No cost per job or trip
Revenue per job is known; the full cost of delivering it is not, so pricing is guesswork.
Logistics & Business Services
Logistics and business services
Haulage, forwarding, courier, facilities and shared-service businesses where each job must pay for itself.
Who this is written for: Managing directors, operations managers, fleet managers and finance managers.
How this sector actually operates
Logistics and business-services companies sell a service delivered through assets and people. Profitability is decided job by job and vehicle by vehicle, and the costs are scattered: fuel, maintenance, drivers, third-party haulage, tolls, demurrage, insurance and admin. Businesses in this sector commonly know their revenue precisely and their cost per job approximately — which means they may be winning work at a loss without knowing it.
The problems we address in this sector
These are the issues that recur. They are described as sector problems, not as claims about clients we have worked with.
Fleet costs not attributed
Fuel, maintenance, tyres and repairs recorded in total rather than by vehicle, so the loss-making units stay hidden.
Fuel leakage
Fuel purchased, issued and consumed with no reconciliation between the three, in a cost line that is both large and easy to lose.
Driver advances and expenses
Trip advances issued, partially accounted for, and reconciled weeks later — if at all.
Third-party haulage untracked
Subcontracted movements committed without approval tracking, discovered when the invoice arrives.
Receivables that age
Corporate customers on long terms, with proof of delivery delays holding up invoicing.
Asset utilisation unknown
Vehicles and equipment that sit idle while new work is turned away, or new assets bought without a utilisation case.
The work that follows
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Job and trip costing
A costing structure capturing fuel, driver cost, third-party charges, tolls, maintenance allocation and admin overhead against each job, so contribution per job is visible.
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Fleet cost attribution
Cost per vehicle and per kilometre, with maintenance history, so renewal and disposal decisions rest on data rather than age.
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Fuel reconciliation
Reconciling fuel purchased against fuel issued against consumption by vehicle and driver, with exception reporting. This is usually the single highest-value control we implement in this sector.
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Driver advance control
Advance issue, expenditure capture and reconciliation against trip documents, with a deadline that is enforced.
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Third-party commitment control
Approval and tracking of subcontracted movements before commitment, with reconciliation to invoices received.
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Receivables and POD discipline
Linking proof of delivery to invoicing, so invoices are not delayed by document flow, and an agreed follow-up routine on ageing balances.
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Asset utilisation reporting
Utilisation and revenue per asset, supporting decisions on fleet size, hiring versus owning, and capital investment.
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Systems configuration
Configuring job, vehicle and driver dimensions, approval workflows, expense capture on mobile where available, and the reporting described above.
The reporting pack we would build
Reporting is where sector knowledge shows. A generic management pack tells every business the same thing; a useful one reflects how your sector makes money and where it loses it.
- Contribution per job and per customer
- Cost per vehicle and per kilometre
- Fuel purchased, issued and consumed with variances
- Driver advances outstanding and overdue reconciliations
- Third-party haulage committed against invoiced
- Aged receivables with invoicing lag from POD
- Asset utilisation and revenue per asset
Platforms and services for this sector
Platforms commonly used in this sector
Services we apply here
ERP & Accounting Software Implementation
Most businesses do not fail with software because they bought the wrong product. They fail because nobody designed how the business would run inside i…
Service detailAccounting & Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping is not data entry. Done properly it is the discipline that turns daily transactions into numbers a managing director can rely on. We run t…
Service detailBusiness Process Improvement
Software only automates the process you give it. If the process is unclear, undocumented and dependent on individuals, the system simply records the c…
Service detailFinancial Advisory & Risk Management
Advisory work is useful when a decision has to be made and the numbers behind it are not clear. We analyse the position, model the options, quantify t…
Service detailStatutory and technical considerations
Withholding tax on transport and service contracts, VAT treatment of different service lines, and driver-related statutory deductions all need consistent handling. Where vehicles are used partly for personal purposes, the accounting and tax treatment differs and should be documented rather than assumed.
We do not publish rates, thresholds or deadlines on this website, because a figure that is out of date is more damaging than no figure at all. Where specific figures matter, they are given in an engagement against the position in force at that date.
Questions we are asked in this sector
Can we really control fuel leakage?
Reconciling fuel purchased against fuel issued against consumption by vehicle and driver, with exception reporting, usually surfaces it quickly. The control works because it makes the number visible to the person responsible, not because it is complicated.
Do you already work with logistics & business services businesses?
This page describes the operating problems and reporting needs we understand in this sector, and the work that follows from them. It is not a claim about named clients. If you want references in your sector, ask us directly and we will tell you honestly what we can provide.
Do we need an ERP, or is accounting software enough?
It depends on whether your reporting relies on operational data — stock, jobs, production, projects, grants. If it does, accounting software will leave you assembling that data by hand every month, and an ERP is usually the cheaper option over three years. Use the solution finder for a preliminary view, then let us assess it properly.
Can you work with the system we already use?
Usually, yes. We review the configuration and the processes around it first, because many problems described as software problems are configuration or process problems. Where a rebuild is genuinely needed we will say so.
How long before we see a difference?
Some things are quick — a daily reconciliation routine, a proper aged receivables report, an approval framework. Others take a full cycle or two, particularly where data has to be corrected first. We set expectations in the scope rather than promising a timeline we cannot control.
What do you need from us to start?
A named person who can make decisions, access to the records and the systems, and time from the people who do the work. Implementation and process work fail on availability more often than on anything else.
Let’s build a stronger financial foundation for your business.
Tell us what you are dealing with. We will tell you honestly whether we can help, what it would involve and what it would cost.