When it comes to business software, many computer-savvy owner-operators have taken an approach similar to that of Jason Haggard. “I 
took the time to make a custom spreadsheet,” he says. General small-business accounting software QuickBooks “is nice, but my design is more tailored to my needs.”
With buckets set up for different categories of expenses (“Where does QuickBooks have an expense category for hitting a deer with your truck?” Haggard asks), he can break down income and costs per mile, per trip, or over any length of time. “If a guy can’t figure out his bottom line, he doesn’t know what he’s doing,” Haggard says.