Playbook: Cash & Capital

(The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates.) A Dallas County jury last week hit freight broker C.H. Robinson with a share of a $604 million verdict in Peyton Lipe et al. v. Lupus Superior, LLC et al. The case stems […]

Georgia is moving ahead with an idea that most of the country has only talked about: a stretch of interstate where the trucks get their own road. The Georgia Department of Transportation has released a construction timeline for its I-75 Commercial Vehicle Lanes project, and the plan is concrete. Design work will be finalized and […]

BasicBlock has acquired TrueNorth in a move signaling a significant expansion of services for independent carriers.

Sixty-five owner-operators is not the same thing as sixty-five trucks. That distinction sits underneath everything Christian Martinez does. As director of operations at Voyager Nation in Mulberry, Florida, he manages a fleet that is 100% owner-operator, which means he manages 65 independent business owners who have no obligation to stay and every other option available […]

(The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates.) The Supreme Court’s Montgomery decision changed the litigation landscape for the trucking industry. Although the case addressed a negligent selection claim against a freight broker, plaintiffs will not limit their investigations to the […]

The regulation at the center of this fight is not new. It has been sitting in the Code of Federal Regulations since 1980. 49 CFR 371.3 requires property brokers to keep a record of each transaction, and it gives each party to that transaction the right to review the record. On paper, an owner-operator who […]

That’s where chargebacks come into play—and if not handled carefully, they can quietly erode your profits and hurt your business. In this guide, we’ll explain what chargebacks are, how they influence your factoring costs, and what steps you can take to reduce your risk and choose a partner who truly protects you. What Are Chargebacks […]

If you’re a carrier operating in today’s freight market, with tight margins, rate volatility, and rising operating costs, the real issue isn’t the tool. It’s whether the financing actually fits how your trucking business runs day to day. Because in trucking, survival comes down to one thing: keeping cash moving at the same speed as […]

I have known Jerry Murphy for almost two years. We talk every couple of weeks. And I can tell you there is no version of him for the cameras. The man you hear on this episode is the same man I get on those calls. He did not have a driver’s license when he started […]

(The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates.) Owner-operators and motor carriers are facing a fast-growing scam in the trucking world. While cargo theft and ghost trucks remain the top mind for many logistics professionals, fraudsters are using fake trailer rental […]

You can run loads consistently, work with solid brokers, and still feel pressure every week because most invoices take 30, 45, or even 60+ days to get paid. That delay is exactly why freight factoring has become one of the most widely used financial tools for owner-operators and small fleets. It’s the fastest way to […]

If you’re running loads consistently but waiting 30, 45, or 60 days to get paid, freight factoring becomes less of a luxury and more of an operational necessity. But before using it, there’s a straightforward question every carrier asks: What does freight factoring actually cost—in real dollars? This guide breaks it down without fluff. No vague […]

Some carriers see it as a practical tool to keep cash flow moving. Others associate it with high costs, confusing agreements, chargebacks, or bad experiences with companies that were not clear from the beginning. And that is the real issue. In many cases, the problem is not factoring itself. The problem is how factoring has […]

Now the market turns. Spot rates in mid-2026 are running roughly 15% above where they sat a year ago, the strongest year-over-year comparison since early 2022. That load that paid $2,200 last year is paying $2,500 or $2,600 now. Good. Real money. But there is a caveat, because this is where operators fool themselves. The […]

Why This Argument Never Ends Go search “factoring” in any trucking group on Facebook. Doesn’t matter which one. What you’ll find looks less like a conversation and more like a street fight. One driver swears it kept his business alive through the freight recession. The driver next to him says it quietly ate his margins […]

Why the Monthly Payment Is the Wrong Number to Focus On The monthly payment is a cash flow number. It tells you whether you can keep the lights on week to week. It tells you almost nothing about what the truck actually costs. What the truck actually costs is the purchase price plus every dollar […]

A Note Before We Start Tax law is not a place for general advice to substitute for specific counsel. The concepts in this article are educational. The numbers used are illustrative. Your actual tax situation depends on your entity structure, your annual taxable income, your state’s conformity with federal law, and decisions that need to […]

On Monday, May 18, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced that FMCSA is deploying $217 million across four grant programs targeting trucking safety enforcement, CDL program modernization, technology deployment at roadside inspections, and career training for military veterans entering the trucking industry. This is not a future commitment. Applications are open right now. The […]

The compliance crackdown of 2026 has pushed a meaningful volume of used equipment back to dealer lots, and with the freight market recovering and tender rejections at 14.43% as of late April, the pressure to add capacity is building for carriers who have survived the freight recession with room to grow. That convergence — more […]

Here is a number that does not get talked about enough: we have seen a some small carriers that have somewhere between $40,000 and $100,000 in completed work sitting as unpaid invoices at any given time. That money has been earned. The load moved. The delivery was made. The BOL is signed. The money simply […]

