DOCK 01FLEETS
Factoring for trucking fleets: make payroll before the brokers pay
Drivers get paid every week. Fuel cards settle every few days. Brokers pay in 30 days or more. With every truck you add, that gap gets wider. Factoring for trucking fleets turns delivered loads into cash fast enough to keep payroll on time.
DOCK 02PAYROLL GAP
The payroll gap, sized to your fleet
Move the sliders to match your fleet. The chart shows how much cash goes out on driver pay and fuel before the first broker payment lands.
CASH OUT BEFORE THE FIRST BROKER PAYMENT
- PAYROLL + FUEL PER WEEK
- $14,000
- CASH GAP TO FLOAT
- $60,000
Factoring turns each delivered load into an advance within days, so the gap closes week by week instead of building for 30 days.
EXAMPLE defaults; put in your own numbers. Insurance, truck notes and other costs make the real gap larger.
Why fleets feel it more than one truck
- Payroll does not wait
- Drivers expect pay on a fixed day. Missing it costs you drivers, and good drivers are hard to replace.
- Costs scale before payments
- Each new truck adds weeks of fuel, insurance and pay before its first invoice is paid.
- More brokers, more terms
- With many brokers, some always pay late. One slow payer can hold up a payroll.
- Office time
- Chasing invoices across a fleet is a part-time job. Factors take collections off your desk.
DOCK 03VOLUME PRICING
Invoice factoring for small trucking companies: getting volume pricing
Published fees commonly run 1.5% to 4% per invoice. A fleet's volume is its best lever for the low end of that range. How to use it:
SOURCE:FreightWaves (updated Feb 26, 2026), OCT 2026
- 1.
Quote on real volume
Bring three months of invoice totals and your broker list. A factor prices what it can see.
- 2.
Ask for tiers by volume
A lower rate once monthly volume passes a set level, written into the agreement.
- 3.
Trade commitment carefully
Factoring every truck's invoices can earn a lower rate, but check the minimum and the exit fee.
- 4.
Price the extras
Per-invoice and transfer fees add up fast across many invoices. Negotiate them away or down.
- 5.
Review every six months
As volume grows, ask for a new rate instead of waiting to be offered one.
Full-fleet or spot factoring?
Full-fleet (whole turnover)
You factor every invoice from approved brokers.
Lower rates and a steady cash flow; less flexibility and often a contract term.
Spot or selective
You choose which invoices to factor, load by load.
Flexible and no minimum in many cases; usually a higher rate per invoice.
For mid-sized fleets, a common middle path is to factor only the slow-paying brokers and let fast payers pay you directly, if the contract allows it.
Factoring for mid sized trucking companies: what to ask about the back office
- Can drivers upload BOLs from their phones, and do the uploads show by truck?
- Can more than one person in the office log in, with different permissions?
- Do reports break down advances, reserves and fees by broker and by truck?
- Do fuel cards work across all drivers, with limits per card?
- How are disputes handled when a broker short-pays one load in a batch?
Best factoring companies for small trucking companies: what fleets should compare
For a fleet, the contract terms matter as much as the rate, because they apply to every truck. From what five well-known factors publish on their own sites (checked October 2026):
- Apex Capital states no long-term contract and no minimum volume.
- Bobtail publishes a maximum rate of 3.24% and month-to-month terms after the first 90 days.
- OTR Solutions states true non-recourse factoring.
- RTS, our partner, says it advances more than 90% of the invoice within 24 hours.
None of them publishes fleet volume pricing; that comes in the quote. Get two or three quotes on the same month of invoices and compare the total cost, the minimums and how easily you can leave. Full comparison
SOURCE:Apex Capital Corp (own site), OCT 2026;Bobtail (own site), OCT 2026;OTR Solutions (own site), OCT 2026
RTS for fleets
RTS says it advances more than 90% of the invoice within 24 hours, offers broker credit checks to see who pays and who does not, the RTS App for uploading invoices, and fuel savings at 4,000+ truck stops. Fleet pricing comes in your quote.
SOURCE:RTS, freight factoring page (partner's own claims), OCT 2026
Dispatch for the whole fleet
Factoring pays you faster; dispatch keeps every truck loaded. With 2 or more trucks our dispatch fee is 4% of gross (limited-time rate), and it works alongside RTS or any factor.
DOCK 04FAQ
Fleet factoring questions
Q-01Do small fleets get better factoring rates?
Often, yes, because volume is one of the main things factors price on. More invoices with strong brokers usually means a lower percentage than a single truck gets. Published fees commonly run 1.5% to 4%; bring your real monthly volume and broker list to get quoted toward the low end.
Q-02Can I factor only some trucks?
It depends on the contract. Some factors let you choose invoices, so you can factor only certain trucks or brokers. Others require every invoice from approved brokers. If you want to keep some trucks out, ask before you sign and get it in the agreement.
Q-03How does factoring help payroll?
It moves your cash in line with your costs. Instead of paying drivers for weeks before the first broker pays, each delivered load becomes an advance within days. That lets you run payroll from this week's loads rather than from savings or a credit line.
Q-04Is spot factoring good for fleets?
It can be, if most of your brokers pay on time and you only need help with a few slow payers. Spot factoring usually costs more per invoice than factoring everything. For fleets with steady volume and many brokers, full-fleet factoring at a lower rate is often cheaper overall.
Run payroll from this week's loads
Send your fleet size and monthly invoices. RTS sends the quote.
We refer carriers to RTS and may be paid for referrals. Rates and terms come from the factoring company, not from us.