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LeadChange Group

Payroll Software

Payroll Software for Trucking

Trucking payroll has to treat each role under its own overtime rules: interstate drivers, helpers, loaders and mechanics can be exempt from federal overtime, while dispatchers and office staff are not. The right system sets overtime status per role and per week, and keeps the pay records the Labor Department can inspect.

products that fit
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By LeadChange Research TeamUpdated Based on 8 sources, most recently checked

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Research in progress12 capabilities we evaluate

  • Gross-to-net calculation
  • Payroll tax filing
  • Overtime and regular rate
  • Multi-state payroll
  • Deductions and garnishments
  • Off-cycle runs
  • Direct deposit and pay options
  • Time and benefits integration
  • Accounting and GL export
  • Reports and audit trail

See ranked Payroll Software

Research in progress

OnPay has verified evidence that it serves this segment so far. We rank payroll software for trucking once at least 3 products have it; until then, this page sets out what matters and what we evaluate.

What we evaluate

  • Gross-to-net calculation

    Calculates gross pay, pre-tax and post-tax deductions and net pay for each employee in every pay run.

  • Payroll tax filing

    Calculates, deposits and files federal, state and local payroll tax returns, with confirmations available to the customer.

  • Overtime and regular rate

    Calculates overtime on the regular rate of pay, including bonuses, shift differentials and multiple pay rates.

  • Multi-state payroll

    Handles employees who live or work in different states, including reciprocity agreements and local taxes.

  • Deductions and garnishments

    Processes benefit deductions, wage garnishments and child support orders with correct limits and remittance.

  • Off-cycle runs

    Runs bonuses, corrections and final paychecks outside the regular schedule, with the tax effects calculated.

  • Direct deposit and pay options

    Pays employees by direct deposit, split deposit, paper check or pay card.

  • Time and benefits integration

    Imports hours from timekeeping and deductions from benefits systems without re-keying.

  • Accounting and GL export

    Maps earnings, taxes and deductions to general ledger accounts and exports journals to accounting software.

  • Reports and audit trail

    Provides payroll registers, tax and liability reports and a log of who changed what and when.

  • Employee self-service

    Gives employees access to pay stubs, W-2s and withholding changes online or on mobile.

  • Year-end forms

    Produces and files Forms W-2 and 1099 and supports corrections after filing.

How many people do you pay?

Some products only serve certain team sizes: those that do not fit yours drop out.

What matters for trucking

  1. Overtime status by role

    Section 13(b)(1) of the FLSA provides an overtime exemption for drivers, drivers’ helpers, loaders who are responsible for proper loading, and mechanics on vehicles used in interstate commerce. It does not cover dispatchers, office personnel or those who unload vehicles. Set each role’s overtime status separately.

  2. Small vehicle weeks

    The exemption does not apply in a workweek when the employee performs duties on motor vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less, even if the same week also involves heavier trucks. Check that overtime can be turned on for those weeks only.

  3. Pay records for three years

    Federal rules require payroll records to be kept for at least three years and time cards for two, open for inspection. Check how long the system keeps them and how you export them.

How to choose payroll software

6 criteria · Requirements by company size · 5 red flags

Payroll is a compliance product first and a convenience product second. Choose for tax accuracy, filing responsibility and data portability before interface and add-ons.

Run a parallel payroll with a real pay period, including at least one overtime case and one multi-state employee, and compare every line against your current results.

  1. Federal, state and local tax filing

    Missed deposits and late quarterly returns create penalties, and the Form 941 and deposit rules are strict. Coverage often differs by state and by local tax type.

  2. Liability and error handling

    Under IRS guidance, the employer is ultimately responsible for the deposit and payment of federal tax liabilities, even when a payroll provider makes the deposits. What matters is whether the vendor covers penalties and interest it causes.

  3. Overtime and regular-rate calculation

    Federal default: overtime for hours worked in excess of 40 in a workweek, on a regular rate that counts all pay the Act does not exclude. Nightshift differentials and premiums paid for hazardous, arduous or dirty work count toward it; for two rates, the regular rate for that week is the weighted average of such rates.

  4. Multi-state and reciprocity handling

    Employees who live in one state and work in another can trigger different withholding and unemployment rules.

  5. Time and benefits integration

    Re-keying hours and deductions by hand adds a chance for errors in every pay run.

  6. Accounting export and general ledger mapping

    Clean journal entries reduce month-end work and reconciliation errors.

