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If you're looking for driver settlement software, you likely want to reduce the repetitive work of manually calculating driver pay. The time you spend gathering information on every load each driver carries, calculating the mileage or hourly totals, and then matching it with their pay preferences can add hours each week. Plus, every time you manually enter data, you increase the risk of error.
Some trucking companies turn to QuickBooks or other generic payroll or accounting tools, thinking they’ll help overcome these challenges. However, even if you use these tools, you’ll still have to create driver settlements manually before inputting them into those systems. These tools have no understanding of details that are specific to trucking payroll, such as tonnage, mileage, or per-load rates — so you’ll have to add those details yourself.
Instead, you need a trucking management software (TMS) that automates driver pay calculations, so you can instantly create new driver settlements without having to revisit each load and manually add up which driver has carried what. The right system can calculate driver pay for you by capturing all relevant load details and centralizing load data for back-office teams. This is something only tools built specifically for the trucking industry can handle.
In this guide, we’ll compare 4 top driver settlement software options, starting with Toro TMS — the tool we built to save bulk haulers time at dispatch and throughout their back-office tasks.
Tired of manual pay calculations slowing your team? Schedule a Toro TMS demo to streamline settlements today.
How Toro TMS streamlines driver settlements by eliminating repetitive pay calculations
With Toro TMS, dry and liquid bulk haulers can:
- Automatically create driver pay settlements using load information stored centrally in the system.
- Keep track of how each driver is paid (e.g., by mile or tonnage, with or without fuel reimbursements) with driver profiles for fast, error-free settlements.
- Sync your driver pay data to QuickBooks to close your books without manual data entry.
- Analyze driver performance and track profitability to optimize pay structures and settlement costs.
These features help bulk haulers process settlements efficiently, reduce the risk of driver pay disputes with clear, accurate pay summaries, and make data-driven decisions to grow their fleets.
Below, we get into the details of how Toro delivers on these benefits.
Gather load data in one place for instant driver settlement processing
If you want to save time on creating driver settlements and processing pay, your accounting and payroll teams need to have all the details of every load in one accessible and centralized place.
However, this can only happen if dispatchers and drivers adopt your software. In many trucking companies, we see situations where dispatchers don’t actually want to use a TMS because it’s not intuitive, it doesn’t save them time, and they have to enter load details multiple times. Then, if anything changes, they’ll have to enter data again to upload the load details.
In our experience, the trouble is that if dispatchers and drivers don’t love the software, they simply won’t use it. As a result, they record load details outside the system (for instance, in spreadsheets), drivers have to submit tickets manually, and your back-office teams don’t have easy access to the information they need to create and process driver settlements.
To solve this problem, we built Toro TMS to be as easy to use as possible, so that all the load information your back office needs is already in the system. And the best place to gather this information is at dispatch, when loads are being created and assigned out to drivers.
That’s why we’ve designed Toro with a dispatch screen that dispatchers actually love to use. This way, they’ll enter the information into Toro, and it will be available to everyone downstream. No one else needs to enter any data at all.
With Toro TMS, dispatchers enter load details, such as pickup and drop-off locations, commodity types, and tonnages, and all data is centralized on a single dashboard. Your accounting and payroll teams can then view the load data instantly to create driver settlements.
Specifically, Toro users can:
- Create load templates to easily dispatch recurring orders. In customizable templates, you can store details including pickup locations, tonnage, or rates, so you can reuse the same info for repeat orders without re-entering any data at all.
- Edit load details in real-time. When you change any load details, updates automatically sync to your driver settlements and pay calculations. All changes instantly refresh your driver settlements without manual re-entry.
- Assign loads to available drivers. In Toro’s dispatch screen, you can view driver availability in a drag-and-drop calendar view. All unassigned loads can be moved to an available driver’s calendar to be dispatched.
- Sync driver information in real-time. View each driver’s profile to access pay rates, HR details, load history, and personal calendars. This information is automatically synced with the load the driver is assigned to, so payroll can instantly generate settlements.
