You can run a truck profitably on paper and still go broke — if the money you've earned is stuck in someone else's account for 45 days. Managing accounts receivable is how small carriers turn delivered loads into cash.
Accounts receivable (AR) is the money brokers and shippers owe you for freight you've already moved but haven't collected yet. Every delivered load with an unpaid invoice is an "account receivable." It counts as revenue, but you can't buy fuel with it until it lands in your bank — which is why AR, not the rate per mile, is usually what strangles a growing carrier's cash flow.
An aging report groups every open invoice by how overdue it is. A typical layout:
| Bucket | What it means |
|---|---|
| Current | Within terms (e.g. net-30, not yet due) |
| 1–30 days | Just past due — a quick nudge usually fixes it |
| 31–60 days | Needs a real phone call |
| 61–90 days | Problem account — escalate |
| 90+ days | At risk; may need collections |
Check it weekly. The goal is to keep almost everything in the first two buckets and let nothing quietly drift into 90+.
Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) is the average number of days it takes to collect after delivery. If your terms are net-30 but your DSO is 52, something in your paperwork or follow-up is leaking three weeks of cash. Track it month to month — the trend matters more than the exact number.
TruckSpot Dispatch invoices the moment a load delivers, builds the paperwork packet automatically, and keeps a live aging report so you always know who owes what and for how long. It flags overdue invoices and drafts the follow-up emails — so collections happen on schedule instead of whenever you get a free minute. It's ELD-agnostic with a free 14-day trial.
Stop chasing invoices — start your free 14-day trial →Accounts receivable (AR) is the money brokers and shippers owe you for loads you've already hauled but haven't been paid for yet. It's revenue you've earned that is still sitting in someone else's bank account.
An aging report groups your unpaid invoices by how overdue they are — typically current, 1-30, 31-60, 61-90, and 90-plus days. It shows at a glance which customers to chase first.
Invoice the same day you deliver with a complete paperwork packet, confirm the broker received it, follow up on a schedule, and consider factoring when you need the cash sooner than net-30 terms allow.