Sound Familiar?
You've Hauled the Freight. The Cash Is 45 Days Out.
Right now you've got $300K, maybe more, in invoices for freight you already hauled — the load's delivered, the broker's happy — sitting on net-45. Fuel was COD this morning. Insurance ran on the first. Drivers expect their settlement Friday. So you either factor the invoices and hand over a slice of the margin you earned, or you wait 45 days while the bank takes six weeks to think about a line. Meanwhile the fleet down the road took the extra lanes because they had the cash to add the trucks. None of that is a freight problem — the loads are booked and delivered. It's capital stuck between the miles you ran and the day the broker pays for them.
If the cash for freight you've already hauled landed the day you invoiced instead of 45 days later — how many more trucks would you be running by now?
Bobby’s Take
If your bank doesn't understand freight cycles, equipment depreciation, or why your best month is followed by your worst, they're not the right lender for a trucking company. Your per-mile revenue is real and your invoices are money you've already earned — the only problem is the 45 days the broker takes to pay. The lenders here fund that gap without making you hand a factor a cut of every load, and they finance the trucks on the trucks themselves. So picture the fleet you'd run if a broker's payment terms stopped setting your pace — how many more trucks roll?
Bobby Friel, Founder, Basecamp Funding · 20+ years in banking and finance
The Real Challenges
The Real Challenges Carriers Face — and How Funding Solves Each One
| What it costs you | What solves it | Typical range | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net-45 broker payments | Fuel's COD, insurance monthly, drivers paid Friday. | A line (no cut of freight) or factoring | $250K–$5M | Days |
| Truck & trailer purchase | A new tractor or reefer runs six figures. | Equipment financing | $250K–$5M | 3–7 days |
| Fleet expansion | Adding trucks needs equipment capital at scale. | Equipment financing | $250K–$20M+ | Days–weeks |
| Major maintenance & downtime | Engine rebuilds and breakdowns hit without warning. | Working capital | $250K–$5M | 24–72 hrs |
| Insurance & permits | Annual renewals and authority costs land in lumps. | Working capital | $250K–$5M | Days |
| Driver hiring & payroll | New drivers carry settlement before the lanes ramp. | Working capital | $250K–$5M | 1–3 days |
| Spot-market / seasonal dips | A soft freight month strains cash. | Line of credit | $250K–$5M | Days |
Larger lines available when revenue, cash flow, and story qualify.
Physical damage, cargo, and liability coverage for your fleet → InsuranceService365.com (29 states).
The Numbers That Matter
The Money You've Earned, Waiting on the Broker
37 days
The average broker payment cycle — fuel is due today.
TriumphPay Freight Index
$9,000
What trucking companies pay per truck per year in maintenance alone.
American Transportation Research Institute
73%
Of owner-operators report cash-flow gaps as their biggest operational challenge.
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
Capital Stacking
One File. The Trucks and the Gap, Funded.
Growing a fleet is never just the trucks. You add three tractors — and the day they roll, you're carrying three more drivers' settlements, three trucks' worth of fuel and insurance, all of it weeks ahead of the broker checks those trucks will earn. A bank rolls it into one line, sized to the oldest truck on your books. A marketplace structures each piece with the lender who underwrites it best — equipment financing for the tractors, a working-capital line for the gap, factoring if you want guaranteed 24-hour cash on the invoices — then stacks them into the number the expansion actually needs.
Funded for the trucks you're adding and the gap they create — not sized to your oldest unit.
How a $900K fleet expansion gets funded
Equipment line caps short? The remainder stacks — for the full structure, see commercial financing.
Carriers We've Funded
We've Funded Carriers Like Yours
Representative scenarios — illustrative, anonymized figures, not specific client transactions.
Start Here
Find Your Structure in 60 Seconds
Move the slider for your estimated range, then answer three quick questions to lock it in. No documents to start. Soft-pull review — no score impact.
What Happens When You Start
Estimate Your Capital Range
Slide to your annual gross revenue. We size capital off your top line — not your credit score.
Estimated Capital Range
A conservative range based on 10-15% of annual revenue — many businesses qualify for more with strong receivables or assets behind them. Lenders return real term sheets once they see your file.
60 seconds · No obligation · Estimate only
What a carrier hears every week
“If your bank doesn't understand freight cycles, equipment depreciation, or why your best month is followed by your worst — they're not the right lender for a trucking company.”
