Freight Factoring for Truckers: Fees Compared (2026)

Reader-supported, no affiliate links: No affiliate links in this article. We also couldn’t verify a public affiliate program for any factoring company below — if a referral relationship existed, we’d say so. We have applied to affiliate programs elsewhere (Truckstop via PartnerStack, FreshBooks, QuickBooks, Upper Route Planner), approvals still pending, but nobody paid for a ranking here and nobody could. Every fee below was re-verified September 29, 2026 — published figures come from the vendors’ own pages, everything else is labeled “reported” and treated as what it is: third-party reporting, not fact. Fees change, and most of these companies quote you personally, so confirm your own rate before signing anything.

Freight factoring for truckers is simple to understand and hard to price-shop, which is exactly why it deserves an honest article. You deliver the load, sell the invoice to a factor, get most of your money today instead of in 30–60 days, and pay a percentage for the privilege. Simple. The ugly part: almost none of these companies publish a real rate card. What you get instead is “as low as” floors, “call for quote” walls, and marketing ranges like “1% to 5%” that could mean almost anything on your specific invoices.

My thesis for this one: the advertised rate is never the rate you pay, but the structure of each company’s pricing tells you a lot anyway. A company that publishes both a recourse and a non-recourse number is more honest than one that publishes nothing. A “2% flat” that nobody can verify is just a rumor with good PR. And the real cost of factoring isn’t only the percentage — it’s the advance rate, the contract length, the termination fee, and whether the fuel card discounts actually offset the fee. I compare all five below on honest all-in cost, and I label everything: published, floor-only, reported, or quote-only. No single numbers where only ranges exist. That rule cost me two entries — here’s what’s left.

Quick picks

• Most transparent pricing: eCapital — the only company here with fee figures on its own pages: recourse “as low as” 1.15%, non-recourse “as low as” 1.65% (official floor figures, promotional page — not the rate you’ll be quoted), advances up to 100%, same-day funding with 24/7 transfers. Floors are floors, but at least they’re written down.
• Best app + zero minimums: OTR Solutions — True Non-Recourse with no chargebacks guaranteed even after 90 days (official), zero monthly minimums (official), instant funding 24/7/365 (official). Fees are quote-only — reported 2.5%–5% per invoice — so you can’t comparison-shop on price before the call.
• Simplest reported rate: Apex Capital — a reported 2% flat rate on billed invoices, with no monthly-minimum or termination fees reported. “Reported” is doing real work in that sentence: it’s not on an official rate card. And there’s a reported all-invoice clause — every invoice goes through them while you’re under contract.

1. eCapital — the only one that publishes numbers

Best for: An owner-operator or small fleet that wants to see actual fee figures before getting on a sales call. Fee structure (vendor wording): two published packages — Recourse, “rates as low as” 1.15% (“best for fleets”), and Risk-Free Non-Recourse, “rates as low as” 1.65% (“best for owner-operators”). Both figures sit on eCapital’s own rates page. eCapital’s own guide says rates “typically” run 2%–6% of the invoice — a guide, not a rate card, but it tells you the floor figures are the exception, not the rule.

Honest-cost verdict: the cheapest published numbers in this roundup and the only apples-to-apples comparison you can do without a phone call. Read them correctly, though: “as low as” is a floor, not a quote. Your actual rate depends on volume, invoice size, collection period, and customer concentration — their criteria, published on their own page. Expect something between the floor and the typical band.

Advance and speed: advances up to 100% of the invoice value, usually within 24 hours — among the highest advance structures here. Same-day funding, and funds are transferable 24/7 through their eCapital Connect portal. They handle collections for up to 90 days; on recourse deals, you’re buying the invoice back if collection fails after their maximum attempts.

Recourse terms: both recourse and non-recourse are real products here. Non-recourse means eCapital eats the loss if your customer doesn’t pay — the reason it costs more than recourse.

Contract/termination: one official line says you’re “not required to sign long term contracts,” while their own FAQ says exiting requires 60 days notice before your 12-month anniversary. That’s not a contradiction that breaks the deal, but it means the contract is effectively annual — read the exit clause before you sign, not after.

Trucker notes: fuel discount program — up to $0.20/gallon off the cash price with in-network partners, plus a reduction in your factoring rate when you bundle fuel and factoring. Free credit checks on brokers and shippers. 17+ years in business, 20,000+ companies (their claims).

Weak spots: the 1.15%/1.65% figures live on a promotional landing page; your quoted rate will be higher. Contract exit is annual in practice despite the “no long-term contracts” line. Non-recourse is explicitly “for a slightly higher factoring rate” — the premium for risk protection is real but unquantified on the page.

