Trucking business loans and cash advances for owner-operators and small fleets.
Fuel is due before the broker pays. The transmission goes the week the insurance renews. Funding partners in our network underwrite trucking companies on broker and factoring deposits, not just the owner’s credit score, with decisions in 24–48 hours and funds in the account in days.
At a glance
- Who
- Owner-operators, small fleets, hotshot, box truck, dump, reefer and dedicated carriers, 6+ months operating
- Working capital
- Cash advance of $10,000 to $500,000+, sized to monthly deposits*
- Trucks and trailers
- Equipment loans and leases of $30,000 to $250,000+ per unit, 36–60 months*
- Factoring
- Factored deposits count as revenue. Tell us who your factor is.
- Credit
- Advances consider scores in the 500s. Truck financing from the high 500s with CDL and history.*
- Speed
- Decision in 24–48 hours; advances fund in 24–72 hours after final approval*
You get paid in 30 to 60 days. Your costs are due today.
Trucking runs on a timing gap. The load is delivered this week, the broker pays in 30 days or the factor pays in two at a 2–4% cost, and in between there is fuel, a driver, tolls, tires, the truck note, the insurance down payment and whatever breaks. A single slow month or one unexpected repair can put a profitable one-truck operation into overdraft, and once there are a few negative days on the statements the bank is no longer an option.
Swyft Advance works with funding partners who understand that cycle. They read trucking bank statements the way a dispatcher reads a load board: broker deposits, factoring deposits, fuel card activity and the truck payment all tell them what the business actually earns. The owner’s credit score matters less than it would at a bank, and the decision comes in days rather than weeks.
- Factoring and broker deposits count as revenue
- Approval weighted toward deposits and operating history, not credit alone
- No hard credit pull to see your options*
- Four products, so a truck purchase and a fuel gap do not get the same expensive answer
Four trucking needs, four different answers
| Need | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel, repair, insurance down payment, slow month | Cash advance | Fastest. Remitted from the deposits it helps you earn. |
| Buying a truck or trailer | Equipment financing | Secured by the unit, 36–60 months, far lower cost. |
| Recurring gaps between loads and pay | Line of credit | Draw for fuel, repay when the broker pays, reuse. |
| Two or more advances already drawing daily | Reverse Consolidation | Cuts the weekly outflow 30–50% instead of adding to it. |
Capital for the truck, and capital for everything around it.
Working capital: merchant cash advance
A funding partner purchases a portion of your future receivables and deposits the purchase price. You remit a fixed daily or weekly amount by ACH until the purchased amount is delivered. The total cost is fixed in dollars up front. It is not a loan. For trucking, amounts typically run 80–120% of average monthly deposits.*
Trucks and trailers: equipment financing
Semi-trucks, day cabs, sleepers, box trucks, dump trucks, hotshot setups, dry vans, reefers and flatbeds, new or used, from a dealer or a private seller. The lender holds title to the unit, which is why trucking equipment financing stretches further on credit than an unsecured loan would.
What funders read on a trucking bank statement.
Deposits
Broker payments, factoring advances and rebates, shipper direct pay. Partners total them by month and look for consistency, not just the high months.
The truck note and fuel
Existing equipment payments and fuel card spend tell the funder what the business already carries. A remittance that fits around them gets approved; one that does not gets sized down.
Negative days
Overdrafts and returned payments are the most common reason a trucking file declines. Three or fewer a month is the usual tolerance; a run of them after a breakdown can often be explained.
Authority and positions
Time under your own MC number or carrier agreement, and how many advances already draw from the account. One is normal. Three or more points to Reverse Consolidation.
Compare the advance to the load it lets you run, not to a bank loan.
A cash advance is priced for speed. It makes sense in trucking when the capital keeps the truck moving: a week of fuel on a lane that nets $2,000 after costs, a repair that returns a $6,000-a-week unit to service, an insurance renewal that keeps the authority active. It does not make sense for buying a truck, which is what equipment financing is for.
The cost is a fixed total, stated in dollars in your offer, along with the advance amount, the remittance and the term. Longer operating history, steady deposits, fewer negative days and no existing advances bring it down. Partners also read the type of freight: dedicated and contract work prices better than pure spot-market loads.
