Site work & heavy civil
Books and taxes for aggregate and dirt hauling companies.
Per-ton hauling contracts, gravel resold at a markup, a backhaul load on the return trip, and tires that wear out faster than anything else on the truck. Gus sorts every dollar, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
July came in at $26,000. The backhaul loads on the return trips from the Meridian job got logged as their own income, not folded into the regular hauling fee.
- Meridian Quarry haul contractHauling fees
- Backhaul load, return tripBackhaul revenue
- Fuel card statementFuel
- Tire shop invoiceTires
- Owner-operator settlementDriver pay
Why your books are different
Aggregate and dirt hauling books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist bookkeeper sees deposits and bills. Your business is loads billed by the ton, trucks that earn more when they are not running empty, and tires that wear out faster than anything else you own. When the books do not know that, real margins hide inside one number.
-
1
Material and hauling get billed as one number
When a load of gravel bought at the pit gets resold and delivered to a job site, one invoice covering both the material and the haul makes it impossible to tell if the markup on the material or the delivery fee is the profitable part.
What we doSplits material cost and hauling fee on the books, so both margins are visible on their own. -
2
Backhaul loads disappear into regular hauling
A truck that picks up a paying load on the way back from a delivery instead of running empty earns real money, but if that income is not tracked apart from the outbound haul, it looks like one job paid more than it did instead of two loads both paying.
What we doBooks backhaul loads as their own income, so the value of avoiding empty miles is visible. -
3
A fuel surcharge blends into the hauling rate
A surcharge added to invoices when diesel prices spike is meant to cover the higher fuel cost, but lumped in with the regular hauling rate, nobody can tell if the surcharge is actually keeping up with what fuel costs.
What we doKeeps fuel surcharge revenue in its own line next to fuel costs, so you can see whether it is covering what it is supposed to. -
4
Driver settlements look like flat payroll
A driver paid per load or per ton earns differently depending on which jobs they ran that week, and treated like a flat payroll number, cost per haul turns into a guess instead of a real figure.
What we doTies driver pay to the loads and jobs run, so cost per haul reflects what it actually took to move that load. -
5
Tires get buried in one maintenance line
Tires are one of the biggest wear costs on a heavy truck, and lumped into general maintenance with brakes, oil, and everything else, nobody can see tire cost per truck or per mile.
What we doKeeps tires in their own line, so wear cost is visible by truck instead of hidden in a general repair bucket. -
6
Wait time at the pit or the site goes uncollected
A truck sitting at a quarry or job site waiting to load or unload past a reasonable window is billable time, but it is easy to let a wait-time charge slide instead of adding it to the invoice.
What we doFlags jobs with long wait times so demurrage gets billed instead of quietly absorbed.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an aggregate and dirt hauling company.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Hauling feesPer-ton and per-load delivery fees for gravel, sand, and dirt.
- Material salesAggregate bought at the pit and resold delivered at a markup.
- Backhaul revenuePaying loads picked up on the return trip instead of running empty.
- Fuel surchargesAdded to invoices when diesel prices climb.
- Demurrage and wait timeBillable charges when a truck sits waiting to load or unload.
Money out
- FuelDiesel for a fleet that runs all day, the single biggest cost.
- Truck payments and leasesFinancing or lease payments on tri-axles and trailers.
- TiresOne of the fastest wearing costs on a heavy truck.
- Driver payPer-load, per-ton, or hourly settlements tied to the runs made.
- Truck maintenance and repairsBrakes, engines, and the wear that comes with heavy loads.
- InsuranceCargo and liability coverage for a fleet on the road every day.
- Scale and weight ticket feesCharges for weighing loads at the quarry or the site.
- DOT compliance and inspectionsRequired inspections and paperwork to keep trucks running legally.
What we watch for you
- Cost per load
Fuel, tires, and driver pay against what each haul billed, so pricing stays honest.
- Fuel share
Diesel against revenue. When it climbs, a surcharge or a bid needs to move with it.
- Tire cost per truck
Wear cost tracked by truck, so replacement timing is a plan, not a surprise.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things aggregate and dirt hauling owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Yes, I booked it as backhaul income on its own, so you can see both loads paying instead of one job looking bigger than it was.
I keep surcharge revenue next to fuel cost, so we can check that every month instead of guessing at the end of the year.
If you pay him $2,000 or more this year and he is not on your payroll, he gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. I have been keeping that list running.
The tax side
The tax side of an aggregate and dirt hauling business.
Most of what goes wrong here is fuel and material costs that never got their own line. Get those right and the set-aside was already running.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Dump trucks and trailersHeavy trucks bought for the business can usually be written off the year they go to work, up to $2,560,000 under Section 179. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025. Whether to take it all now depends on the year you are having.
- Contractor 1099sAn owner-operator running under his own authority, not on your payroll, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31 if you paid him $2,000 or more in 2026. Gus keeps that list running all year.
- Employee or contractorA driver who runs your truck, works your schedule, and takes dispatch from you is usually an employee, not a sub. Getting that wrong gets expensive, so Gus asks before it becomes a habit.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right only when hauling fees and material sales were tracked correctly all year.
Deductions aggregate and dirt hauling companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Diesel fuel
- Tires
- Truck lease interest
- Scale and weight ticket fees
- DOT inspection fees
- Truck insurance
- CDL renewal fees
- Safety gear and PPE
- Two-way radios
- Truck washdown
- Shop and yard rent
- Fuel tax filing fees
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A hauling year, kept every month.
Construction season sets the pace of the loads. Your team keeps you ahead of the calendar and the tax deadlines both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for owner-operators is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January, no matter how the load count moved.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether this summer's peak hauling season changed the number for the year.
- October
Before the season slows
Loads tend to thin out as new construction starts slow down for winter. Gus looks at trucks or trailers worth buying before December and gets outstanding settlements chased down.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for aggregate and dirt hauling companies. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions aggregate and dirt hauling owners ask first.
Can Gus split material cost from the hauling fee on the same invoice?
Yes. When a load is billed as material plus delivery, he keeps the two apart so you can see whether the markup or the haul is actually earning the money.
Does Gus file my fuel tax mileage report?
No, that needs mileage logged by state, which is above what Gus tracks from your bank statement. He keeps fuel costs sorted and ready, and flags when it is time to get that filing done.
Do I write off a dump truck all at once?
Often you can. Trucks bought for the business can usually be deducted the year you buy them, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
My books are behind after a busy hauling season. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
Can Gus track backhaul income separately from the outbound delivery?
Yes. A paying load picked up on the return trip gets booked as its own income, so you can see the real value of not running the truck back empty.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in site work & heavy civil
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Directional boring contractors
- Erosion control contractors
- Hydro excavation
- Land surveying firms
- Pond & lake construction
- Private utility locating
- Asphalt paving contractors
- Demolition contractors
- Excavation contractors
- Grading contractors
- Barndominium builders
- Church & religious facility builders
- Log home builders
- Shipping container home builders
- Timber frame builders
- Tiny home builders
- Acoustical ceiling contractors
- Architectural millwork & woodworking
- Commercial glaziers & storefront glass
- Commercial kitchen equipment installers
- Concrete cutting & coring
- Crane services
- Elevator installation & service
- Fire sprinkler contractors
- Parking lot striping & maintenance
- Scaffolding contractors
- Sheet metal contractors
- Waterproofing & caulking contractors
- Drafting & CAD services
- Home plan & house design sellers
What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever