Trucking Business Loans & Working Capital for Carriers | Firestarter Capital

Trucking · Logistics · Owner-Operators

Brokers pay in 45 days. Payroll is due Friday.

That gap — between the freight you've already hauled and the money you haven't been paid — is what kills trucking companies. Not bad loads. Not bad drivers. Cash flow timing. We line up funding built for how trucking actually pays: factoring, equipment financing, and working capital, explained in plain English with the real costs on the table.

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No hard credit pull to pre-qualify · all fleet sizes, including new authorities

The three cash gaps every carrier knows

If you run trucks, you've lived at least one of these this year.

The broker-pay gap

You delivered three weeks ago. The invoice says net-45. Fuel, insurance, and your drivers won't wait 45 days — so growth stalls while your money sits in someone else's accounts payable.

The breakdown you can't schedule

An in-frame overhaul runs $15K–$30K and the truck earns nothing while it's in the shop. The repair bill and the lost revenue hit the same month, every time.

The growth trap

More contracted freight than trucks to haul it. The next truck pays for itself on paper — but the down payment, insurance, and first month of fuel all come due before the first settlement does.

Trucking business loans & funding tools — and what each really costs

No product pushing. Each tool fixes a different problem, and each has a bill. Here's the honest version.

Invoice / Freight Factoring

Fixes the broker-pay gap

Sell your unpaid invoices and get paid in a day or two instead of 30–60. Underwritten on your brokers' credit, not yours — which is why factoring works for new authorities and rough credit files. Recourse and non-recourse structures available.

The bill: a factoring fee per invoice (commonly a low single-digit percentage). It's not debt — but the fee compounds across every load, so it's a bridge and a cash-flow tool, not a forever plan.

Equipment Financing

Trucks · trailers · reefers

The truck or trailer itself secures the deal, which keeps the credit bar lower than an unsecured loan. Works for adding a unit, replacing a blown one, or refinancing equipment you already own to pull working capital out of it.

The bill: interest plus a down payment that scales with credit and time in business. First-time buyers should expect more money down — ask us what the realistic range looks like for your file before you truck-shop.

Working Capital

Fast, short-term fuel

A lump sum for the season where everything hits at once — insurance renewal, IFTA, tires, driver hiring. Fastest funding lane in this list once documents are in.

The bill: speed costs more than patience. Short-term working capital carries a higher cost of capital than bank products — right for gaps measured in months, wrong for debts measured in years. We'll tell you which one yours is.

Business Line of Credit

The standby tank

Approved once, drawn only when needed, interest only on what you use. The right tool for carriers with 6+ months of steady deposits who want the breakdown fund ready before the breakdown.

The bill: interest on drawn funds and, with some funders, maintenance fees. The discipline cost is real too — a line that quietly stays maxed has become an expensive loan.

How it works

1
Tell us about your operation

Two minutes on the form below. Fleet size, time in business, what the cash gap actually is. No hard credit pull.

2
Get matched, get the math

A consultant calls within one business day with the options your file actually qualifies for — and what each costs, in dollars, before you commit to anything.

3
Fund and roll

Pick the structure that fits. Factoring setups commonly fund first invoices in days; working capital can move in 24–72 hours once docs are in.

Straight answers

Can I get funding with bad credit?

Often, yes — because factoring is underwritten on your brokers' payment strength and equipment deals are secured by the iron. A rough credit file narrows options and raises costs; it is not an automatic no. Approval and terms always depend on the funder's underwriting.

I just got my authority. Am I wasting my time?

No. Factoring companies routinely take on first-year carriers. First-truck equipment financing usually wants a meaningful down payment. Traditional working capital generally needs 6+ months of business deposits — so sequence matters, and we'll tell you the realistic order.

Factoring vs. a loan — which is right?

If the problem is timing — money you've earned but haven't received — factoring fixes exactly that without adding debt. If the problem is a purchase — a truck, a trailer, an expansion — financing fits better. Plenty of carriers run both for different jobs.

What does this cost me?

Talking to us: nothing, ever. The funding itself: every option comes with its cost explained in plain dollars before you sign. If a structure doesn't make sense for your operation, we'll say so — a funded deal that hurts your business doesn't help ours.

Tell us about your trucking company

Two minutes. No hard pull. A dedicated consultant — not a call center — reaches out within one business day.

No spam. No hard pull. A consultant will contact you within 1 business day.