The specs
OnDeckTBS Factoring Service
Product typeMulti-productMulti-product
Amount range$5K – $400K (term); $6K – $200K (LOC)$500 – $5M+ in invoices factored (no hard cap)
Cost (factor / APR)Term APR 27%+; LOC APR 30%+Factor rate 1.5 – 5% of invoice value (volume-tiered; lower at higher monthly factored volume)
Speed to fundSame-day for approved filesSame-day funding on verified invoices (often within 4 hours)
Min time in business12 months0 months
Min monthly revenue$8,000Volume-based (typically $10K+/mo factored); accepts new-authority MC carriers
Min credit score600+No FICO floor — underwrites against broker / shipper credit, not carrier credit
Products
- Term loan
- LOC
- Freight factoring (recourse standard, non-recourse optional)
- Fuel card with TA/Petro discounts
- Free broker credit checks
- Dispatch and back-office services
Verdicts by use case
- Trucking carrier with steady freight invoices and NET 30+ broker payment terms — Winner: TBS Factoring Service. TBS factoring converts freight invoices to same-day cash without the NET 30 wait. OnDeck term loan or LOC delivers a lump sum but doesn't solve the structural cash-flow gap between load delivery and broker payment.
- Established multi-truck fleet wanting a lump-sum loan for equipment or expansion — Winner: OnDeck. OnDeck term loan ($5K – $400K) at 27%+ APR over 24 months is structurally fit for one-shot capital needs (truck purchase, expansion, working capital reserve). Factoring is per-invoice and doesn't fit lump-sum equipment financing.
- New-authority MC carrier (0 – 12 months) — Winner: TBS Factoring Service. TBS accepts new-authority MC carriers from day one. OnDeck requires 12+ months TIB. New-authority operations get cash flow from TBS where OnDeck would decline.
- Brand recognition and direct-lender trust — Winner: OnDeck. OnDeck is one of the most recognized SMB direct lenders in the U.S. with same-day funding on approved files. For an established fleet wanting a name-brand term loan or LOC, OnDeck's brand reputation matters in vendor and bank conversations. TBS's brand is strong specifically within trucking but less recognized outside the industry.
- Cheapest effective rate at scale for ongoing working capital — Winner: TBS Factoring Service. TBS factor rate at 1.5 – 2.5% per invoice on $100K+/mo factored volume equates to 18 – 30% APR-equivalent — comparable to OnDeck's 27%+ APR but with no fixed lump-sum interest burden. For ongoing cash-flow needs against freight invoices factoring is structurally cheaper than an MCA-style OnDeck product.
The honest takeaway
OnDeck and TBS Factoring Service solve overlapping but distinct problems. The right choice depends on three things you already know about your business: how fast you need the money, how long you've been operating, and whether the capital need is one-time or recurring.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a trucking business stack OnDeck term loan with TBS factoring?
- Yes, and it's a common stack for established fleets. OnDeck term loan handles one-shot capital (truck purchase, repair-shop expansion). TBS factoring handles per-invoice freight cash flow. Disclose the term loan to TBS when signing the factoring contract; it's standard practice. Combined daily/weekly ACH load on OnDeck plus per-invoice factoring fees needs cash-flow modeling — get a fleet accountant or fractional CFO to confirm the combined burden fits.
- Does OnDeck fund trucking businesses?
- Yes — OnDeck funds trucking with 12+ months TIB, 600+ FICO, $100K+/yr revenue. The term loan and LOC products both work for trucking. Common use cases: truck purchases, trailer fleets, repair-shop equipment, working capital reserves between settlement cycles.
- Why pick TBS factoring over OnDeck LOC for trucking working capital?
- Two structural reasons: (1) Cash-flow gap — TBS converts invoices to same-day cash, eliminating the NET 30 – 45 day broker payment wait. OnDeck LOC delivers a lump sum you draw against but you're still front-funding the wait between load and broker payment. (2) Fuel card plus broker credit checks — TBS bundles fuel discounts and broker credit infrastructure that an OnDeck LOC doesn't include. For trucking-specific cash flow TBS is the structural fit; OnDeck LOC is a general working-capital tool.