Business Central for Transportation: ERP for Small Carriers and Logistics Companies

Small motor carriers (under 100 trucks) and specialty transportation companies face a specific ERP gap. The dedicated TMS platforms — McLeod LoadMaster, TMW, MercuryGate — are priced and scoped for mid-to-large carriers with full dispatch operations. QuickBooks handles basic bookkeeping but can't do driver settlement with per-mile/percentage/hourly pay calculations, IFTA fuel tax reporting, owner-operator settlement with deductions (insurance, permits, ComData cards, equipment), or the cost-per-mile accounting carriers need. The result is a small carrier running QuickBooks plus a settlement spreadsheet plus another spreadsheet for IFTA plus a dispatch tool — which works until the DOT audit arrives or the CFO tries to figure out whether the fleet is actually profitable.

BC fills the gap for small motor carriers and specialty transportation. Driver settlement with per-mile, percentage-of-revenue, and hourly pay calculations plus deductions. IFTA fuel tax tracking with jurisdiction mileage from ELD data (Samsara, Motive, Geotab) and fuel purchase integration. Owner-operator settlement with the tax withholding and 1099 reporting independent contractors require. Load-level profitability with driver, equipment, and fuel cost allocation. Maintenance cost tracking by tractor/trailer. Integration with dispatch tools for load data flowing to settlement. With the audit trail DOT examinations and state DMV reviews require. Done at the right scope, BC delivers in 4-6 months at a price point small carriers can justify.