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Trucking & Transportation Companies: Managed Payroll for Small Businesses (Under 25 Employees) (2026)
Managed payroll for a small trucking company is a complexity decision, not a headcount one: at $45 per employee with no monthly minimum a 10-person trucking company pays $450 a month. BEG: $45 per employee per month inside the payroll software you already use, live in 3 to 5 days.
What managed payroll costs a small trucking company
At $45 per employee per month with no monthly minimum and no setup fee, a 5-person trucking company pays $225 a month, a 10-person one $450 and a 20-person one $900, all-inclusive. The cost grows one employee at a time, so there is no headcount to wait for. Payroll software at roughly $40 to $150 a month plus $5 to $12 per employee is cheaper in raw dollars for a single-state, all-W-2, hourly-and-salary payroll. The question is whether this trucking company is that payroll.
The complications that decide it for trucking companies
Section 13(b)(1) of the FLSA provides an overtime exemption for employees of motor carriers and motor private carriers who work as drivers, driver's helpers, loaders or mechanics and whose duties affect the safety of operation of motor vehicles in interstate or foreign commerce.
Per-diem pay for drivers, owner-operator vs W-2 classification, DOT compliance and mileage reimbursement: each is a pay code that self-service software ships blank, and each is a place a small trucking company with no payroll specialist gets it wrong for years before an audit or a wage claim finds it. One of these, or an employee in a second state, or a first garnishment order, is the point where the managed price stops being a premium.
What a small trucking company is already subject to
Below 50 employees the federal lines already crossed are e-filing at 10 information returns, OSHA logs at 11 unless the industry is on the exempt list, Title VII and the ADA at 15, and the ADEA and COBRA at 20. None of them wait for a payroll department to exist.
The rules behind this page, with sources
General information, not legal advice. Every rule below was read on the agency page linked next to it.
- Section 13(b)(1) of the FLSA provides an overtime exemption for employees of motor carriers and motor private carriers who work as drivers, driver's helpers, loaders or mechanics and whose duties affect the safety of operation of motor vehicles in interstate or foreign commerce. [DOL Fact Sheet #19]
Read the full guide to managed payroll by company size, and the rest of the trucking company payroll library.
Managed Payroll, Handled.
BEG manages payroll at $45 per employee per month, all-inclusive. Get an instant cost comparison for your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is managed payroll worth it for a trucking company under 20 employees?
When there is a complication: per-diem pay for drivers, a second state, a garnishment, or a classification question about OTR drivers and local drivers. Without one, software is the cheaper price for a simple payroll and this page says so.
What does a 10-person trucking company pay?
$450 a month: 10 employees at $45 per employee, all-inclusive, with no monthly minimum and no setup fee.
Which trucking company rule most often breaks a self-service setup?
Section 13(b)(1) of the FLSA provides an overtime exemption for employees of motor carriers and motor private carriers who work as drivers, driver's helpers, loaders or mechanics and whose duties affect the safety of operation of motor vehicles in interstate or foreign commerce.
What does managed payroll cost for a trucking company?
$45 per employee per month, all-inclusive, inside the payroll software you already use, with no monthly minimum. Per-diem pay for drivers, owner-operator vs W-2 classification and DOT compliance are configured at setup, not billed as add-ons.
Related Resources
Anthony leads payroll solutions at Business Executive Group, a national managed payroll firm serving businesses across industries including Trucking & Transportation Companies. BEG manages payroll at $45 PEPM, all-inclusive, with deep expertise in compliance, multi-state filing, and industry-specific payroll requirements. Get instant pricing at beghr.com.
Authoritative source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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