Accountant

Accountant in the Trucking Industry

The accountant is responsible for keeping records of the income and expenses, as well as tax obligations for both drivers and the trucking company.
Additionally, the accountant monitors factors that affect the increase or decrease in income and expenses. And accordingly creates a balance for better business operations, between all the parties ie. company and drivers, collaborating companies, etc..

Accountant Position within the Trucking Industry

In a smaller trucking or brokerage company the accountant might cover a wide range of duties, while the bigger companies organize their accounting department in smaller sectors:
Payroll
This subdepartment handles everything related to payroll. Which commonly include issuing weekly paychecks to drivers and other company employees, keeping track of drivers’ earnings and expenses, calculating taxes, collecting bank account information, and managing the payment process.
Billing
The billing department gathers and maintains records of all operational activities and issues invoices to brokers, shippers, clients, or factoring companies.
Fuel
Responsible for issuing and managing driver fuel cards, monitoring expenses, calculating fuel surcharges, and quarterly IFTA reports.
Insurance
Makes sure that all equipment, owned and leased or rented by the company, and all the freight transported is covered by insurance.

In trucking, the accountant job can be in-house, meaning the accountant works directly for the company, or outsourced, meaning the company hires an external firm or individual to handle accounting tasks.

Responsibilities of an Accountant

Everyday responsibilities include: 

• Keeping track of income
• Keeping track of expenses
• Taking care of tax obligations
• Making weekly and monthly statements
• Reviewing weekly and monthly statements
• Processing payments
• Managing statistical data

Accountant Qualifications

Regarding qualifications, it is preferable to have a high school diploma, or higher education in the field of economics, or to have completed a course in accounting.
Many companies offer training for new employees, but any prior knowledge is a significant plus!
In addition to the acquired education or training, an accountant should possess: good attention to detail, analytical skills, problem solving mindset and good communication skills.