Payroll Specialist

QQR•Blue Ash, OH

1d•$55,000 - $75,000•Onsite

About The Position

QQR Freight is seeking an experienced Payroll Specialist to own payroll from start to finish. This role covers two very different kinds of payroll, and we need someone who is equally strong at both. On the trucking side, you will run weekly driver payroll and settlements for a truckload fleet scaling to hundreds of company drivers. Driver pay is built on miles, loads, and stops, plus detention, layover, accessorials, and per diem. The plan changes with the work: solo or team, regional or over-the-road, dry van or open deck, and dedicated accounts with their own pay terms. You understand how a load moves from dispatch to delivery, how to reconcile pay against ELD, dispatch, and load data, and why accurate, on-time pay is one of the biggest levers a carrier has on driver retention. On the office side, you will run semimonthly payroll through Paychex for office staff across QQR Freight's family of companies. That covers salaried and hourly pay, overtime, PTO, benefit deductions, and commission and bonus pay for the brokerage sales team. The dispatchers, recruiters, and sales staff who keep freight moving deserve the same accuracy and fast answers as the drivers behind the wheel, and this role is measured on both. QQR Freight is scaling fast through organic growth and acquisitions. Because QQR Freight operates through separate legal entities, you will keep each entity's payroll records and reporting separate while managing multiple pay schedules and states. You will work closely with HR and Recruiting, Operations, Finance, and executive leadership, with full accountability for accurate, timely payroll and clean reconciliations across driver and office payroll alike.

Requirements

3+ years of full-cycle payroll experience, including at least 2 years processing driver payroll or settlements at a trucking or transportation company (mileage, load-based, detention, and per diem pay)
Hands-on experience running office payroll for salaried, hourly, and commissioned employees, including overtime, PTO, and benefit deductions
Solid understanding of trucking operations and how loads, miles, and hours flow from dispatch, TMS, and ELD data into driver pay
Working knowledge of wage-and-hour rules for drivers and office staff, including FLSA overtime and the Motor Carrier Act exemption
Experience with payroll systems (e.g., Paychex, ADP, or similar) and strong Excel skills (lookups, pivot tables, reconciliations)
Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy with high-volume data
Strong written and verbal communication, including comfort fielding pay questions directly from drivers and office staff
Ability to manage overlapping weekly and semimonthly payroll deadlines

Nice To Haves

Multi-state, multi-entity payroll experience, including resident-state withholding for interstate drivers
Experience calculating sales commissions, ideally margin-based commissions in freight brokerage or logistics
Hands-on experience with Paychex Flex
Experience with fuel-card programs and related payroll deductions (e.g., EFS, Comdata)
Knowledge of wage garnishments and payroll tax reporting, including Ohio municipal income tax
California payroll experience, including pay rules for drivers paid by the mile or load
Experience supporting payroll through rapid growth or acquisitions
Associate or bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience; CPP or FPC certification a plus

Responsibilities

Process weekly driver payroll and settlements accurately and on time across multiple states, including mileage, load, and stop pay, detention, layover, accessorials, and per diem
Apply the correct pay plan by driver and operation, including solo and team, regional and OTR, open deck, and dedicated accounts with contract-specific pay
Audit trip, timecard, and settlement data before each run, reconciling driver pay against ELD, dispatch/TMS, and load data (e.g., Samsara, PCS) and resolving variances before processing
Process fuel-card advances (e.g., EFS), related payroll deductions, and other authorized driver deductions, resolving discrepancies promptly
Serve as the go-to contact for driver pay questions, researching discrepancies quickly and giving drivers clear answers and timelines
Process semimonthly office payroll accurately and on time through Paychex for salaried and hourly staff across each QQR company, including overtime, PTO, and pay changes
Calculate and process commissions and bonuses for brokerage sales staff from load-level margin and customer payment data, following approved compensation plans
Reconcile benefit and 401(k) deductions, and review Paychex invoices against payroll registers
Partner with HR and Recruiting so new hires, terminations, and status changes flow accurately into payroll, including state final-pay requirements
Serve as the go-to contact for office pay, commission, and deduction questions, with clear answers and timelines
Keep payroll records, filings, and reporting separate and accurate for each QQR company across weekly and semimonthly pay schedules
Apply wage-and-hour rules for drivers and office staff, including FLSA overtime, exempt and non-exempt status, the Motor Carrier Act exemption for drivers, and state requirements
Support multi-state payroll tax reporting, including resident-state withholding for interstate drivers, and track, research, and resolve tax notices
Handle wage garnishments, child support orders, tax levies, deductions, and refunds under applicable federal and state rules
Support quarter-end and year-end reporting, including W-2s
Maintain audit-ready documentation for payroll runs, settlements, commissions, and adjustments, in line with company policy and internal controls
Prepare payroll journal entries, accruals, and reconciliations for each company's month-end close
Provide Finance with payroll and labor cost reporting by company, including driver pay per mile
Support internal and external audits, including insurance and workers' compensation audits, with records, reconciliations, and supporting documentation
Support payroll integration when fleets or companies join the QQR family through acquisition
Identify and implement process improvements that reduce pay errors and speed up processing as the companies scale