Verdict: the default pick, and the only one where you can start the math before the sales call. If you want one number to begin with, eCapital’s non-recourse 1.65% floor is the most honest starting point in the industry — just remember it’s the floor.

2. OTR Solutions — the app-first, zero-minimum factor

Best for: A tech-comfortable owner-operator who wants to run everything from a phone and hates volume minimums. Fee structure: not published anywhere on OTR’s official pages — pure quote-based. Third-party reporting puts it at 2.5%–5% per invoice, with recourse around 2.5%–3.5% and True Non-Recourse up to about 4.0%. Treat that as directional: it’s reported, not verified.

Honest-cost verdict: you cannot price-shop OTR before a call, which is the single biggest strike against them in a fees article. What you can verify is everything around the fee — and that surrounding structure is the best-published in this roundup.

Advance and speed: reported advances up to 100% on certain plans — no reserve holdback at all, which matters when cash flow is tight. “Truly Instant Funding” is their official line: payouts to any bank account 24/7/365, no cutoff times, including holidays. That’s genuinely best-in-class funding speed on paper.

Recourse terms: both recourse and True Non-Recourse, and the official wording is the strongest in the industry: with True Non-Recourse you get “no chargebacks, guaranteed, even after 90 days.” Other factors quietly charge you back when an invoice dies; OTR says in writing that paid stays paid. It’s their claim, but it’s in writing on their own site, and it’s specific.

Contract/termination: zero monthly minimums (official) — factor as little or as much as you want — and no customer-credit or concentration restrictions, so you keep hauling for the brokers you already use. Contract length terms are quote-based; OTR offers a free contract review, which tells you something about how much fine print lives in this industry.

Trucker notes: the app is the selling point — invoice submission from the cab, real-time broker credit checks, per-invoice rate breakdowns. Fuel card bundle: at-pump savings plus a lower factoring rate (they claim $0.50/gal average savings at 3,000+ in-network locations, $0 in-network fees — vendor numbers, treat as marketing).

Weak spots: no published fees, full stop. The 2.5%–5% reported range is wide enough to hide real money. “Only provider” language around True Non-Recourse is marketing — take the guarantee, leave the superlative.

Verdict: the best structure in the roundup — zero minimums, no concentration limits, the strongest non-recourse wording — sabotaged for price-shoppers by publishing no fees at all. If you factor irregularly or run new brokers, the structure may be worth more than a cheaper percentage elsewhere.

3. Apex Capital Corp — the reported 2% flat

Best for: A carrier who wants the simplest possible fee math and values no-fee contract terms over the lowest percentage. Fee structure: Apex’s official blog confirms they offer both flat-rate and tiered-rate structures, customized to your customer mix — flat charges the same fee regardless of pay speed; tiered adjusts based on actual days to payment. The famous 2% flat rate on already billed invoices is reported across a dozen third-party sources but appears on no official rate card I could verify. I’ll say it plainly: 2% flat is the industry’s most repeated factoring rumor, and it’s still a rumor.

Honest-cost verdict: if the 2% holds, it’s the simplest math in the business — $20 on a $1,000 invoice, every invoice. But “if” is doing all the work. Your actual structure (flat vs. tiered) and rate come from a quote, and tiered rates can climb with slow-paying brokers.

Advance and speed: reported advances of 80%–90% — the lowest advance band in this roundup, meaning more of your money sits in reserve. Same-day and next-day funding is reported; their blynk system moves money in minutes via Zelle or bank transfer (reported).

Recourse terms: both recourse and non-recourse offered (reported). Which one you’re quoted changes the rate — non-recourse costs more everywhere, Apex included.

Contract/termination: reported — no monthly-minimum volume fees, no termination fees, free credit checks. But the big one: while under contract, you must factor all your invoices through Apex (reported). That’s the hidden cost of the simple rate. You can’t cherry-pick which invoices to factor and which to collect yourself.

Trucker notes: fuel card discounts through TCS (official); reported savings of 40–60¢/gal (reported, not official). Free load-board access via NextLOAD and a mobile app with image capture.

Weak spots: the 2% figure is unverifiable on official pages. The 80%–90% advance is the weakest here. The all-invoice clause is a real freedom cost. In business since 1995 with a long review history — which cuts both ways: plenty of positive reviews, and plenty of complaints about reserve handling in the mix.

Verdict: the simplest reported pricing in factoring, wrapped in the strictest reported contract clause. Fine if you want one factor for everything and hate fee surprises — bad if you want to factor selectively.

