First I create a list of what needs to be done on the first of the month and store this list in the front of my notebook.
Reconcile all of our accounts
Download logs from Qualcomm to my computer
Download list fuel purchased at TA/Petro from their website and print
Download from Comdata a reconciliation sheet
List of each of our accounts that need a reconciliation sheet printed
Update the interest on savings accounts and also on our investments
Print settlement sheets
Take all of the receipts for the month that have been scanned, put like receipts together and staple them. When we go home I take these receipts and place them in their respective file folders at the house.
Create and print a profit and loss statement from Quicken
I then place all of these printed statements in my notebook and keep the notebook in my traveling file box. At the end of the year I clean this notebook out and place all of these sheets with my receipts in a clear-labeled file box.
Each week when we receive our settlement sheet I cross check what loads we have hauled and verify that we were paid for those loads.
When we fuel I record the fuel purchased, gallons, and price on my fuel spreadsheet. Each time we buy fuel I record our MPG for that fill and also record the lifetime MPG for the truck.
Each time we receive a load I record who gave us the load, where the load picked up, where the load delivers, loaded miles, empty miles, unauthorized miles, pay per mile for all miles, and pay for the load. When we receive our settlement sheet each load pay is compared to what we were told the load would pay.
We keep a running total for fuel in a small notebook kept in the dash and this is where we can quickly look at our last MPG and also the total in our fuel account. This book I keep from year to year until the book fills.
In 2015 I will quit using neat receipts as I have cracked the glass in the scanner twice and it is to expensive to purchase new each year when I have a perfectly good scanner in the truck. I have created a folder that will have subfolders to contain my scanned receipts.
As 2014 was drawing to a close I looked over my spreadsheets to see how they could be improved upon to quickly give me the information that I want to see. As I learn more about spreadsheets I also put this to good use.
All of this attention to detail pays off at the end of the year when I gather up all of our information to send to our accountant. It is relatively painless, quick, and I can quickly close out a year and be ready to start a new year. I also have through out the year a clear picture of our business and where we stand.