Bookkeeping for trucking companies in Ontario, CA.
For owner-operators and small fleets. Your books done the day you upload your statements, checked against your bank, for $79 a month.
Free to join. The first 1,000 in get their catch-up free.
Sales tax
California's sales tax is 7.25%, and cities and counties add their own, about 8.99% in all on average. If what you sell is taxable, you collect it and file returns with the state.
State income tax
California taxes income at 1% to 13.3% in 2026, including the profit from your business.
Federal tax
Working for yourself, you pay 15.3% self-employment tax on most of your profit, plus federal income tax, usually in four estimated payments: April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15.
Contractors
Paid a contractor $2,000 or more in 2026? Send them a 1099-NEC by January 31.
What every business in Ontario (about 190,000 people) keeps track of in 2026. Rates change, so check with your accountant before you file.
Trucking companies in Ontario, by the numbers
San Bernardino County, home to Ontario, has 2,532 trucking companies with employees (Census Bureau, 2023).
That's 114% more than in 2018 (1,185).
Another 12,184 are run by one person with no employees, mostly self-employed owners.
Across California there are 24,074 with employees, so about 11% are in San Bernardino County.
Every one of them has books to keep: sales to match to the bank, costs to sort and tax to work out.
Why trucking companies need different books
Fuel bought in many states or provinces, loads paid weeks later through factoring or brokers, meals on the road, a truck worth more than the rest of the business, and fuel tax returns every quarter. Trucking books are mostly about fuel and distance.
What a bookkeeper for trucking companies in Ontario keeps track of
Fuel by state or province, for IFTA
Distance by jurisdiction
Loads billed and paid
Meals on the road
Truck and trailer costs and depreciation
Taxes for trucking companies in California
Freight services aren't subject to sales tax in most states.
IFTA returns are due each quarter, from fuel bought and miles driven in each state.
Drivers under DOT hours-of-service rules can deduct 80% of meals on the road, not 50%.
Heavy trucks of 55,000 pounds or more need Form 2290 each year.
What SumSwift does for owner-operators and trucking companies, for $79 a month
IFTA returns worked out from your fuel receipts and ELD or GPS files
Meals at 80% for long-haul trips
Fuel receipts read for litres or gallons and the place you bought them
Big purchases get one question, "Is this equipment?", so they're written off over the right years
Every statement checked against the balances your bank printed, to the cent, with personal spending kept off your profit
A year-end package and free access for your accountant
Up to 3 accounts included. Prices in USD. Your accountant still files your tax return, with clean books and free access.
Questions.
How much does a bookkeeper for trucking companies cost in Ontario?
Published price guides put most small businesses at $300 to $1,500 a month for a bookkeeper, more when the books are busy, as they often are for trucking companies. SumSwift does the monthly work for $79 a month, the day you upload your statements.
Can SumSwift do my IFTA?
It works out the return from your fuel receipts and your ELD or GPS distance files. You file it with your base jurisdiction.
What meals can I deduct?
Long-haul drivers can deduct 80% of meals on the road. SumSwift applies it to the share of meals that are on eligible trips.
Does SumSwift know California's tax rules?
Freight services aren't subject to sales tax in most states. IFTA returns are due each quarter, from fuel bought and miles driven in each state.
Behind on my books. Can you catch me up?
Yes. A catch-up of up to 12 months is $599, once, checked against your bank to the cent.