Bobby Friel · Founder, Basecamp Funding
Why Us
Why Carriers Fund With Us Instead of Their Bank
The Real Cost
Where Could This Fleet Be Right Now?
The miles you turned down never show up on a term sheet — but every week the trucks sit, the cost compounds. If capital set the size of fleet you could run instead of capping it — where would this business be a year from now?
Structure Your Capital Plan →Tax Strategy
Section 179 + 100% Bonus Depreciation on Your Trucks
If last year was strong and you’re about to write a check to the IRS — stop. Acquire qualifying equipment with as little as 10% down, finance the rest, and write off the full purchase price in year one. Section 179 covers it up to the annual cap; 100% bonus depreciation — made permanent in 2025, with no cap and no income limit — carries the rest.
At the top bracket, that first-year deduction can return meaningful tax savings — and for an established business with strong cash flow, it’s the difference between writing a check to the IRS and putting the same money into your own equipment. Your CPA models the exact numbers for your bracket and structure.
Worked scenario · top bracket · illustrative
You financed the machine and put down a fraction of its price — but you deduct the full price in year one. The write-off is bigger than your down payment, and the equipment keeps working the whole time.
Scales with your numbers
Illustrative only. Actual savings depend on your tax bracket, entity type, state conformity, and CPA guidance. Section 179 and bonus depreciation are elections your CPA makes for your situation; above the Section 179 cap, 100% bonus depreciation carries the balance.
Terms reflect credit, revenue, time in business, and each lender. Every file is unique — see what the desk structures for yours in the 60-second qualifier.
Bobby’s Take
“Lease companies love repeat customers because you pay more and own nothing. Finance the truck, deduct it, and in five years you've got a $50K asset instead of a receipt.”
Bobby Friel · Founder · 20+ years in banking and finance
Avoid These
5 Funding Mistakes That Cost Carriers the Most
A lease builds no equity and hands the residual to the lease company — you pay more and own nothing. Finance the truck, take the Section 179 deduction, and own a real asset in five years.
A line costs nothing until you draw it. Set it up while revenue's flowing, so the next engine rebuild is a phone call, not a parked truck.
Factoring is a tool, not a trap — and it's not your only option. Use it when guaranteed 24-hour cash is worth a small fee; use a line when you'd rather keep every cent of the freight. The mistake is not knowing you can choose.
Adding trucks before the capital to run them is set up turns a good month into a cash crisis the next. Fund the gap the new trucks create before they roll.
A merchant cash advance is the most expensive money in trucking. For recurring needs, a line or factoring built for freight costs a fraction.
Put It to Work
Use Your Capital For
01Bridge the net-45 gapSee howLess“How much is sitting in delivered loads the broker hasn't paid yet?”
A line that closes the gap and leaves your loads alone.
Structure this02Buy a truck or trailerSee howLess“What lane could you cover with the tractor you haven't financed yet?”
Equipment financing, the truck as collateral, Section 179.
Structure this03Expand the fleetSee howLess“How many more trucks would you run if adding them didn't drain your cash?”
Equipment financing at scale.
Structure this04Cover a major repairSee howLess“What's a parked truck costing you per day it's down?”
Emergency working capital, funded in a day.
Structure this05Factor broker invoicesSee howLess“What would guaranteed cash in 24 hours do for your fuel and payroll?”
Invoice factoring on your freight bills.
Structure this06Make payroll through the gapSee howLess“What happens to Friday's settlement when a broker stretches you to net-60?”
Working capital for the cycle.
Structure this07Insurance & authority renewalsSee howLess“What does a lump-sum insurance renewal do to your cash the month it hits?”
Working capital to smooth it.
Structure this08Add a reefer or specialized unitSee howLess“What freight could you haul with the equipment you don't have yet?”
Equipment financing for the unit.
Structure this09Ride out a spot-market dipSee howLess“What does one soft freight month do to your reserves?”
A line for the lean stretch.
Structure this10Acquire another carrier or authoritySee howLess“What fleet or book of lanes would you buy if capital weren't months away?”
Revenue-based acquisition financing.
Structure this11Hire & onboard driversSee howLess“What lanes are you turning down for lack of drivers you could fund ahead of the revenue?”
Working capital for hiring.
Structure this12Consolidate high-cost debtSee howLess“What would your monthly cash look like if the MCAs were one payment?”
Consolidate; rate-review later — get funded now, optimize later.
Structure thisFunding by the Size of the Need
Funded at Every Stage
One application, multiple lenders — and a file read on per-mile revenue funds in days, whether the need is $250K or $20M+.
How It Works
From Qualifier to Funded in Five Steps
No paperwork avalanche. No bank lobby. No guessing.
Qualify
A few questions about the business, right here. No documents to start.
Application
A soft credit pull and a quick document review to pre-underwrite the file.
Matched to the Right Lenders
The specialist lenders who fund your business - the right lender on each piece.
One Advisor, Real Term Sheets
Your advisor brings back real term sheets, not estimates, and walks the structure.
Structured & Funded
Accept the structure that fits, sign digitally - funded in days, not months.
For the application, have ready
Under two years in business, or the returns show a loss? We can structure on bank statements alone.
Full Transparency
What Kills Your Qualification — and What Doesn't
Most lenders won't tell you this up front. We will.
By Operation Type
Financing by Operation Type
Every kind of carrier — click yours for tailored options. OTR, owner-operator, reefer, flatbed, hotshot, and more.
Don't own the trucks — broker freight, run a 3PL, forward, or warehouse for hire? That's a different model, funded against your contract receivables. The hand-off at the end points you to the Logistics hub.
Recommended Products
The Products Carriers Fund With
Matched to how the freight cycle actually runs — and stacked into the full number when one isn't enough.
Equipment Financing
Tractors, trailers, reefer units; the truck secures the loan, Section 179 year one.
Invoice Factoring
Advance cash against broker invoices for guaranteed 24-hour pay.
Working Capital
Fuel, repairs, payroll, insurance — through the net-45 gap.
Business Line of Credit
A standing line for breakdowns and slow-pay stretches, no cut of your freight.
Revenue-Based Financing
Funding that flexes with your per-mile revenue.
Term Loans
One lump sum for expansion or acquiring another carrier.
FAQs
Trucking Financing — Questions Carriers Ask
Monthly revenue, time in operation, and cash-flow stability. Credit is one factor — many lenders here use revenue-first underwriting, so strong per-mile revenue can offset a thinner profile.
Roughly 100–150% of average monthly deposits for working capital, more against truck equipment and receivables. Established fleets qualify for far more, stacked. For acquiring another carrier, see /loans/business-acquisition.
Factoring gives guaranteed cash in 24 hours for a small fee but takes a slice of each invoice; a line bridges the same gap without a cut but is approved on your revenue. Many fleets use both. We'll structure whichever fits.
Yes. Lenders here finance used trucks up to roughly 10 years old, with the truck as collateral and Section 179 available.
Yes. With 6+ months operating and steady deposits, the truck secures the loan; newer carriers may see a down payment.
Emergency working capital can move as fast as same day, so a major repair is a phone call, not a parked truck.
Yes. A startup package can cover trucks, authority, insurance, and the first months of operating cost once you're operating.
This hub funds carriers and fleets on truck equipment and freight factoring. If you broker freight, run a 3PL, forward, or warehouse for hire, see our Logistics hub at /industries/logistics — capital structured around your contract receivables, not truck collateral.
No. A soft-pull review has zero impact on your FICO. A hard pull only happens if you choose to move forward with a specific lender's offer.
The Operator's Guide
Trucking Financing, the Way the Freight Cycle Actually Runs
Why banks misread a carrier
I talk to trucking companies every single day stuck in the same cycle: the freight's hauled, the broker's happy, and the money's 45 days out — while fuel's COD and Friday's settlement won't wait. That's not a freight problem, it's a timing problem, and timing problems are fixable. The lenders here fund the gap on your revenue, and they finance the trucks on the trucks.
The mistake I see most is waiting until a truck's already down, or leasing equipment and owning nothing after five years of payments. Set the line up while revenue's flowing; finance the truck so you build a real asset and take the Section 179 deduction.
Every kind of carrier, funded around the cycle
OTR, owner-operators, fleets, reefer, flatbed, hotshot, dump, tanker, auto transport, courier, moving — we fund every kind of carrier. Equipment financing with the truck as collateral. A line that closes the net-45 gap and leaves your margin intact, or factoring when guaranteed 24-hour cash is worth a small fee. Working capital for repairs, insurance, and payroll. The capital matched to the need, then stacked into the full number. If you broker freight or run a 3PL or warehouse rather than own the trucks, that's our Logistics hub at /industries/logistics.
If there's a truck to buy, a repair to cover, or a gap to bridge — start the review. A few minutes, soft-pull, no score impact. Most carriers hear back within hours.
