What is route accounting software?

Route accounting software tracks inventory loaded onto a truck at the start of a day, records deliveries and sales at each stop, handles returns and credits, processes payments on the spot, and reconciles at the end of the day. It typically runs on handheld devices or tablets.

The end-of-day reconciliation is where route accounting software earns its keep. The driver's device knows exactly what was loaded, what was delivered, what was returned, and what was collected. The system compares this to expected values and flags any discrepancies before the driver leaves for the night. Without this automated reconciliation, variances can go undetected for days.

RouteMaster, Encompass, and HandiFox are established route accounting platforms. They typically integrate with accounting software like QuickBooks or Note.now to post daily sales summaries to the general ledger automatically.

The integration with accounting software is critical. Route accounting data needs to flow into your general ledger as daily journal entries - sales revenue by product category, cost of goods sold, and cash collected. Note.now accepts these entries through its API or manual journal entry interface, keeping your financial records up to date without a dedicated finance team at the route level.