- Advance amount
- The deposit to your account
- Total to remit
- Fixed in dollars on day one
- Remittance
- Daily or weekly amount, by ACH
- Term
- Estimated weeks or months to deliver
The trucking math: if an advance replaces an engine on a truck grossing $20,000 a month, the truck earns back the full cost of the advance within a few months of service it would otherwise have missed. Run that comparison against the total on the offer, in dollars.
Fit test: the remittance has to clear under your fuel and truck payment in a slow week, not an average one.
Built for carriers with real loads on the statements.
Each funding partner sets its own criteria. These are the guidelines most of them share for trucking files.
- 6+ months under your own authority or a steady carrier or lease-on agreement. Twelve months or more opens more partners and better pricing.
- $10,000+ in monthly deposits to a business bank account, including factoring and broker payments.
- Three or fewer negative days a month on average. A breakdown month can be explained with a repair invoice.
- Active authority, insurance and a CDL on file for the owner or a driver.
- Credit scores in the 500s are considered for advances. Truck financing typically wants the high 500s or above. See our bad credit funding guide.
- A US or Canadian trucking company. Cross-border carriers are fine; deposits should land in one business account.
What you’ll need
Have these ready and most files are decided within two business days.
- Last 3–4 months of business bank statements
- Government-issued photo ID and CDL for the owner
- MC/DOT number or carrier agreement
- Voided business check or bank letter
- If you factor: your factoring agreement or the factor’s name
- For a truck purchase: the dealer or seller quote, VIN, and proof of insurance before funding
Stacked advances are the fastest way to park a profitable truck.
Trucking gets stacked more than most industries. A repair leads to a first advance, a slow month to a second, and by the third the daily remittances are eating the fuel money the loads were supposed to cover. Adding a fourth makes the week worse, not better.
Reverse Consolidation is built for exactly that position. A funding partner sends weekly deposits that cover the remittances on your existing advances, and you remit one lower weekly amount over a longer term. Net weekly outflow typically falls 30–50%, which in trucking is often the difference between running the truck and selling it.
Before you sign any trucking advance
- Know the total dollar cost and the remittance schedule.
- Make sure the daily or weekly remittance fits under your fuel and truck payment in a slow week, not an average one.
- Ask how reconciliation works if a truck goes down and deposits fall.
- If you factor, confirm the funder has accounted for the factor’s UCC filing.
- Ask whether the agreement includes a personal guarantee or confession of judgment. Some states restrict these.
Your Swyft advisor walks through each of these on every offer. If an offer would starve the truck, we say so.
Straight answers for carriers.
Can an owner-operator with one truck get funding?
Yes. Single-truck owner-operators are the most common trucking file we see. Funding partners look for six or more months under your own authority or a steady carrier agreement, $10,000 or more a month in deposits, and bank statements without a pattern of negative days. Amounts for a one-truck operation usually land between $10,000 and $50,000 for an advance. Approval is never guaranteed.
I factor my invoices. Does that matter?
Factoring is normal in trucking and funding partners expect it. Deposits from a factoring company count as revenue. What partners check is whether the factor holds a UCC filing on all receivables, because that affects how a cash advance can be structured. Tell your advisor who your factor is up front and we route the file to partners that work alongside them.
Can I use a cash advance for fuel and repairs?
Yes. Any legitimate business purpose qualifies, and fuel, tires, a transmission, an insurance down payment or a slow month are the most common reasons trucking companies apply. For a planned truck or trailer purchase, equipment financing secured by the unit is usually far cheaper than an advance.
What credit score do I need to finance a truck?
Equipment lenders in our network typically want a score in the high 500s or above, a CDL, and one or more years of driving or operating history. Lower scores and first-time buyers are considered with 10–20% down on used units. Cash advances for working capital weigh credit less heavily and consider scores in the 500s.
How fast can a trucking company get funded?
Most complete applications receive a decision within 24–48 hours. Cash advances usually fund within 24–72 hours of final approval. Equipment deals take a few days longer because the lender verifies the unit, the seller and insurance before releasing funds.
Do I need to be in business a certain amount of time?
Most funding partners want at least six months under your current authority or carrier agreement. Driving history with another carrier helps an equipment application for a first truck but does not replace business bank statements for a cash advance. Twelve months or more opens more partners and better pricing.
Keep the truck moving. See your options today.
Ten-minute application, no hard credit pull to check, an advisor who knows what a factoring deposit looks like.