Read more: How to choose a dispatch software for trucking your teams will actually use
Enable drivers to add scale tickets and other documentation digitally to each load
To ensure that all load information is stored in one place, your drivers need to be on board, too. That’s why Toro uses driver communications tools built for driver adoption.
Many TMS tools require drivers to download mobile apps or use online portals to upload delivery documents. But drivers often resist these tools because they’re just too complicated. This forces your dispatchers to send out loads manually, leaving your accounting team waiting for drivers to return with physical tickets to finalize settlements.
With Toro TMS, drivers receive a simple text message with their dispatch instructions and load info. This message also contains a unique link to upload photos of documents like scale tickets or delivery confirmations — so all the information related to a load is stored in one place.
Toro uses text messages because, in our experience, this has a much higher adoption rate than complex apps or driver portals. This way, drivers are more likely to receive load details, stay on schedule, and upload documents digitally so back-office teams can access them instantly.
Drivers just click the link, snap a photo of the ticket, and submit it. Then, Toro automatically extracts details like tonnage and ticket reference numbers, syncing them to the centralized dashboard for immediate use in settlements and invoicing.
Not only does this reduce the waiting time for documents, but it also eliminates repetitive data entry. Everything your team needs is in one place with easy access.
Store individual pay details with driver profiles
Once your drivers have uploaded relevant documents for back-office teams, you need to know how each driver gets paid. There can be a lot to consider here, with pay varying by driver preferences, as well as other factors like fuel deductions or loan repayments.
Generic accounting tools struggle with these nuances of driver pay, as they typically can’t capture the data — such as mileages or weights — needed to process it correctly. Plus, they’re unable to link load details to pay structures specific to trucking, meaning you’ll have to calculate pay manually for employees, contractors, or sub-haulers.
Toro TMS solves this by providing driver profiles that store custom pay settings, such as whether a driver earns per mile, per ton, or per hour, along with their availability and any relevant bonuses or HR information.
These profiles also track deductions, such as fuel costs for owner-operators using company fuel cards, to ensure that every settlement reflects exact expenses without requiring manual calculations from back office teams.
Generate settlements automatically and share them with drivers by text
Toro TMS automatically generates accurate, ready-to-send settlements for drivers using the collected load data alongside the detailed driver profiles.
Each weekly PDF settlement summary compiles all driver earnings broken up by individual load. It includes detailed earnings, such as pay per mile, ton, or load. Plus, it includes deductions like fuel costs, tablet fees, or tolls, meeting drivers’ needs for exact calculations.
Settlements are sent via a text link to drivers’ phones, allowing for instant review without using apps or additional logins. Drivers can easily visualize their earnings because the settlement shows precisely how their pay is derived from load data and profile settings.
You can sync that information to QuickBooks to close your books or export it to send to your third-party payroll provider. This way, you’ll reduce the time your accounting and payroll teams spend on creating driver settlements, while also cutting manual errors.
For instance, Acme Resources — a third-generation family-owned trucking business with 25 trucks — saves hours every week processing driver settlements and payroll with Toro TMS.
"Drivers see exactly what they ran each week. Payroll processing for our W-2 drivers through ADP is faster with Toro’s clean reporting," says Cindy, a back-office employee.
Read more: QuickBooks trucking software: How to save 70% of time on back-office tasks
See how drivers perform with advanced trucking reporting
Once you’ve created your settlements, Toro lets you create advanced reports that break down load-specific data. This allows you to analyze driver profitability by showing earnings by load, pay type, or customer, so you can identify top performers and optimize pay plans.
On top of that, Toro's reporting lets you compare mileage versus tonnage pay rates to determine which pay structures are the best solution for your bulk hauler operations.
With Toro’s analytics tools, you can also track mileage trends. For instance, you can get at-a-glance visibility on how many miles are driven empty. With this info, you can streamline routes and lower fuel costs, directly impacting settlement deductions and IFTA accuracy.
Custom reports, such as load reconciliations, help you catch pay or billing discrepancies quickly. For instance, you can verify load details against driver logs in just a few minutes. This keeps settlements accurate and reduces the number of driver pay disputes.
