Transportation
Freight runs on Cost Per Mile. We track fuel, maintenance, insurance, and fixed costs by truck so you know the true floor rate on every load you accept.
The Industry
Trucking generates big deposits. A single load might pay $3,000 or $5,000. But by the time you subtract fuel, tolls, insurance, maintenance, and the driver, the margin on that load might be a few hundred dollars. Freight is a volume business where the difference between profit and loss often comes down to pennies per mile. A five-cent swing in diesel prices or one unexpected breakdown can turn a good month into a bad one.
The cash flow timing makes everything harder. You haul the load today and burn the fuel today, but payment from the broker might not arrive for 30 or 45 days. If you factor the invoice, the deposit hits faster but it comes in net of fees and reserves that are easy to lose track of. Managing that gap between spending and collecting is where most freight operators feel the strain, and it is where financial disorganization causes the most damage.
Who This Covers
Who This Covers
Owner-operators, small fleet carriers, freight brokerages, hotshot haulers, and logistics providers operating in the DMV and along the I-95 corridor. Any business moving freight where profitability is measured in cents per mile and cash flow timing dictates whether you can keep the wheels turning.
What Makes It Complex
What Makes It Complex
Revenue from brokers and shippers arrives at different times through different channels. Factoring companies take fees and hold reserves. Fuel costs fluctuate weekly. IFTA requires quarterly filings matching fuel purchases to miles driven in each state. Driver pay structures vary from mileage-based to percentage-based to flat rates. Every truck in your fleet has its own cost profile, and the books need to reflect that.
What We Handle
Everything ties back to Cost Per Mile. We break down expenses by truck so you can see what each unit actually costs to operate. Fuel, tires, insurance, loan payments, maintenance, and tolls all get tracked against the miles that truck ran. This gives you a floor rate. If it costs $1.95 per mile to move the truck, you know that accepting a load at $1.80 just to stay busy is a guaranteed loss. That number becomes the foundation for every dispatch decision.
We also handle the compliance and settlement side. IFTA filings require matching fuel purchases by state to miles driven in each state, and we organize your fuel receipts and mileage data so quarterly filings are straightforward. Driver settlements get calculated with proper deductions for fuel advances, insurance contributions, and any other withholdings. Factoring statements get reconciled so the full gross revenue is recorded and the fees and reserves show up as separate line items instead of disappearing into a confusing net deposit.
IFTA and Fuel Tax Reporting
IFTA and Fuel Tax Reporting
Fuel tax compliance means tracking every gallon purchased and every mile driven by state. We organize this data throughout the quarter so filing is not a last-minute scramble through receipts and logbooks. The goal is accurate filings submitted on time without you spending hours sorting through paperwork that should have been handled weeks ago.
Factoring Reconciliation
Factoring Reconciliation
The deposit from your factoring company is not your revenue. It is your revenue minus a fee minus a reserve holdback. We record the full invoice amount as revenue and break out the factoring cost and reserve separately. This gives you an accurate picture of what you are actually earning and what that financing convenience is costing you over time.
Common Problems
The most dangerous pattern in trucking is the “cash rich” feeling. You see $25,000 in the bank and think things are fine. But you have $12,000 in fuel charges due next week, an insurance premium hitting on the 15th, and a tire bill from last month still outstanding. Without a cash flow forecast that accounts for when broker payments actually arrive and when obligations come due, that bank balance is misleading. We have seen owners make equipment purchases based on what they see in the account, only to come up short on basic operating expenses days later.
Another issue that builds quietly is untracked deadhead miles. You drive 150 miles empty to pick up a load that pays well on paper. But those 150 empty miles burned fuel and put wear on the truck without generating a dollar of revenue. If that repositioning cost is not factored into the load’s profitability, you are overstating your margins. Over a full month of loads with significant deadhead, the gap between what you think you earned and what you actually earned can be thousands of dollars.
Equipment Misclassification
Equipment Misclassification
A new set of tires is maintenance. A new engine is a capital expenditure. The distinction matters for taxes and for understanding your true monthly expenses. Expensing a $25,000 engine rebuild in a single month distorts your profit picture completely. Capitalizing and depreciating it over time reflects reality and provides a more consistent tax benefit across the useful life of the repair.
Per Diem Left on the Table
Per Diem Left on the Table
Owner-operators eligible for per diem deductions for nights spent away from home often leave significant money on the table because nobody tracked the days. This is one of the largest deductions available to trucking operators and it requires consistent daily logging to hold up if questioned. Missing it is not a minor oversight. It can mean thousands in unnecessary tax liability every year.
What Changes
You stop guessing on load profitability. When you know your Cost Per Mile for each truck, every rate confirmation gets evaluated against a real number. You turn down loads that do not meet your floor rate and you focus on lanes and customers that actually generate profit. Dispatch decisions get backed by data instead of gut feeling, and you stop hauling freight at a loss just to keep the truck moving.
Growth becomes a calculated decision instead of a leap of faith. Adding a truck means taking on a note, adding insurance, and either hiring a driver or leasing to an owner-operator. With clean financials showing what your current trucks actually produce, you can model whether a new unit will be profitable before you sign the paperwork. Andrew’s background in banking and credit analysis means ATS brings a lender’s perspective to these decisions, helping you build the kind of financial package that gets approved and the kind of projections that hold up.
Compliance Without the Scramble
Compliance Without the Scramble
IFTA is filed on time every quarter. Driver settlements are accurate every pay period. Year-end tax preparation captures per diem deductions, equipment depreciation, and all the line items specific to freight operations. The compliance burden moves off your plate so you can focus on keeping trucks loaded and drivers moving.
Financing Readiness
Financing Readiness
Lenders want organized financials when you apply for equipment financing or a line of credit. A clean balance sheet with proper asset schedules, consistent profit and loss statements, and documented cash flow history makes the difference between approval and denial. We keep your books in the shape that banks and lenders expect to see, so when the time comes for the next truck, you walk in prepared.
Northern Virginia's Bookkeeping & Advisory Firm
First Step:
Tell Us About Your Business
Every engagement starts with a conversation. Tell us what's going on with your books and we'll give you our honest assessment.