4. RTS Financial — the quote-only giant

Best for: A fleet that factors enough volume to negotiate and wants maximum advance plus a serious fuel program. Fee structure: not published. RTS’s site doesn’t list fees, and their own reps have reportedly declined to share rates without an application. Third-party reported ranges: 1.5%–3.5% (2026), 1%–4%, and 1.75%–4.25% depending on the source. Three ranges from three sources is not a price — it’s a weather forecast.

Honest-cost verdict: you will not know your RTS rate until you’re deep in their process. The reported ranges suggest competitive pricing for volume, and the company’s reputation is built on custom deals — but “custom” cuts both ways. Everything below is reported, nothing is official.

Advance and speed: reported advances up to 97% — among the highest in the industry. Same-day funding on approved invoices (reported), with no ACH or invoice-upload fees reported. If the 97% holds, that’s the most same-day cash in this roundup.

Recourse terms: non-recourse factoring is the reported core product; some sources report both options. Get the recourse definition in writing before you sign — “non-recourse” has fine print everywhere in this industry.

Contract/termination: here’s where it gets messy. One set of third-party reports describes 12–24 month contracts with early-termination fees (reported as 2% of average monthly volume in year 1, 1% after) and a $1,000 escrow deposit. Another set reports flexible, month-to-month terms with no termination fee. I could not resolve this — the reports genuinely conflict — so treat the contract as the single most important thing to nail down in writing with RTS.

Trucker notes: the fuel program is the real draw — reported average savings of $0.25/gallon at 3,500+ stations, with the best discounts at major truck stops, plus a reported fuel line of credit up to $3,200 per truck. Founded 1995, part of Shamrock Trading Corporation (reported). Trustpilot sits around 4.1/5 with a real split: praise for fast funding and dedicated reps, one-star reviews citing held payments and fee opacity.

Weak spots: no published fees, conflicting contract reports, and the one-star reviews cluster around exactly the things this article cares about — fee transparency and exit difficulty. The 97% advance is excellent if the fee attached to it is competitive, which you can’t verify in advance.

Verdict: potentially the best deal here or a 24-month trap — and there’s no way to know which from public information. Only engage RTS if you’re willing to negotiate hard and read every page of the contract. Get the termination fee, the escrow terms, and the recourse definition in writing.

5. Triumph Business Capital — the published range, with a catch

Best for: An established carrier or small fleet comfortable with a longer commitment and wanting a bank-grade factor. Fee structure (vendor wording): Triumph’s own guide says fees “typically range from 1% to 5%” of the invoice value — official, but a guide, not a rate card. Third-party reporting narrows it to 1%–4% per 30 days, one of the few semi-transparent disclosures in trucking factoring. Rates depend on your customers’ credit, how fast they pay, and your monthly volume — their stated criteria.

Honest-cost verdict: “1% to 5%” is honest the way a weather report saying “30 to 90 degrees” is honest. The per-30-days framing is useful, though: it tells you slow-paying brokers cost you real money under Triumph’s structure. Your actual quote is still personal.

Advance and speed: reported advances of 85%–95%. Funding speed is a genuine strength: Triumph’s own FAQ says funds arrive within minutes of invoice approval if you use their LoadPay bank account or fuel card, and 24/7 funding generally.

Recourse terms: both recourse and non-recourse available (reported). Triumph also sells the MyTriumph portal for invoice tracking — nice, but a portal isn’t a price.

Contract/termination: early-termination fees apply (reported) — this is the catch. Review the contract carefully before signing; Triumph is not the factor for anyone who might want out in six months. Reported qualification bar: around $100,000 in turnover and a 500 personal credit score — low enough for most working carriers, but a bar that owner-operators just starting out should know about.

Trucker notes: fuel discount card program, equipment financing, and trucking insurance through affiliated services (reported) — Triumph wants to be your whole financial stack, not just your factor. Funding up to $20 million (reported) — far more than an owner-operator needs, which tells you who their ideal customer is.

Weak spots: the termination fee, the vague official range, and positioning that leans toward larger operations. One user report put their rate at 3.99% — anecdotal, but it shows where real quotes can land versus the 1% floor.

Verdict: a serious factor with real infrastructure and real fees for leaving. Fine for an established fleet that knows it’ll factor for years; a poor fit for anyone who values flexibility.

The comparison table — honest all-in cost

Every figure below is labeled. “Published” = on the vendor’s own pages. “Reported” = third-party reporting, hedged. “Quote” = you won’t know until the call.

The pattern: exactly one company publishes fee figures (eCapital, as floors), one publishes a range as a guide (Triumph), and three publish nothing at all. “Fees compared” in this industry means comparing the honesty of the disclosure as much as the numbers.

