Vocational & certification training
Books and taxes for CDL training schools.
Tuition, carrier tuition-reimbursement deals, VA benefits, and a truck fleet that eats fuel and repairs all move differently through the bank. Gus sorts it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
March came in at $17,000. The rebuilt transmission for truck two went in as repairs, not a new asset.
- Carrier tuition reimbursementCarrier sponsorships
- VA education paymentVA benefits
- Diesel fuel, fleetTruck fuel and repairs
- Driving range rentalRange and yard fees
- DOT physical exam feesStudent screening
Why your books are different
CDL school books go wrong around the truck, not the classroom.
A generalist sees tuition and diesel bills. Your school runs a fleet, a driving range, and carrier partners who pay tuition back once a graduate is hired. When the books do not track that, you cannot tell if a cohort actually paid for itself.
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1
Carrier reimbursement pays out after the student is gone
A trucking company that reimburses a graduate's tuition once hired often pays the school two or three months after the class ended. Waiting on that cash to book the income makes a strong cohort look like a loss until the check arrives.
What we doTracks carrier reimbursement owed against the cohort it belongs to, so a slow-paying carrier does not hide a good month. -
2
Truck repairs and truck purchases get mixed together
A transmission rebuild and a new tractor bought outright are not the same kind of cost, but both often land in one truck expense line, making it impossible to see what the fleet is really costing to run.
What we doKeeps ordinary repairs apart from truck purchases, so the fleet's real running cost stays visible. -
3
Range-yard fuel gets lumped with student loads
Fuel burned running students through the yard for backing and parking drills is a training cost, not the same as fuel for a truck hauling a paid freight run on the side.
What we doKeeps training fuel and any freight-hauling income in their own lines, so neither one muddies the other. -
4
A new truck is not a supply purchase
A used tractor bought for the training fleet can cost as much as a house down payment. Filed as an ordinary expense, it wrecks the month it was bought and can get written off the wrong way.
What we doFlags fleet purchases the day they show up, logs them as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how to write them off. -
5
Instructors paid by the cohort look like contractors
A retired driver who trains cohorts on your trucks, your yard, and your schedule usually counts as an employee, even paid per class. Called a contractor anyway, it gets expensive if it is ever questioned.
What we doKeeps instructor pay in its own line and flags anyone who looks more like staff than a contractor.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a CDL training school.
Set up once for how the school gets paid and what a truck fleet costs to run. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Tuition, paid upfrontCourse fees paid directly by the student.
- Carrier tuition reimbursementTrucking companies paying the school back once a graduate is hired on.
- VA education benefitsPayments for veterans using GI Bill benefits for CDL training.
- WIOA and workforce fundingLocal workforce board vouchers, tracked by what stage they pay at.
- Endorsement and re-test feesCharges for hazmat, tanker, or doubles endorsement prep.
Money out
- Instructor payPayroll wages and per-cohort pay for driving instructors, kept in its own line.
- Truck fuel and repairsDiesel, tires, and ordinary upkeep for the training fleet.
- Truck and trailer purchasesFleet vehicles, logged so they get written off right.
- Range and yard feesRental of the driving range or yard space used for training.
- DOT physical and drug screeningRequired health and screening checks paid for students.
- InsuranceFleet, liability, and cargo coverage for the training trucks.
- State approval and bondingThe school's state license, renewal fees, and surety bond.
What we watch for you
- Carrier receivable
Reimbursement owed by carriers but not yet paid, by cohort.
- Cost per truck
Fuel and repairs against how many students each truck trains.
- Instructor cost share
Instructor pay against tuition revenue, a sign whether a cohort is priced right.
- The set-aside
What the school will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is not a surprise.
Ask Gus
Things CDL school 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.
I book it against January's cohort, not the month it landed, so you can see that class actually paid off even though the check took a while.
Usually it can. I logged it as equipment, not a truck expense, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
That is worth a real look. Freight income earned in a school truck needs its own line, separate from training, so I flagged it for the accountant.
The tax side
The tax side of a CDL training school.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels around the fleet. Trucks filed as ordinary expenses, an instructor paid like a contractor who works like staff, and carrier money nobody tracked until it landed.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Truck and trailer depreciationTraining trucks and trailers can usually be written off the year they are bought. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025, though heavy vehicles have their own rules.
- Instructor classificationA driver who trains on your trucks, your yard, and your schedule is usually an employee, even paid per cohort. Getting it wrong gets expensive, so Gus flags it before it becomes a habit.
- Contractor 1099sA guest instructor or outside help paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operated schools can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions CDL training schools miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Diesel fuel for the fleet
- Truck tires and brakes
- Range or yard rental
- DOT physical fees
- Drug screening costs
- Fleet insurance
- Instructor CDL renewals
- State approval fees
- Surety bond premiums
- Backing cones and training aids
- Dispatch and scheduling software
- Uniforms with the school's name
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 CDL school year, kept every month.
Freight demand shifts the calendar for carriers, not for your classroom. Your team keeps you ahead of the tax dates that do not move. 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 is ready, and the school gets a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
The return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where the school stands, what it will owe, and whether carrier reimbursements are coming in on schedule.
- October
Before winter training
Gus looks at fleet maintenance or a truck purchase worth making before year end and anything else worth doing before December.
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 CDL training schools. 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 CDL school owners ask first.
Can Gus track what a carrier still owes us for tuition reimbursement?
Yes. He keeps a running list of what has been billed to carriers and what is still outstanding, tied to the cohort it belongs to.
We run students through a scheduling app for the range. Do we have to change anything?
No. Keep running the school the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a deposit is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.
Do we write off a used tractor all at once?
Often you can, though heavy vehicles have their own rules on how much of the purchase counts in the first year. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
Our instructors are paid per cohort. Does that change the books?
It changes where the money goes, not what you do. Gus keeps instructor pay in its own line and flags anyone paid like a contractor who works like staff, so the accountant can weigh in.
Our books are a year behind. 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.
Does Gus file for VA approval or handle GI Bill paperwork?
No. Gus keeps the books ready and tracks what VA payments are owed, but the approval and certification paperwork stays with the school and the VA.
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.
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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