Bonus: Automate the creation of customer invoices
Along with finalizing driver settlements, your back-office team needs a tool to generate invoices to collect customer payments. Just as they’re spending hours on payroll, many companies are spending hours manually writing out invoices from scratch using data that’s already been entered into a computer by someone else.
With Toro, much of the work of creating and sending invoices is done automatically with no repeat data entry required. Invoices are prepopulated with load data already used for settlements, such as mileage, tonnage, or BOL details.
All you need to do is click "Create Invoice". The customer's email is automatically extracted from your load, and our system creates a ready-to-send email to your customer.
Then, invoices sync to your QuickBooks Online or Desktop account, with charge types mapped to the correct ledger accounts, to save you further time in accounting.
Cut hours off of manual driver settlement creation. Book a demo to see how Toro TMS can work for you.
Top 3 alternative driver settlement software providers
Every trucking company has different needs. To end this article, we share three more solutions for driver settlements, so you can choose the best option for you.
2. TruckLogics: A software for complex driver deduction management
TruckLogics is a cloud-based TMS with various driver settlement tools tailored for owner-operators and small fleets.
Users can pre-set recurring deductions once, like fuel or tablet fees, and they auto-apply to every settlement — perfect for fleets with consistent driver agreements.
Notable TruckLogics features include:
- Automated settlement generation from dispatch data
- Support for deductions and reimbursements
- PDF settlement reports emailed to drivers
- Easy dispatch management to track loads for accurate settlement inputs
- Mobile app for drivers to upload tickets
- QuickBooks sync to export settlement transactions for payroll processing
Pricing starts at $39.95 per month, with discounts available for annual billing.
3. McLeod Software: Driver settlement for enterprise trucking companies
McLeod Software is the preferred TMS and driver settlement software for enterprise trucking companies. The system includes various payroll and trucking management tools for driver settlement and payroll automation through its LoadMaster module.
Key features include:
- Automated driver pay calculations from indexed load documents
- Custom pay structures for company drivers, handling mileage, percentage splits, or detention fees
- McLeod Driver App for drivers to view and approve settlements, upload documents, and communicate with dispatch
- Advanced dispatch planning to align loads with pay data for accuracy
- DocumentPower feature to capture document uploads and store them for back-office teams
- Accounting integration to export settlements to financial systems
- Built-in EDI system, API access, and custom integrations available
McLeod offers custom pricing only for enterprise users. You can expect to spend at least $100,000+, including ongoing licensing and customer support fees, to get started with McLeod.
4. Truckbase: Automated driver settlements for smaller fleets
Truckbase is a user-friendly TMS built for small and mid-sized trucking companies that need a system to handle driver settlements and dispatch in one place.
The trucking software provides bulk automated settlement generation with customizations for base pay, deductions, bonuses, and itemization. This grants you complete visibility over all driver payments with detailed revision tracking for pay disputes.
Key Truckbase features include:
- Automated driver settlements to calculate pay without manual entry
- Invoice generation and mobile document uploads
- Customizable pay rules for drivers
- Clean interface for easy dispatch and settlement management
- Mobile driver app for uploading load documents and communications
- Accounting and ELD integrations for data syncing and compliance
Pricing for Truckbase starts at $290 per month when billed annually, with volume-based tiers.
Reduce data entry and automate your driver settlements with Toro TMS
If you're looking for a better way to handle driver settlements, Toro TMS is the solution to keep your trucking operations running smoothly.
With our load-based, dispatch-first approach, Toro helps bulk haulers cut manual work and automate settlements. It enables you to:
- Centralize load data to generate settlements without reentering load details
- Automate pay calculations with driver profiles for fast, error-free settlements
- Streamline driver approvals using text-based document uploads
- Spend less time on invoicing and reporting
We’ll onboard your team quickly in person at your office. Plus, we prioritize customer support with response times under 30 minutes from 9 AM to 9 PM ET.
Ready to move on from your manual driver settlement processes? Book a demo today to see how Toro improves your payroll efficiency.