Trucking & Logistics Cash Flow Forecast Template

What’s inside

• 13-week weekly forecast linked to a 12-month monthly view and 3-year outlook
• Cash in lines ready to use: Freight invoices, Factoring advances, Fuel surcharges, Detention and accessorial charges
• Cash out lines ready to use: Fuel, Driver pay, Truck payments, Maintenance and tyres
• Best, expected and worst case scenarios with one switch
• Actual vs forecast tracker with variance highlighting
• Dashboard: lowest balance, runway, buffer alerts and charts
• Loan, tax and one-off payment schedules
• Start-here tab with a filled-in Trucking & Logistics example
• Excel (.xlsx) and Google Sheets versions

Who it’s for

For carriers and owner-operators balancing fuel, maintenance and factoring against slow shipper payments. The template is built for owners, managers and bookkeepers of trucking & logistics businesses who want a forecast that already speaks their language, rather than a generic spreadsheet they have to rebuild.

What’s inside

• Start Here: setup steps, colour key and a guide to every tab.
• Dashboard: cash today, the lowest balance in the next 13 weeks and 12 months, weeks below your buffer, runway, actual vs forecast and two charts.
• Settings: start date, bank balance, minimum buffer, currency, the expected / best / worst case switch and 3-year growth rates.
• Freight Billing: loads invoiced each month and how long shippers and brokers take to pay.
• Fuel & Factoring: fuel as a share of freight revenue, and the factoring company’s fee on advanced invoices.
• 13-Week: weekly receipts and payments for the next quarter, with automatic week dates and buffer warnings.
• 12-Month: the monthly forecast for the year, with a check row that compares it with the 13-week view.
• 3-Year: an annual outlook built from the 12-month forecast and your growth rates.
• Actuals: what really happened each month, typed in from your bank statement or accounts.
• Variance: actual minus forecast for every line, in green and red, with year-to-date totals.

How the Freight Billing tab works

The Freight Billing tab turns what you invoice into cash actually collected for “Freight invoices”. The example assumes 0% is paid in the month invoiced, 55% the following month and 40% two months later. Invoices sent before the start date are entered separately so the first months are right, and anything never collected shows as bad debt, so you can see what slow payers cost you.

The Fuel & Factoring tab calculates fuel at 30% of freight invoices, factoring advances and fuel surcharges and factoring fee at 3% of factoring advances. Change a percentage once and every month of the forecast updates, so costs rise and fall with the sales that drive them.

Green numbers on the 12-Month tab come from these calculations. You can change the assumptions on the tab, or type over a green cell if you’d rather enter a figure yourself.

Cash lines already in place

Cash in: freight invoices, factoring advances, fuel surcharges and detention and accessorial charges. Cash out: fuel, driver pay, truck payments, maintenance and tyres, insurance, tolls and permits, factoring fees and ifta and taxes. Rename any line, or insert a row inside a section and the totals include it.

Set up in about 20 minutes

1. On Settings, enter the start date, today’s bank balance and your minimum cash buffer.
2. On the Freight Billing tab, replace the example assumptions with your own.
3. Enter the remaining cash in and cash out lines on the 12-Month and 13-Week tabs, in the period each amount actually moves.
4. Check the Dashboard for your lowest balance and any red weeks or months.
5. At each month end, type actual figures on the Actuals tab and review the Variance tab.

Excel, Google Sheets and delivery

The workbook is a standard .xlsx file with no macros or external links, tested in Excel and Google Sheets. After payment you get an instant download link on screen and by email, plus a quick-start PDF. For background on the method, read the Trucking & Logistics cash flow guide or how to make a cash flow forecast.

Questions people ask

Do I need accounting experience?

No. You enter numbers in clearly marked cells. The instructions tab walks through a filled-in example first.

Can I change the categories?

Yes. Rename, add or delete lines. Totals and charts update automatically.

What do I receive after buying?

An instant download link by email with the Excel file and a Google Sheets copy link.

Is there a refund?

If the template doesn’t fit your business, email us within 14 days for a refund.