Factoring companies with fuel cards and fuel advances: fuel the run before you're paid

How a fuel advance works

1. Book the load. You sign the rate confirmation from the broker.
2. Pick up. The shipper signs the bill of lading.
3. Request the advance. Send both documents to the factor and ask for the advance, often a set share of the rate.
4. Get the money. It arrives by transfer or on a fuel card, sometimes the same day.
5. Deliver and factor. When you submit the invoice, the fuel advance comes off your invoice advance.

How advances are repaid

You don't pay a fuel advance back separately. When the load delivers and you factor the invoice, the factor subtracts the fuel advance, and any fee for it, from the money it sends you. The total you receive across the advance and the invoice is the same as factoring the invoice alone, minus any fuel advance fee.

Worked example: a tanker run EXAMPLE

A tanker hauls a $4,500 load 900 miles. At pickup the carrier asks for a fuel advance of $1,000 and gets it the same afternoon. On delivery, the invoice is factored at a 90% advance, $4,050, minus the $1,000 already sent: $3,050 arrives. When the broker pays, the reserve of $450 is released minus the factoring fee. If the factor charges a fee for the fuel advance, it comes off here too. The run never waited on cash.

Fuel cards from a factoring company

RTS Financial publishes three fuel card options. As stated on its fuel card page, checked October 2026:

Fuel card discounts: how they work

Discounts come in a few forms. Some cards take a set number of cents off the pump price. Others charge a price based on the station's cost or a posted retail price minus a discount. Some pay part of the saving back later as a rebate. An average saving across a network tells you the program can save money, not what you will save; that depends on where you buy. Check your own receipts after a month. Our fuel card savings calculator shows what a discount is worth on your miles.

Where cards work

Fuel cards run on networks of participating stations. Big truck stop chains on Interstate lanes are usually covered; rural stations near oilfields, farms and job sites may not be. A card can still work outside the network, but at pump price or with a fee. Before choosing, list the places you fuel most and check them against the card's station finder. Some cards also limit what can be bought, such as fuel only, which helps fleets control spending.

Who needs fuel advances most

• Heavy haul: heavy loads burn more fuel, and runs are slow; permits and escorts add up-front costs too.
• Tankers: long loaded runs and sometimes wash costs before the next load.
• New authorities: no reserve yet, and the first payments are weeks away.
• Reefers: the unit burns fuel too, on top of the truck.
• Any truck after a repair bill that drained the account.

Heavier loads cost more to move: on the Interstate a truck can gross up to 80,000 lb without a permit, and every pound of that burns fuel. Source Work out the trip's fuel with the trip fuel cost calculator before you ask for the advance, so you request what you need and not more.

What to check before using fuel advances

• Fee: a flat fee, a percentage, or included in the factoring rate.
• Amount: the maximum share of a load's rate that can be advanced.
• Timing: how fast it arrives after you submit, and on weekends.
• Documents: rate con only, or rate con plus signed bill of lading.
• Delivery: bank transfer, fuel card, or both.

Fuel advances and fuel cards together

The two solve different problems. A fuel advance solves timing: money now for a load that pays later. A fuel card solves price: fewer dollars per gallon. Carriers short on cash need the first; every carrier benefits from the second where the network fits. Some programs combine them by loading advances straight onto the card, which is convenient but ties you to that network. Factoring itself is the bigger timing fix; RTS Financial states it advances more than 90 percent within 24 hours of an invoice Source, with same-day payment through its app. Source

Fuel advance, quick pay or factoring the whole load

These are three ways to get money sooner, and they suit different moments. A fuel advance gives you part of the money at pickup, for the run itself. Factoring gives you most of the invoice at delivery, for everything after. Broker quick pay gives you the invoice sooner from the broker, minus its own percentage, and only where the broker offers it. Carriers who factor every load often use fuel advances only on long or heavy runs; carriers who don't factor may use quick pay on the few brokers who offer a fair rate for it.

Fleet controls on fuel cards

With more than one driver, a fuel card is also a control tool. Cards can be limited to diesel only, to a daily dollar amount, or to set hours, and each purchase is recorded by card and truck. Reports show which unit is burning more than it should, which is often the first sign of a mechanical problem or an idling habit. Set the limits before handing out cards, and review the report every week.

Fuel records and fuel tax reporting

Carriers running in more than one state report miles and fuel by state for fuel tax. Many fuel card programs record gallons and location for each purchase, which makes those reports easier to prepare. Keep the card's reports with your trip records each quarter, and keep receipts for any fuel bought off the card so nothing is missing when you file.

Common mistakes

• Taking the maximum advance on every load, then finding the invoice advance too small to cover the week.
• Forgetting the fee, which raises the real cost of factoring that load.
• Assuming the discount applies everywhere, then fueling at pump price off-network.
• Losing the bill of lading photo needed for both the advance and the invoice.

How much to advance

Ask for what the run needs, not the maximum. Work out the gallons for the loaded and empty miles, add the reefer unit if you run one, and multiply by the price where you will fill up. Add a margin for detours and a higher-priced stop. Anything beyond that comes out of the same invoice anyway, so taking more only leaves you short when the load delivers and the invoice advance is smaller than expected.

Lowering fuel cost beyond the card

The cheapest gallon is the one you don't burn. Fewer empty miles, steady speeds and less idling cut fuel more than most discounts. Planning the next load before this one delivers is where a dispatcher helps: we look for loads that keep the truck moving toward more freight, and you approve every one. Factoring and fuel programs stay optional. See dispatch for owner-operators, how factoring works and freight factoring.