiate. You also will need to be tough on the phone, not rude, but assertive to get what you want. It will take some time for you to figure what the market will bear at any particular time of the year. And that also will depend on the freight your brother wants to haul. You and him will have to have a sit down regarding rates and what he needs to make a true profit on a per mile basis.

You will also need to learn how to read a map. As it may only be an inch on the map, but down here it may be an hour to much longer trip. You will learn this in time, and I am sure your brother will let you know if something is doable.

I pay a girl to dispatch my truck. She is a stay at home mom, with one daughter. She also dispatches her fathers small fleet and one other owner operator. I was with her in the beginning of dispatching loads. It was fun to say the least. It will take some time, and expect to get your feelings hurt when you get yelled at. :wink:

But once you get the hang of it, and establish a good paying track record, you might want to advertise your services to other owner operators. It can be a financially rewarding endeavor if you do it right. But like everything, it will take some time.

Good luck!

[GMAN]

I use Internettruckstop.com load board along with getloaded.com. Some of the larger brokers have their inhouse load boards you can access.

[rank]

You and your brother may want to become familiar (perhaps your brother already is) with the best type of trailer (or trailers) to be using in his area. If it's a flatbed area, you can then get to work on familiarizing yourself with all the rules and regs in the states and provinces in his area. Then you can learn the permit process and all the rules and costs associated with that.

If you're good at it you will soon have more freight than your brother can handle.

[iversonks]

Thank you to everyone that has helped me out. And anymore that help me out later! I appreciate the help.
I know maps well (many vacations and just learning when I was younger) so that won't be a problem, and my brother is teaching me how far he can travel and in what amount of time.
As for the phones, I definitely understand all too well having to handle people over the phone, as well as getting yelled at over the phone. I'm very used to that! Thanks for that bit of advice. I'll remember that.
My brother is teaching me about the getloaded site. He showed it to me the last time that he was at home. He showed the demo part of it and how that works.
The software that I've been finding is 'The Truckers Helper O/O version,' and 'Easy Trucking Software.' I am waiting to let Chris know the software that I've been finding and I will look into the other's suggested. He is hoping to be home the 22nd, but you all know how reliable that can be. When he gets home I will let him check them out and figure out which is best. He might get me a bunch just to load me up with information

Thanks again,
Kim

[GMAN]

When you look at software, you initially need to make a list of what you want to do with it. For instance, if you are leased to a carrier, you may not need the fuel tax portion of some software. On the other hand, you can check the carrier and make sure that they are being honest with you. Some programs have logs. What reports do you want to have in the software? Maintenance, income, expenses, etc., are some reports you will probably want to have available. If you need a income and balance sheet, then you may want to check to see if it is available on the software you like. Software should be easy to use. I have software that I bought with a computer almost 20 years ago. It had a very complicated accounting program with separate modules for different things such as accounts payable, payroll, etc., The software cost about $5,000 and was not used. It was too complicated and no one wanted to use it. The learning curve was too great. It was a waste of money. Bookkeeping should be simple. If you make it complicated, then it won't be utilized. There is no point in getting more software than you need. Once you have an opportunity to check some of these software packages out, let us know what you think about them. Perhaps you could tell us what you liked or disliked about each one.

[iversonks]

I don't see that my brother would look to spend five thousand on software, unless it was the software to get my Accounting Degree - that's almost the cost of all the home schooling program I was looking into (though that one was only about $2,000 in the end) just for my own sake, not even for my brother's business.

But I will remember to let you know how I liked any of the software I check out. I agree with what you said. Accounting should be simple.

I will make sure to figure out what Chris will be needing in the software, compare programs (usually do), and go from there. The Accounting Degree he wanted to help me get for his tax preparation so that I could do his taxes, instead of having someone else have to prepare them. My reason is because he offered to pay and I frankly would study everything I could, if I just had the money. Heck, I'd even study Diesel mechanics just because - if I had the choice and the time - I find working on engines pretty fun.

Thanks,
Kim