Carrier guides / Finance
Finance and Carrier Operations
Factoring, fuel cards, financing, startup costs and the economics of operating a trucking business.
Explore the guides
Illustrated research, comparisons and practical decisions
Freight Factoring Rates and Fees for Trucking Companies
Calculate the real cost of freight factoring, including discount rates, reserves, advance rates, transfer fees, minimums and contract charges.
Recourse or Non-Recourse Factoring? Who Takes the Loss?
Compare recourse and non-recourse freight factoring by bankruptcy protection, invoice disputes, repurchase duties, pricing, reserves and contract risk.
How to Read a Freight Factoring Contract Before You Sign
Compare freight factoring agreements clause by clause, including pricing, recourse, reserves, minimums, UCC liens, renewals, termination and broker payment.
Fuel Surcharge Calculation for Owner-Operators: Formula and Example
Learn how a trucking fuel surcharge is calculated per billable mile, how EIA diesel indexes work, and why deadhead changes fuel-cost recovery.
Fuel Card Savings Calculator: Compare the Real Net Discount
Calculate owner-operator fuel card savings after station prices, usable network gallons, detours and fees; compare two offers against buying diesel without a card.
Fuel Cards for Owner-Operators: Finding the Real Savings
Compare trucking fuel cards by net diesel price, network coverage, payment model, transaction fees, credit terms, fraud controls and IFTA records.
Deadhead Miles in Trucking: Cost, Profit and Break-Even
Calculate how empty truck miles change cost, profit, revenue per total mile and your minimum acceptable rate, with real dispatch decision examples.
How to Calculate Profit on a Trucking Load (With Deadhead)
Calculate trucking load profit from linehaul, accessorials, loaded miles, deadhead, all-in cost per mile and trip expenses, with worked examples.
Working Capital for a One-Truck Carrier: 12-Week Cash Plan
Estimate working capital for a one-truck carrier with a 12-week cash forecast, delayed payments, weekly expenses, and an emergency repair buffer.
Your True Cost per Mile: A Complete Owner-Operator Calculation
Calculate trucking cost per mile using total and loaded miles, fixed and variable expenses, owner pay, deadhead, depreciation and a complete worked example.
The Real Cost of Starting a New Trucking Authority
Build a realistic new-authority budget covering FMCSA filings, insurance, plates, taxes, equipment, compliance and cash needed before brokers pay.
One-Truck Profit and Loss Statement: Free 12-Month Template
Build a trucking profit and loss statement with monthly revenue, fuel, repairs, insurance, depreciation and loan interest using a free 12-month template.
When to Replace a Semi Truck: Keep vs Buy Cost Comparison
Compare keeping an aging semi truck against replacing it using maintenance, downtime, fuel economy, financing, resale value and a consistent horizon.
Truck Loan vs Lease: Compare the Real Cost of Your Next Semi
Compare truck financing with a return-at-end lease using loan payments, cash upfront, resale proceeds, maintenance differences and true contract costs.
Financing Your First Truck: What Lenders Look For
Understand how lenders evaluate a new trucking business, including credit, down payment, experience, truck condition, cash flow and loan terms.
Texas IFTA and IRP: Fuel Tax, Plates and Mileage Records
Understand Texas-based IFTA fuel-tax filings, TxDMV IRP apportioned registration, qualifying operations, mileage records and renewal planning.
IFTA for Owner-Operators: From Records to Quarterly Tax
Learn who needs IFTA, how quarterly fuel tax is calculated, which distance and fuel records to keep, and how to prepare for an audit.
Carrier Packets: What Brokers Need Before They Approve a New Authority
Build a broker-ready carrier packet with active authority, insurance, W-9, contracts, banking details and fraud checks. Includes a new-authority setup workflow.
How to Vet a Freight Broker Before You Take the Load
Verify a freight broker before accepting a load: authority, $75,000 bond or trust, payment risk, identity, fraud red flags, contracts and 2026 FMCSA rules.
Rate Confirmations: What to Check Before You Accept the Load
Review a freight rate confirmation before dispatch: rate, miles, commodity, appointments, detention, TONU, lumper, tracking, claims, payment and fraud checks.
Detention and Layover Fees: Calculate and Document Each Claim
Calculate trucking detention, layover and TONU charges using contracted free time, billing increments, rate caps and actual cash collections.
Detention, Layover and TONU: How to Protect Accessorial Revenue
Protect trucking accessorial revenue with clear detention, layover and TONU terms, timestamps, documents, rate-con revisions, invoicing and dispute controls.
Broker Financial Responsibility Rules for 2026: What Carriers Need to Know
Understand the 2026 BMC-84 and BMC-85 rules, the $75,000 security requirement, drawdowns, suspension timelines and what carriers should verify before taking freight.
Freight Broker Won’t Pay: Carrier Steps Before Filing a Bond or Trust Claim
A carrier-side recovery guide for unpaid broker freight: verify the debt, identify the BMC-84 or BMC-85 provider, build evidence, file a claim and control exposure.
Dispatch Service vs Freight Broker: When Broker Authority Is Required
Use FMCSA’s broker and bona fide agent guidance to assess dispatch contracts, load sourcing, compensation, multi-carrier work and traffic allocation.