Requirements by company size

  • Small businesses

    • Automatic tax calculation, deposit and filing in every state where you have employees
    • Direct deposit and year-end forms included in the base price
    • Straightforward onboarding for new hires, including tax withholding forms

    Watch out for

    • Per-run or per-form fees on top of the monthly price
    • Tax filing in additional states priced as an add-on
    • Setup that assumes you already have a tax account in each state

  • Mid-sized companies

    • Multi-state and local tax handling with reciprocity rules
    • Approval workflows and role-based permissions for payroll changes
    • Native connectors to time, benefits and the general ledger

    Watch out for

    • Reporting that needs a paid add-on to get department-level labor costs
    • Integration limits tied to the pricing tier
    • Implementation that depends on your own data cleanup

  • Enterprises

    • Multiple legal entities, pay groups and calendars in one tenant
    • Audit logs, segregation of duties and configurable controls
    • Retroactive pay and complex earnings rules, with testable results

    Watch out for

    • Professional services and change-order costs after signing
    • Dependence on custom configuration that only the vendor can modify
    • Data export terms that make switching expensive

Red flags

  • The vendor will not state in writing who is responsible for penalties caused by its own filing errors.
  • Tax filing is described as included but only for federal returns.
  • No parallel payroll or sandbox is offered before go-live.
  • Full historical data cannot be exported in a standard format.
  • Pricing is hidden until a sales call, with no written schedule of per-run or per-form fees.

More tools for trucking

Find your fit

By audience

For AccountantsFor Payroll Service Providers

By industry

For ChurchesBest payroll software for constructionFor EducationFor FranchisesFor GovernmentFor HealthcareBest payroll software for hospitalityFor Law FirmsFor LogisticsBest payroll software for manufacturingFor NonprofitsBest payroll software for restaurantsBest payroll software for retailBest payroll software for staffing agenciesTrucking

By company size

For EnterprisesFor Mid-Sized CompaniesFor a Single EmployeeBest payroll software for small businessBest payroll software for startups

By price

Best free payroll softwareOpen-Source

By need

For Hourly EmployeesBest payroll software for multiple locationsBest payroll software for remote teams

By integration

For NetSuiteFor QuickBooksBest payroll software for SageBest payroll software for Xero

Frequently asked questions

Which payroll platforms for trucking offer a free trial?

OnPay lists a free trial, according to its vendor: 1 of the 1 products for trucking.

How we research

A ranking of payroll software for trucking reweights the LeadChange Score: capability coverage 35%, pricing transparency & value 15%, integrations & API 10%, security & compliance 15%, fit & support 15%, and data confidence 10%. Only products with a verified fact showing they serve this segment are listed.

Read the full methodology

How this page was made

  • What it is built from

    1 verified fact, each checked against the vendor's own pages or another primary source, most recently on Nov 5, 2026.

  • Method

    Scored and compared with the LeadChange methodology, version 1.5. Read the methodology

  • Independent review

    Passed our independent review on Nov 5, 2026. How we review

  • Hands-on testing

    We have not tested these products hands-on: this page uses public information only.

  • Who made it

    The LeadChange Research Team, following a written research process. No named expert has reviewed this page. About us

  • Independence and errors

    Who pays us never changes a score or a rank. If something here is wrong, tell us and we correct it publicly. Request a correction

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Sources

The 8 pages this page's facts come from. The date beside each is our last check of the facts taken from it (the oldest, when they differ).

Quotes from the sources
  1. OnPay onpay.com/payroll/software/industries“Here are just a few examples of the industries we serve. … Doctors and Healthcare … Education … Hospitality … Law Firms … Manufacturing … Nonprofit Organizations … Restaurants and Bars … Trucking Companies”
  2. Internal Revenue Service IRS: Outsourcing payroll duties“The employer is ultimately responsible for the deposit and payment of federal tax liabilities. Even though the employer may forward the tax amounts to the third-party to make the tax deposits, the employer is the responsible party.”
  3. U.S. Department of Labor DOL Fact Sheet 21: Recordkeeping Requirements under the FLSA“Each employer shall preserve for at least three years payroll records … Records on which wage computations are based should be retained for two years, i.e., time cards and piece work tickets, wage rate tables … These records must be open for inspection”
  4. U.S. Department of Labor DOL Fact Sheet 23: Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA“must receive overtime pay for hours worked in excess of 40 in a workweek … An employee's workweek is a fixed and regularly recurring period of 168 hours … The regular rate includes all remuneration for employment except certain payments excluded by the Act itself. … Averaging of hours over two or more weeks is not permitted.”
  5. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations 29 CFR 778.207: Other types of contract premium pay distinguished“The Act requires the inclusion in the regular rate of such extra premiums as nightshift differentials (whether they take the form of a percent of the base rate or an addition of so many cents per hour) and premiums paid for hazardous, arduous or dirty work.”
  6. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations 29 CFR 778.115: Employees working at two or more rates“his regular rate for that week is the weighted average of such rates.”
  7. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations 29 CFR 778.203: Premium pay for work on Saturdays, Sundays, and other special days“Premium rate of at least time and one-half which is paid for work on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, or regular days of rest … If the premium rate is less than time and one-half, the extra compensation provided by such rate must be included in determining the employee's regular rate of pay”
  8. U.S. Department of Labor Fact Sheet #19: The Motor Carrier Exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)“Only drivers, drivers’ helpers, loaders who are responsible for proper loading, and mechanics working directly on motor vehicles that are to be used in transportation of passengers or property in interstate commerce can be exempt … dispatchers, office personnel, those who unload vehicles … motor vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less”