Freight & Logistics
Big revenue numbers mean nothing if you don't know your cost per mile. We break it down by truck so you stop hauling freight at a loss.
Big Numbers, Small Margins
Trucking and logistics businesses move a lot of money. Revenue numbers look impressive on the surface until you subtract fuel, insurance, tires, maintenance, tolls, and the cost of keeping drivers on the road. What looked like a solid month can evaporate once all the bills come due.
The timing makes it worse. You haul the load today and burn the fuel today, but the broker might not pay for 30 to 45 days. If you factor the invoice to get paid faster, the deposit hitting your account is net of fees and reserve holdbacks. Your bank balance never tells the full financial story. And most freight business owners are too busy dispatching loads and managing breakdowns to sit down and figure out what the numbers actually mean.
Who We Work With
Who We Work With
Trucking companies, owner-operators, small fleet owners, freight brokers, hotshot haulers, courier services, and warehousing operations across the Tampa Bay area and throughout Florida.
The Core Problem
The Core Problem
Most owners in this industry are running operations all day. The bookkeeping gets pushed to nights and weekends, or it doesn’t happen at all. By the time tax season arrives, the records are months behind and full of gaps.
Knowing What a Mile Costs You
We build your books around Cost Per Mile. Every expense gets tracked against mileage so you can see exactly what it costs to move each truck. Fuel, maintenance, insurance, loan payments, permits. When you know your floor cost, you stop accepting loads that lose money. You have a real number to measure every rate offer against, not a gut feeling.
For businesses with multiple trucks, we track expenses per unit. This shows you which trucks are earning their keep and which ones are dragging down the fleet average. That information changes how you make decisions about repairs, replacements, and whether that next truck purchase actually makes financial sense.
IFTA Reporting
IFTA Reporting
Fuel tax compliance means matching gallons purchased to miles driven in each state, every quarter. We organize this data throughout the quarter so your filing is straightforward. No last-minute scramble digging through fuel receipts and logbooks.
Driver Settlements
Driver Settlements
If you pay drivers by percentage or have leased owner-operators, the settlement math has to be right every time. We handle the calculations for fuel chargebacks, insurance deductions, and cash advances so the weekly check is accurate and fully documented.
Where Things Go Wrong
Factoring statements are one of the most commonly misunderstood documents in trucking. The amount deposited in your bank is not your revenue. It is your revenue minus the factoring fee minus any reserve holdback. Recording just the deposit understates your gross income and hides the true cost of that financing. We record the full invoice amount and break out the fees so you can see what factoring actually costs you over the course of a year. That number often motivates a push toward building cash reserves to self-finance.
Contractor classification is the other area that catches people off guard. If you use owner-operators, you need W-9s on file and 1099s issued at year end. The IRS pays close attention to worker classification in this industry, and getting it wrong leads to penalties and back taxes that can add up fast.
Equipment Depreciation
Equipment Depreciation
Trucks and trailers are major assets that lose value every year. We maintain the depreciation schedules so you are taking the right deductions at the right time. This is especially important when you are buying and selling equipment regularly and need to track the tax impact of each transaction.
Per Diem Deductions
Per Diem Deductions
Drivers who are away from home overnight can qualify for per diem deductions. Tracking the days on the road correctly lowers the tax bill significantly. We make sure this is documented properly so you can take full advantage of the deduction without creating audit risk.
What Changes When the Numbers Are Right
You stop guessing. When you know your true cost per mile, you can evaluate every load offer against real data. You negotiate with brokers from a position of knowledge instead of hope. You stop hauling freight that doesn’t pay just to keep the trucks moving. And when tax season comes around, everything is organized. IFTA is current. Driver settlements are documented. Equipment depreciation is tracked. Your CPA gets a clean file and you avoid the penalties and surprises that come from falling behind.
The bigger change is how you think about growth. Adding a truck is a major financial commitment. With accurate per-unit financials, you know exactly how much revenue that new unit needs to generate to cover its payment, insurance, and operating costs. You make the decision based on numbers instead of optimism. That is the difference between sustainable growth and overextending yourself.
Cash Flow Visibility
Cash Flow Visibility
You can see money coming in and going out with enough lead time to plan ahead. When a broker payment runs late or a big repair bill hits, you are not blindsided. You have the information to make adjustments before a tight week turns into a real problem.
Smarter Dispatch Decisions
Smarter Dispatch Decisions
The data reveals which lanes and customers are actually profitable. You might find that certain routes or broker relationships look busy but barely break even once you factor in fuel, tolls, and deadhead miles. That clarity lets you focus your capacity where the margin is real.
Tampa Bay's Small Business CPA Firm
First Step:
A Short Conversation
Tell us about your business and where you need support. We'll walk through your situation, answer your questions, and give you a clear quote.
