Haulage and logistics finance

Haulage runs on thin margins and long payment terms. You pay for fuel, drivers and tyres this week, and your customer pays in two months. Add a cab that needs replacing and the cash runs out fast, even when the business is busy and profitable.

Finance for hauliers

HGV, trailer and van finance. New or used tractor units, rigids, trailers, vans and refrigerated vehicles, on hire purchase or lease. Refinance vehicles you already own to free up cash. See asset finance.

Invoice finance. Get up to 80 to 90 per cent of your invoice value within days instead of waiting 60 days or more. This is the single most common way hauliers fix cash flow. See invoice finance.

Working capital loans. Cover fuel, insurance renewals, O-licence financial standing and seasonal peaks. See business loans.

Getting funded with a short trading history

Plenty of good haulage businesses are young. Owner-drivers become fleet operators. Drivers set up on their own. Banks often want two or three years of accounts before they'll talk. Specialist lenders are more flexible.

An Edinburgh logistics firm we worked with had asset finance approved within the same week, on just three months' trading. The right lender looked at the contracts, the vehicles and the people, and said yes.

Fuel, insurance and seasonal peaks

Haulage costs land in lumps. Insurance renewals, a quarter's VAT, a big tyre bill, a busy Christmas peak when you need agency drivers and extra trailers. Even a profitable firm can find itself short for a few weeks at a time.

A working capital loan or a revolving credit facility gives you a buffer you can draw on when those lumps arrive and pay down when the invoices clear. Paired with invoice finance, it means the business is funded by the work you're already doing, instead of the overdraft.

What lenders will ask for

Is haulage a good business to fund?

Lenders like haulage businesses with steady contracts, decent customers and well-maintained vehicles. They are wary of fleets with patchy maintenance, a single customer or heavy existing borrowing. We present your business in the way lenders want to see it, with the strengths up front.

How it works with Flite

Tell us what you need: another unit, a trailer, or breathing room between invoices and payment. Your Lending Expert checks 120+ lenders and comes back with real options side by side. Many clients have a decision within 24 to 48 hours.

Flite is free to you. We are paid by the lender when your deal completes.