Compliance
Licenses, filings and deadlines
- State annual reports and out-of-state registrations
- County and city business licenses and renewals
- Trade licenses and continuing-education tracking
- Every deadline on one calendar you can see
Remote back office for trades and field-service companies
You run the crews. I run the back office.
Compliance at every level, HR and payroll paperwork, tax-ready records, environmental permits, GIS maps, insurance paperwork and DOT files. One person who answers, at a posted flat price.
Not a law firm, CPA firm or insurance agency. I do the paperwork and work alongside yours. You own every account.
Landscaping and lawnTree careExcavating and gradingSolar and vegetation maintenanceSmall contractorsNew businesses
One calendar, every levelExample
- Federal1099s to subcontractorsJan 31
- PayrollQuarterly payroll filings, through your payroll systemQuarterly
- StateAnnual report and registrations in each state you workYearly
- County / cityBusiness license renewalsYearly
- EnvironmentalApplicator license credits, erosion and stormwater logsOngoing
- InsuranceWorkers' comp audit packet, certificates to customersOn request
- HRNew-hire paperwork, training recordsEach hire
- DOTDriver files, yearly inspections, company updateMonthly
Dates vary by state and business. I build yours in the first two weeks, then keep it current.
What I handle
The whole office side, not just one form
Pick one area or hand me all of it. Federal, state, county and city.
People
HR paperwork and safety
- Hiring packets, applications and onboarding
- New-hire paperwork and personnel files
- Handbooks and policies (your attorney reviews)
- Written safety programs, training records, incident reports
Payroll
Payroll admin
- Timesheets into your payroll system each period
- Monthly payroll packets and reports
- Workers' comp audit packets
- Setup in Gusto or QuickBooks Payroll
Your payroll system files the payroll taxes. I never hold or move your money.
Money admin
Tax-ready records
- QuickBooks setup and cleanup
- W-9s collected before the first payment
- 1099 lists and a year-end packet for your CPA
- Estimated-tax and filing reminders
Bookkeeping support, not tax returns. Your CPA files.
Environmental
Permits and environmental paperwork
- Erosion, sediment and stormwater paperwork and inspection logs
- Pesticide and herbicide applicator licenses and credits
- Permit applications prepared at your direction
- Customer sustainability questionnaires
GIS
Maps and measurements
- Site maps and acreage for bids
- Route and crew maps
- Permit exhibits and property maps
- Site screening and target lists
Insurance and customers
The paperwork customers ask for
- Certificates of insurance, renewal driver lists, audit packets
- Vendor forms and customer portals (ISNetworld, Avetta)
- Capability statements and bid paperwork
Your agent quotes and binds. I gather and file the paperwork.
DOT and fleet
Trucks and trailers
- Driver files, medical cards, yearly record checks
- Drug and alcohol program admin and Clearinghouse
- Hours, vehicle inspections and repair files
- MCS-150, UCR, mock audits and audit rescue
Launch and tech
New businesses and the tech side
- New-business setup checklist, start to first invoice
- Domain, business email and email security
- Website and Google listing
- Recovering lost domains and accounts
Your attorney handles formation papers and contracts.
How it works
Three steps. No hourly surprises.
Free 20-minute check
Tell me what's piling up. You get a one-page fix list the same day, sorted red, yellow, green. No obligation.
Setup
I fix what's missing and build your deadline calendar for the next 12 months.
Every month
Flat price, billed on the 1st. A 30-minute check-in with a short yes-or-no decision list. Cancel with 30 days' notice.
Remote, anywhere in the U.S. Evenings and Saturdays. Every account stays in your name, and you get every login and file back if you leave.
Free tools
How's your back office?
New USDOT number? 16 ways to fail your first DOT audit
- No drug and alcohol testing program382.115
- No random testing program (your own or a consortium)382.305
- Using a driver who tested 0.04 or more for alcohol382.201
- Using a driver who refused a required test382.211
- Using a driver you know tested positive for drugs382.215
- Knowingly using a driver with no valid CDL383.23
- Letting a driver with a lost or disqualified CDL drive383.37
- Letting a disqualified driver drive383.51
- Operating without required insurance minimums387.7
- Operating a passenger vehicle without required insurance387.31
- Knowingly using a disqualified driver391.15
- Knowingly using a driver who isn't medically qualified391.11
- Not requiring logs or time records (51% or more missing)395.8
- Running a truck marked out of service before repairs396.9
- Not fixing out-of-service defects drivers reported396.11
- No yearly inspection (51% or more of vehicles)396.17
Source: 49 CFR 385.321(b). CDL rules apply only if someone drives a vehicle that needs a CDL. Insurance rules (Part 387) apply to for-hire and hazmat carriers. Plain-English summary, not legal advice.
Plain-English guides
Free answers to the paperwork questions
Do landscapers need a USDOT number?
The 10,001 lb rule, why a pickup and trailer can cross it, and what comes with the number.
Read the guide ›MCS-150: when it's due and how to file it free
Read your due month from your USDOT number, and skip the companies that charge to file it.
Read the guide ›W-9s and 1099s for landscaping subs (2026 rules)
The new $2,000 threshold, the January 31 deadline, and the W-9 habit that prevents penalties.
Read the guide ›New-hire paperwork for seasonal crews
The five documents every hire needs, the deadlines, and how to make spring hiring fast.
Read the guide ›Workers' comp audits: what to have ready
Why the audit bill jumps, the packet auditors ask for, and the certificate rule for subs.
Read the guide ›Posted prices
Flat monthly price. Billed on the 1st.