How to pick a factoring company (7 rules)

1. Never buy the floor rate. “As low as 1.15%” is the rate for the perfect customer. Your rate depends on your volume, your brokers’ credit, and how fast they pay. Ask every factor for your number in writing before you sign — and ask what makes it move.
2. Do the recourse math on your own invoices. Non-recourse costs roughly 0.5–1.5 percentage points more than recourse. On $10,000/month of invoices, that’s the difference between about $250 and $400 a month at typical reported rates — $1,800 a year to have someone else eat broker defaults. Worth it if you haul for shaky brokers; wasted money if your brokers always pay.
3. Advance rate is your real same-day cash. A 100% advance at 3% beats a 90% advance at 2% when the fuel bill is due Friday — the reserve sits with the factor for 30–45 days. Compare advance × (1 − fee), not the fee alone.
4. Read the exit before the entrance. Termination fees, escrow deposits, all-invoice clauses, and 12–24 month terms are where factoring deals turn expensive. RTS’s conflicting contract reports are the cautionary tale: get the length, the termination fee, and the escrow terms in writing.
5. Price the fuel card into the fee. A $0.25/gal discount at 1,000 gallons a week is ~$13,000 a year — it can dwarf a half-point difference in factoring fees. But only if you fuel at their network. Run your actual fuel stops against their station list.
6. Count the add-on fees. ACH/wire fees, invoice-upload fees, monthly minimums, and credit-check fees are the industry’s favorite hiding places. eCapital publishes free credit checks; RTS is reported to skip ACH and upload fees; everyone else — ask.
7. Remember where factored invoices land. Every factored invoice still has to be booked. If you’re running your own books, pair the factor with accounting that handles trucking — our bookkeeping breakdown and the accounting software rankings cover the downstream side. And since your rate depends partly on broker credit, the brokers you find matter too — start with the load board comparison.

FAQ

Is freight factoring a loan? No. You’re selling an invoice at a discount, not borrowing money — no debt goes on your books, and qualification is based on your customer’s credit, not yours. That’s why new carriers with thin credit can factor when a bank would laugh them out of the lobby.

What does freight factoring actually cost? Between roughly 1% and 5%+ of the invoice value, depending on volume, broker credit, and recourse vs. non-recourse. The only published fee figures in this roundup are eCapital’s floors (1.15% recourse, 1.65% non-recourse — promotional, not typical). Everyone else is quote-based, with third-party reported ranges from 1.5% to 5%. Add advance rate, contract terms, and add-on fees to get the real number.

Recourse or non-recourse — which should I choose? Recourse is cheaper; you buy the invoice back if the broker doesn’t pay (usually after ~90 days). Non-recourse costs more and the factor eats the default. If you haul for brokers you’ve run with for years who always pay, recourse saves real money. If you take loads from new or shaky brokers, non-recourse is insurance — price it like insurance, not like a fee.

Can a new carrier with a brand-new MC number get factoring? Yes — factoring is one of the few financial products built for new authorities, because approval keys off your customers’ credit. OTR explicitly lets you sign up before your authority is even active. Just expect your first quotes to sit at the high end of any range until you have payment history.

Do I have to factor every invoice? Depends on the contract. Apex reportedly requires all invoices to go through them while you’re under contract. OTR publishes zero monthly minimums — factor one invoice or a hundred. Always ask: “can I factor selectively?” before you sign.

How fast do I actually get paid? Most factors fund within 24 hours of invoice approval. OTR claims instant 24/7/365 payouts with no cutoff times; eCapital does same-day with 24/7 transfers; Triumph says minutes via its LoadPay account. The advance percentage matters as much as the speed — 100% today beats 90% today plus 10% in 45 days when diesel is due now.

Bottom line

Default pick: eCapital. It’s the only factoring company in this roundup that puts actual fee figures on its own pages — 1.15% recourse and 1.65% non-recourse floors, both labeled “as low as” so you know they’re floors — with up to 100% advances, same-day funding, and a non-recourse package explicitly positioned for owner-operators. No other factor here lets you start the math before the sales call, and in an industry built on quote-only pricing, that transparency is the product.

Runners-up: OTR Solutions if you want the strongest non-recourse guarantee in writing, zero minimums, and the best app — accept that you’ll learn the price on the call. Apex Capital if the reported 2% flat holds for your book of business and you want the simplest contract terms — accept the all-invoice clause and verify the rate is real before you commit.

One last thing, driver to driver: factoring is a cash-flow tool, not a business model. Every percentage point you pay is a point off your margin forever. Use it to bridge the 30–60 day broker pay gap, build the reserve that lets you self-fund, and graduate. The cheapest factoring fee is the one you stop paying.