Start with the work you need to manage. A leased owner-operator keeping expense and settlement records has different needs from a carrier dispatching several trucks. A fleet that wants dispatch, payroll and its general ledger in one system has another decision to make.
This comparison covers Rigbooks, TruckLogics, TruckingOffice, Frontline Q7 and Axon, plus Beancount/Fava for a separate ledger. The recommendations describe workflow fit; they are not hands-on product ratings.
Originally published August 17, 2025. Vendor sources checked October 1–2, 2026; comparison refreshed October 2, 2026. The focus is US trucking operations.
Separate operations, accounting and filing
A transportation management system, or TMS, can organize loads, dispatch, invoices and driver settlements. A general ledger records assets, liabilities, income and expenses, with reconciliation and financial reporting. An operational expense list or settlement report does not, by itself, establish a complete accounting system.
IFTA work also has separate stages: collecting distance and fuel records, calculating a report, submitting a return and paying the amount due. The vendor sources below document tracking, calculations or reports; they do not establish automatic filing and payment for every buyer's jurisdiction. Confirm who handles submission and payment. Likewise, a driver settlement calculation is not proof that payroll-tax filing is included.
Compare plans and workflow limits
Price basis: regular monthly billing on the linked US-oriented vendor pages, checked October 1–2, 2026. Rigbooks, TruckLogics and TruckingOffice display dollar prices without explicitly identifying the currency in the reviewed pricing text; confirm currency, taxes and the checkout total. Figures exclude unverified processing, payroll, implementation, add-on and third-party charges. Q7 and Axon require quotes.
| Product and operator/fleet fit | Published base cost and capacity | Dispatch/settlements | IFTA scope | Accounting and handoff limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rigbooks: operator bookkeeping | Monthly: Basic Entry $19/one truck; Leased O/O $29/one; Independent O/O $49/one; Small Fleet $149/five | Trip records; ask sales about driver settlements | Tracking and calculation across these plans | Expense/revenue records and exports; customer invoicing starts at Independent O/O |
| TruckLogics: own-authority operator or small fleet | Owner Operator $39.95/month for 1–2 trucks; Small Fleet $79.95 for 3–7 | Dispatch and driver settlements | Reports from dispatch or supported ELD inputs | Contact sync and invoice export to QuickBooks Online; complete ledger and bank reconciliation not verified |
| TruckingOffice: small-fleet operations | Monthly Basic/Pro: $25/$35 for 1–2 trucks; $55/$75 for 3–7; $90/$130 for 8+ | Basic: FTL; Pro: FTL/LTL planning and driver settlements | IFTA reports | Invoices and expense records; current QuickBooks export coverage needs confirmation |
| Frontline Q7: fleet seeking integrated accounting | Quote required; amount, currency and capacity not verified | Integrated dispatch, payroll and settlements | Calculations and reports | Integrated accounting; specify migration, exports and access in the quote |
| Axon: fleet seeking accounting tied to operations | US-specific quote required; amount, currency, cadence and capacity not verified | Integrated dispatch, payroll and settlements | Fuel imports, jurisdiction calculations and reports | Receivables/payables and bank reconciliation; confirm export and integration scope |
| Beancount + Fava: technical operator keeping a separate ledger | No software subscription fee for the open-source packages; setup and hosting still cost time or money | No native dispatch or driver payroll | No native IFTA filing service | Text-file double-entry ledger and web interface; reviewed exports require import preparation |
These are selected plans, not each vendor's entire catalog. User and business-entity limits were not verified for the trucking subscriptions; an unstated limit is not unlimited access. An unverified feature may exist, but it should not determine your purchase until demonstrated.
Match the software to your operation
Leased owner-operator: records before fleet features
If your carrier sends settlement sheets and you mainly need to track fuel, other expenses and revenue, Rigbooks is a candidate. Its Basic Entry price should not be mistaken for an invoicing plan: customer invoicing is listed only for Independent O/O and Small Fleet. Bank or fuel-card imports and driver settlements require a sales discussion.
Growth also changes the bill. Rigbooks lists additional trucks at $19/month on Basic Entry, $24 on Leased O/O, and $29 on either Independent O/O or Small Fleet. It advertises data export, but the reviewed page does not establish the export format or completeness. Rigbooks plan details.
Own-authority operator or small fleet: dispatch and settlement detail
TruckLogics and TruckingOffice are candidates when you manage loads and invoices as well as expenses. Compare the actual truck band and type of freight. TruckingOffice Basic targets full truckload, or FTL; Pro adds less-than-truckload, or LTL, planning. Pro also specifically lists factoring support and driver settlements. Do not price those needs using Basic alone. TruckingOffice pricing, Pro features.
TruckLogics' quoted monthly plans above cover 1–2 and 3–7 trucks. Annual billing is a separate option: the advertised monthly equivalents are $35.96 and $71.96 respectively, billed annually. Enterprise for 25 or more trucks requires a quote. Its seven-day trial is not the regular subscription price. TruckLogics pricing.
TruckingOffice's PC*MILER Premium routing is an add-on, listed at $5/month for up to two trucks. Rigbooks and TruckingOffice advertise 30-day trials. Account for these plan boundaries before comparing totals. TruckingOffice pricing, Rigbooks pricing.