You delivered the load. The BOL is signed. The POD is in. The job is done. And now you wait — 30 days, 45 days, sometimes longer — for a broker to release payment while your truck payment, your fuel bill, your insurance premium, and your driver’s paycheck are all due right now. That gap […]

One month ago the national average for diesel was $3.65 a gallon. As of this week, it is over $5.00. According to AAA, that is a 38% increase in roughly 30 days — the fastest one-month fuel price spike the trucking industry has experienced in years, driven by U.S. and Israeli airstrikes against Iran that […]

Sanjay Singh founded Royal Bengal Logistics, Inc. in 2018 in Coral Springs, Florida. He built a website that described a company with 250 employees, a fleet of over 200 semi-trucks and growing, and revenue of $1 million per month. He held annual investor banquets in hotel ballrooms. He posted a video of himself onstage announcing […]

There is a legal process in the United States called civil asset forfeiture, and if you drive a truck, carry cash, or run a small business that deals in either, you need to understand it before you drive through Texas — or most other states — with your operating capital in your pocket. The case […]

For the first time in three years, the trucking industry was starting to believe it again. Not celebrating – this industry is too battle-tested for that – but believing. The numbers were moving in the right direction. Spot rates were climbing. Excess capacity had bled out of the market through years of carrier exits, ELP […]

The freight market does not suffer from a lack of opinions. It suffers from a lack of structured conversations. Broker transparency has become one of the most debated topics in trucking, often framed in emotional terms and amplified by social media soundbites. Recently, I sat down with Chris Jolly, known widely as the Freight Coach, […]

Drawing parallels to COVID-era passenger carriers that either collapsed or strategically positioned for recovery, this analysis examines how predictive financial management, disciplined cost control, and forward-thinking strategy determine which carriers survive brutal market downturns, and why the industry’s broken pricing structure punishes operators doing everything right.

The entire market shifts when carriers start saying “no” to contracted freight. Rising tender rejection rates signal tightening capacity and often precede spot rate hikes, while falling rates point to softening demand.

Meet Bubba, the AI-powered voice assistant designed specifically for drivers. Bubba finds loads, negotiates rates, vets brokers and manages documents while protecting drivers’ profits and time. After decades of everyone but drivers using AI, Bubba finally brings real-world driver-first solutions that let you stay focused on the road while maximizing your margins. Learn why Bubba might just be the smartest, toughest, “Say no to Cheap Freight” dispatcher you’ll ever have.

The Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting requirement has become another regulatory headache for trucking fleets, adding complexity to an already compliance-heavy industry. While designed to combat financial crimes, the Corporate Transparency Act’s BOI mandate has been met with legal challenges, leaving businesses uncertain about their obligations. Despite ongoing court battles, FinCEN continues to push forward with enforcement, meaning most trucking companies structured as LLCs, S-Corps, or partnerships must file ownership details or face significant penalties. With deadlines approaching and regulatory uncertainty persisting, trucking fleets must stay informed, prepare their filings, and avoid compliance missteps.

Cash flow is the difference between survival and failure in the trucking industry. Even a profitable business on paper can collapse if it doesn’t have the cash to cover fuel, maintenance, and payroll. With customers often taking 30, 60, or even 90 days to pay invoices, owner-operators and fleets have to manage cash flow strategically to avoid financial strain.

Tracking cash inflows and outflows, using factoring services, leveraging net 30 fuel cards, and refinancing loans can help maintain liquidity and keep operations running smooth. Smart cash flow management ensures businesses stay profitable, avoid costly short-term borrowing, and remain resilient in an unpredictable market.

Managing cash flow is about keeping enough of it to stay in business. Many new owner-operators and small fleet owners struggle not because they can’t find freight, but because they fail to control expenses and prepare for financial challenges.

With high startup costs, slow broker payments, and unpredictable expenses like fuel and maintenance, poor cash flow management can quickly derail even the most hardworking truckers. Successful operators track every dollar, minimize unnecessary spending, use financial tools strategically, and plan for market fluctuations to keep their business rolling for the long haul.

Net 30 fleet fuel cards offer owner-operators and fleet managers a cash flow solution providing up to 30 days to pay for fuel expenses. This short-term financing helps bridge the gap between operating costs and customer payments, reducing financial strain and improving flexibility.

Consolidating fuel expenses into a single invoice and allowing time for revenue collection, these cards simplify bookkeeping and can even help build business credit. However, managing payment deadlines is crucial, late fees and missed payments can quickly turn a financial advantage into a burden. When used strategically, net 30 fuel cards keep trucks moving without unnecessary cash flow disruptions.

Managing freight costs is one of the most critical aspects of running a trucking business. Ensuring that invoices are accurate with rising fuel prices, fluctuating rates, and complex carrier agreements is essential for financial stability. Unfortunately, billing errors, duplicate charges, misclassified freight, and unexpected fees are all too common in logistics. That’s where freight invoice […]