It’s the busiest week of the year. Every truck you can find is busy.
One of your subcontractors (subbies) calls asking if the Proof of Delivery (POD) came through ok. Someone else needs yesterday’s dockets. And your Daysheet shows a vehicle called “Subcontractor” which could be any one of the six transporters working for you. So who actually did that run?
Busy weeks are when transport subcontractor management really gets tested.
Plenty of operators run subcontractors this way, and it’s an easy fix. Here are three simple tips to make managing your subbies a whole lot easier.
In short: name each subcontractor (subbie) their actual name, record what you pay them job by job, and build your own report by subbie.
Want to get started but short on time? Ask Ollie.
Open the chat and try: “Hey Ollie, how do I set up my subbies to get the most from MyTrucking?“
1. Name your subcontractors (subbies) properly
A catch-all “Subcontractor” can’t easily be linked to anyone, it hides who did what and adds hours to your working week looking for jobs, reporting on them and making sure they’re paid correctly.
Instead, use the real subcontractor’s name in your vehicle field. Then you can easily see their jobs, costs and history.
One lost docket a month is all it takes to see the value of naming your subbies properly: cleaner records, per-subbie reporting, and cashflow you can count on.
If your subcontractor is also on MyTrucking, add them as a subcontractor using Job Sharing with Inter-MyTrucking. Jobs go straight from your account to theirs, they accept each one, you see where it’s up to, and driver uploads and photos come back to you in real time.
If they’re not on MyTrucking yet, still add their truck or driver by name to vehicle field in your MyTrucking.
See how Job Sharing with Inter-MyTrucking works.
It’s worth getting this sorted now because some big upgrades to Job Sharing with Inter-MyTrucking are coming soon, including smarter ways to link a subbie’s vehicles and drivers, and RCTIs (BCTIs in NZ).
Get set up today, and you’ll be ready to make the most of these features when they land.
“…it takes all the hustle away for having to chase truck drivers for dockets and information…”
Isabel – Customer survey 2026
2. Record what you’ll pay your subcontractor
Put the subbie rate on the job when you book it, rather than trying to work it out at the end of the month. This field is called Cost Rate in MyTrucking, but you rename it to whatever makes sense for your business.
Drivers can’t see Cost Rate in the mobile app, and the Cost by Vehicle report shows what each subbie has cost you.
Learn more about Cost Rate.
Cost Rate will also feed into the upcoming RCTI/BCTI functionality. Record it as you go and, when RCTIs arrive, creating one will take a few clicks instead of hours of admin.
When you share a job through Inter-MyTrucking, only your Cost Rate crosses over, as their rate for the job. Your charge rates stay private, and they see exactly what they’ve been promised.
3. Build your own report by subcontractor
A custom report showing everything a subcontractor (subbie) did for you takes only a few minutes to build yourself. Use it to work out what you owe or to raise their invoice in Xero, and name the report what you want to call it.
If you haven’t already, Build a custom report.
Keep recording costs and those reports turn into a record of how each subbie performs over time, which makes comparing them easy.
“…the reports are great to send off to customers and grain brokers.”
Annette – Customer survey 2026
Sneak Peek! A rebuilt Custom Report Builder is on the way, with scheduled reports that email themselves. This is going to be a game changer for many operators.
From the road
On a recent visit, we met an operator who runs two transport companies. He had every truck from his second company set up in both accounts, so he was paying for the same trucks twice. We showed him how to add his other company as a single subcontractor instead. Now he sends the job across his multiple mytrucking accounts, and the other company assigns the truck. He’s saving money and he was blown away by how much simpler it made his day.
Frequently asked questions
How do I track what I pay subcontractors?
Record a Cost Rate on each job, then run a Cost by Vehicle report by subcontractor. (Turn this field on in the MyTrucking general settings page). The coming soon RCTI/BCTI feature will pull information from this field, and build accurate invoices in seconds.
Can subcontractors see my rates?
No, only the Cost Rate you share through Job Sharing with Inter-MyTrucking, this becomes their rate for the job. Your charge rates stay private. Drivers don’t see any rates.
What is an RCTI?
A recipient-created tax invoice (RCTI) is an invoice you raise on behalf of a subcontractor for work they did for you. In New Zealand it’s called a buyer-created tax invoice (BCTI).
New to MyTrucking? The best way to win
Start with a demo to get familiar with our transport management software, try it FREE on your own jobs, then book an expert-led “Set up and go” session to tune it for how you run your subbies.