Fleet seeking a shared accounting and operations system
Q7 and Axon document accounting alongside operational functions, making them candidates when the fleet wants those responsibilities in one product. Q7 lists dispatch, maintenance, payroll/settlements, load-profit tracking and IFTA calculations. Its FAQ describes a site-license option and hosted service with a monthly fee, without a public amount. Q7 accounting, deployment FAQ.
Axon describes receivables, payables, payroll/settlements and bank reconciliation linked to operational records. Its IFTA documentation covers fuel imports, distance by jurisdiction and jurisdiction-format reports. Those descriptions do not establish a particular hosting arrangement, filing service or performance result. Axon accounting, IFTA scope.
For either product, request a quote that names truck count, users, business entities, deployment, implementation, support and ongoing charges. Ask for the required fuel-card, ELD or other connection by provider and function; an integration category does not prove compatibility with your account. Opening balances and usable data exports belong in that scope too.
What moves between the TMS and the ledger?
For TruckLogics, the documented QuickBooks Online connection covers address-book synchronization and invoice export. The integration page places expense import/export under upcoming features; payment synchronization was not verified. Resolve field directions, invoice corrections, payments and duplicate handling before treating the connection as a complete accounting workflow. TruckLogics integration documentation.
TruckingOffice has an older announcement describing invoice and expense transfers to QuickBooks, and a vendor comparison describing an export option. Those pages do not establish current plan and edition coverage or full two-way synchronization. Ask the vendor to demonstrate today's workflow with your intended QuickBooks edition. Integration announcement, export description.
QuickBooks Online is a separately purchased accounting companion in this comparison. Budget for a compatible edition and confirm compatibility with the named TMS; do not assume every QuickBooks offer supports the same connection. QuickBooks Online plans.
Trial checklist: follow a load and a settlement
Ask for a trial or guided demo using examples from your operation, including a record that needs correction.
- Leased operator: follow a carrier settlement from gross earnings through fuel, advances, other deductions and escrow to the bank deposit. Include a fuel receipt and a maintenance bill. Verify that you can explain each deduction instead of retaining only the net amount.
- Carrier or fleet: follow a load through dispatch, invoice, partial payment and driver settlement. If you factor invoices, include the advance, fee and later reserve release. Test a credit or refund as well as a straightforward paid load.
- Exports and reconciliation: inspect load, invoice, truck and driver identifiers, dates, currency, gross amounts, deductions and payment references. Match totals to the bank and fuel-card statements. For IFTA reports, inspect the distance/fuel units and jurisdiction detail separately; identify who submits the return.
- Accounting access: have your bookkeeper inspect the proposed role, ledger reports and downloadable records. Confirm who maintains receivables, payables, loans and escrow balances when the TMS does not supply the complete books.
- Actual fleet cost: obtain the total for your truck band, users and entities, including routing, ELD/fuel-card connections, payroll, implementation and a separate ledger if needed. Separate one-time charges from monthly or annual renewals, and have unverified capabilities demonstrated before buying.
Where Beancount and Fava fit
Beancount records double-entry accounts in text files, and Fava provides a web interface for that ledger. This can suit an operator who wants to maintain an independent set of books from reviewed bank and TMS exports and is prepared to configure imports and review the results.
The open-source packages have no software subscription fee. Hosting, setup, import maintenance and bookkeeping review remain costs; this is not a price quote for Beancount.io hosting or a managed service. Dispatch, driver payroll and IFTA filing remain separate responsibilities. A vendor's export button also does not establish a ready-made Beancount connector or a complete historical migration. Beancount project, Fava project.
Move the books without losing the settlement trail
- Set the boundary and back up the records. Choose a cutoff with your bookkeeper and document which system owns dispatch, billing, settlements and the ledger afterward. Export the current books, chart of accounts, open loads/invoices, unpaid bills, loan and escrow balances. Retain bank/fuel-card statements, settlement sheets, invoices and receipt attachments as separate originals where necessary; open the backups to check them.
- Convert a small bank sample first. A technical operator evaluating Beancount can try the CSV converter for one account and statement period, or the OFX/QIF converter for a supported bank export. Review dates, signs, currency and account mappings. A TMS settlement CSV may need preparation or a custom importer; these tools do not log in to the TMS, migrate load history or transfer attachments.
- Rebuild the gross-to-net explanation. Use the settlement or factoring statement to distinguish earnings, fees, fuel deductions, advances, escrow and the bank deposit. Review the accounting treatment with your bookkeeper. Match credits, refunds and reserve releases to their original records, and avoid counting a fuel purchase again when its card balance is paid. A matching net deposit alone does not establish that every component is correct.
- Check overlap and opening balances. Compare exports with existing entries before importing, including periods downloaded twice. The bank-import CLI guide documents preview and duplicate review for an existing Beancount ledger. Establish agreed opening balances before the first imported period, then reconcile cash, fuel cards, loans, receivables, payables and escrow to statements and the old books. Importing full history as well as balances built from that history would duplicate amounts.
- Approve a period, then hand over. Reconcile a complete statement and settlement period with your bookkeeper before moving ongoing accounting. Keep dispatch, payroll and IFTA responsibilities assigned throughout the change. Use one live source for issuing invoices and settlements during the trial, preserve access to historical records, and transfer remaining open items only after their balances and status are checked.
