How Often Should I Run Payroll for My Trucking Company?

Last week I had one of my clients ask me “how often should I run payroll?” And while I hate answering questions vaguely, it does depend. This client ran a small trucking company that had three office employees and rotated through seven or eight truck drivers. So in this case, I advised that paying the employees once a week was a good frequency.

The number of pay periods is ultimately determined by the employer unless they are in a state that has specific payday requirements. You should aim to strike a balance between the cost of running payroll and the financial needs of their staff. There can be as many as 52 pay periods in a year or as few as 12 depending on whether you decide to pay weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, or monthly.

One reason that I would recommend a trucking company pays twice per week is if they are struggling with driver turnover. Setting up payroll so that your drivers get paid more than once a week is a great incentive. You will not only be able to recruit quality truck drivers but you will also be able to keep them as employees for years to come.

Mike Ritzema, our President and Founder, has a webinar on the best ways to recruit and retain quality truck drivers, and you can check it out on our youtube channel, or at this link.