Freight, trucking & delivery
Books and taxes for expedited freight companies.
Rush premiums for time-critical loads, a sprinter van that runs almost around the clock, team driver pay split between two people, and fuel that adds up fast on straight-through hauls. Your own bookkeeper 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
November came in at $6,600. A straight-through run on Panther Premium Logistics paid a real rush premium, so I kept that separate from your standard load pay.
- Panther Premium settlementRush and team runs
- Landstar Ligon settlementStandard expedite loads
- Team driver split paymentTeam driver pay
- Diesel, cross-country runFuel
- Sprinter van serviceVan maintenance
Why your books are different
Expedited freight books go wrong around the van and the team.
A generalist sees a settlement deposit and a fuel bill. Your business runs a sprinter van nearly nonstop on time-critical loads, often with two drivers splitting the wheel to keep it moving, and gets paid a real premium for guaranteed transit time. When the books do not separate the rush pay from the routine pay, you cannot tell what being fast is actually worth.
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1
Rush premiums blend into standard load pay
A load that has to run straight through without stopping pays more than a routine expedite job, but if both land in the same revenue line, you cannot see how much of your income actually depends on time-critical work.
What we doKeeps rush and team-run premiums in their own category, separate from standard expedite loads, so you can see what speed is really worth. -
2
Team driver pay looks like one wage
Splitting pay between two drivers on a team run is different from paying a solo driver, and if it all lands in one wage line, you lose track of what running a team actually costs against what it earns.
What we doKeeps team driver pay visible as its own category, so you can compare team runs against solo runs honestly. -
3
The sprinter van gets treated like a semi truck
A cargo van depreciates and gets maintained very differently than a tractor-trailer, and generic trucking categories can miss the specific wear a van racks up running nearly around the clock.
What we doKeeps van maintenance and depreciation in its own category built for a smaller, harder-running vehicle. -
4
A van replacement wrecks one month's numbers
Replacing a high-mileage sprinter van is a major purchase, and filed as a plain expense it makes that month look like a loss instead of an investment in reliability.
What we doFlags a van purchase the day it posts, logs it as equipment, and gets the accountant's call on how it gets written off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an expedited freight business.
Set up once for how loads pay you and what running a van nearly nonstop actually costs. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Rush and team runsPremium pay for time-critical, straight-through loads.
- Standard expedite loadsRegular expedite freight paid at the normal going rate.
- Detention payReimbursement for wait time loading or unloading.
- Fuel surcharge payAny surcharge billed on top of the base load rate.
Money out
- Team driver payWages split between two drivers on a team-run load.
- FuelFuel for long, continuous hauls.
- Van maintenanceService and repairs specific to a sprinter or cargo van.
- Van payment and insuranceLoan or lease payment and cargo or liability coverage.
- Load board and carrier network feesFees to access expedite carrier networks and loads.
- Lodging and driver expensesOccasional hotel stays or per diem for longer runs.
What we watch for you
- Rush premium share
How much of your income comes from time-critical runs versus standard loads.
- Cost per mile
Fuel, van upkeep, and driver pay against miles run. It tells you if a run is worth taking.
- Team versus solo margin
Whether running a two-driver team actually pays more than it costs compared to solo runs.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so filing season is a number already known.
Ask Gus
Things expedited freight 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 keep team driver pay separate from solo runs, so once you have a few more team loads, the real comparison will be clear.
I track van maintenance in its own category, built for how hard these vans run, so you can see if the repair pace is actually climbing or just feels that way.
Usually a good chunk of a new van can be written off the year you buy it. I would flag the purchase and the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
The tax side
The tax side of running an expedited freight business.
Most of what trips up an expedited freight business is treating a cargo van like a semi truck and mixing rush pay in with routine loads.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Writing off the sprinter vanA cargo van bought for the business can often be written off in the year it is bought, up to the Section 179 limit of $2,560,000, with 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Self-employment taxRunning the van as your own business means net profit owes 15.3 percent self-employment tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500. Gus tracks a set-aside from your rush and standard loads each month.
- Per diem for team runsNights spent away from home on longer team runs usually count toward a per diem meal deduction at standard transportation industry rates.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when rush pay, team wages, and van costs are tracked cleanly all year.
Deductions expedited freight companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Fuel
- Van maintenance and tires
- Van loan or lease interest
- Load board and carrier network fees
- Per diem meals on the road
- Team driver settlements
- Cargo and liability insurance
- CDL or driving record fees
- Phone and dispatch app fees
- Occasional lodging on longer runs
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
An expedited freight year, kept every month.
Time-critical freight moves whenever a shipper needs it there fast, with no real seasonal lull. Your taxes come on a schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of 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, and you get a monthly set-aside built from real rush and standard loads, so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been building since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a busy stretch of rush runs changed the number.
- October
Before the holiday rush
Time-critical freight tends to climb before the holidays. Gus looks at whether the van needs replacing before the busiest season hits.
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 expedited freight 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 expedited freight owners ask first.
Can the books tell me if running as a team is actually worth it?
Yes. Team driver pay is tracked separately from solo runs, so you can compare what a two-driver load really nets against the extra cost of splitting the pay.
I run for a few different expedite networks. Does that complicate things?
No. Gus tracks settlements from each network the same way, whether it is Panther, Landstar Ligon, or another carrier program you run under.
Does a rush premium actually show up differently in my numbers?
Yes. Rush and team-run premiums are kept in their own category, separate from standard expedite loads, so you can see what speed is really worth to your income.
My van needs a lot of small repairs from constant miles. Is that tracked differently than a semi would be?
Yes. Van maintenance gets its own category built around how hard a sprinter van runs, rather than being lumped in with heavy truck repair categories that do not fit.
I sometimes drive solo and sometimes run with a partner. Can the books handle both?
Yes. Solo and team runs are tracked separately, so you can see the real economics of each way of running a load.
My settlement statements from the last several months are just sitting in an email folder. Can you use those?
Yes. Send what you have. Gus sorts it out, the accountant checks it, and most owners know where they stand within a week or two.
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