Back Office Lite
$750/mo
- Deadline calendar, every level
- Annual reports, licenses and renewals
- Portal and vendor form upkeep
- Insurance paperwork gathering
- One small fix and a monthly check-in
Back Office Standard
$1,500/mo
- Everything in Lite
- Admin inbox triage twice a week
- Hiring paperwork
- Works with your bookkeeper and CPA
- Website and Google listing upkeep
Back Office Full
$3,000/mo
- Everything in Standard
- Project time every month
- Quarterly plan and renewal management
- One bigger project each quarter
| Single service | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Compliance and DOT | ||
| DOT desk | from $195/mo | 1 to 3 drivers $195, 4 to 8 $345, 9 to 15 $595 |
| Mock DOT audit | $1,200 | Full practice audit with a written fix list |
| Written safety program | $500 | One program, ready to train on |
| Customer portal setup | from $1,500 | ISNetworld or Avetta; upkeep $200 a month |
| People and money | ||
| Hiring packet | $750 | Application, interview rubric, onboarding, sign-offs |
| Payroll and year-end packet | $150/mo | Monthly packet and a year-end file for your CPA |
| QuickBooks setup | $500 | Chart of accounts, bank feeds, invoice templates |
| QuickBooks cleanup | from $1,000 | Priced by months behind |
| Maps, launch and web | ||
| GIS maps and exhibits | Quoted | Flat price agreed before work starts |
| New business: Start Right | $2,500 | Licenses list, email, one-page site, QuickBooks, calendar |
| Website | $3,500 | Or $0 down and $349 a month for 12 months |
Pilot offer for the first two companies
25% off for three months and no setup fee, in return for a short written review.
Proof
One contractor, three states, the whole back office
What I've handled for a multi-state solar and vegetation maintenance contractor with crews, trucks and trailers:
- DOT
- Out of service after a failed new-entrant audit in April 2025. I rebuilt the driver files, testing program, Clearinghouse setup, supervisor training and policies. Corrective action plan accepted November 2025. Active today.
- State and county
- Fixed a lapsed out-of-state registration. Requalification and annual report filed October 2026. Licenses and renewals kept on one calendar.
- Payroll and taxes
- Monthly payroll packets since mid-2025, QuickBooks reports and reconciliations, and records pulled together for tax time.
- Insurance
- Insurance audit packets and a workers' comp summary. Auto renewal driver list fixed and bound October 2026.
- Customers
- Utility supplier sustainability assessment completed. Site checklists approved by the customer.
- People
- Six-part field safety course, job hazard forms, incident reports, hiring rubric and onboarding.
- Environmental
- Herbicide, vegetation and site paperwork for solar sites.
- GIS
- GIS mapping and site screening for new work.
- Tech
- Rescued the company domain and email from an old vendor; new website live September 2026.
- Launch
- Brand, website, email and cards for a new sister company in about two weeks.
About
Ashton McLellan
I run the back office for a multi-state solar and vegetation contractor: compliance, payroll packets, HR and safety files, insurance paperwork, state filings, environmental paperwork, maps and the website. I got its revoked USDOT registration back to active. Now I do the same for other owner-run crews, remotely, anywhere in the U.S.
- Master of Public Administration, College of Charleston, 2026
- M.S. Environmental and Sustainability Studies, College of Charleston, 2026
- Graduate Certificate, Urban and Regional Planning, College of Charleston, 2026
- B.S. Biology, College of Charleston, 2020
- Virginia DEQ Responsible Land Disturber certification (erosion and sediment control)
- Reasonable-suspicion supervisor training, federal drug and alcohol rule
- Highly skilled in GIS: ArcGIS Pro, R and Python
Questions owners ask
Straight answers
What happens on the free 20-minute check?
A phone call, evenings or Saturday. I ask about a dozen quick questions across licenses, payroll, HR, insurance, permits and trucks. You get a one-page fix list by email the same day, sorted red, yellow and green. No obligation, and the list is yours to use however you like.
Do you do taxes or legal work?
No. I don't prepare tax returns or give legal or insurance advice. I keep your records tax-ready and work alongside your CPA, bookkeeper, attorney and insurance agent.
Do you handle payroll taxes or touch our money?
No. Your payroll system (Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll or similar) files and pays the payroll taxes. I prepare the paperwork around it. I never hold or move your money.
Who owns the accounts and files?
You do. Every account stays in your company's name, you sign your own filings, and if you leave you get every login and file back within five business days.
Are you with the government? Do I have to pay to update my MCS-150?
I'm not a government agency and not affiliated with FMCSA or USDOT. The MCS-150 update is free on FMCSA's website. Throw away letters that charge you to file it.
Where do you work?
Remotely, anywhere in the U.S. except California for now. Calls are evenings and Saturdays, Central time.
How is the price set? Is there a long contract?
Posted flat monthly prices, billed on the 1st. Month to month: either side can end it with 30 days' notice. Bigger one-time projects get a flat quote before any work starts.
How do you protect sensitive information?
Sensitive records stay in your own accounts. I use unique passwords and two-step login on everything, encrypted devices, and I never send Social Security numbers, license images or medical cards by plain email.
How fast can you start?
Setup takes about two weeks. I fix what's missing first, then build your deadline calendar for the next 12 months.
Free 20-minute back office check
Tell me what's piling up. Get a one-page fix list the same day.
By phone, evenings and Saturdays. No obligation.
Email
ashton.mclellan@mclellanops.com
Phone or text
(615) 307-6499
Leave a message during the day. I call back evenings.