McLellan Operations
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.

Book a free 20-minute back office check See what I handle

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.

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
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.

  1. 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.

  2. Setup

    I fix what's missing and build your deadline calendar for the next 12 months.

  3. 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?

Ten quick questions. Skip any that don't apply.

    Nothing you click leaves this page.

    Every USDOT number updates its company record every two years. The month comes from the last digit; odd or even year from the digit before it.

    Look up your record on SAFER. The update is free at fmcsa.dot.gov/BiennialUpdate. Ignore letters that charge you to file it.

    New USDOT number? 16 ways to fail your first DOT audit
    1. No drug and alcohol testing program382.115
    2. No random testing program (your own or a consortium)382.305
    3. Using a driver who tested 0.04 or more for alcohol382.201
    4. Using a driver who refused a required test382.211
    5. Using a driver you know tested positive for drugs382.215
    6. Knowingly using a driver with no valid CDL383.23
    7. Letting a driver with a lost or disqualified CDL drive383.37
    8. Letting a disqualified driver drive383.51
    9. Operating without required insurance minimums387.7
    10. Operating a passenger vehicle without required insurance387.31
    11. Knowingly using a disqualified driver391.15
    12. Knowingly using a driver who isn't medically qualified391.11
    13. Not requiring logs or time records (51% or more missing)395.8
    14. Running a truck marked out of service before repairs396.9
    15. Not fixing out-of-service defects drivers reported396.11
    16. 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.

    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 servicePriceWhat it covers
    Compliance and DOT
    DOT deskfrom $195/mo1 to 3 drivers $195, 4 to 8 $345, 9 to 15 $595
    Mock DOT audit$1,200Full practice audit with a written fix list
    Written safety program$500One program, ready to train on
    Customer portal setupfrom $1,500ISNetworld or Avetta; upkeep $200 a month
    People and money
    Hiring packet$750Application, interview rubric, onboarding, sign-offs
    Payroll and year-end packet$150/moMonthly packet and a year-end file for your CPA
    QuickBooks setup$500Chart of accounts, bank feeds, invoice templates
    QuickBooks cleanupfrom $1,000Priced by months behind
    Maps, launch and web
    GIS maps and exhibitsQuotedFlat price agreed before work starts
    New business: Start Right$2,500Licenses list, email, one-page site, QuickBooks, calendar
    Website$3,500Or $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, RLD29273 (to July 2027)
    • Reasonable-suspicion supervisor training, federal drug and alcohol rule
    • Highly skilled in GIS: ArcGIS Pro, R and Python
    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.

    Book
    Pick a time
    Weekdays 5:30 to 7:30 PM Central · Saturday 9 AM to noon
    Email
    ashton.mclellan@mclellanops.com
    Phone or text
    (615) 307-6499
    Leave a message during the day. I call back evenings.