Add the truck. Keep the cash moving.
Trucks, trailers, vans and cash flow between invoices, compared across lenders who fund hauliers and logistics firms.
What does the fleet need?
Free · No credit impact · No obligation to borrow
Funding built for the road.
Truck & trailer finance
Tractor units, rigids and trailers, new or used. Spread the cost while the vehicle earns.
Fleet finance
Add vans and cars as the work grows, without a big upfront bill.
Cash flow between invoices
Cover fuel, wages and repairs while customers take their time to pay.
How transport and logistics funding works
What does each size of fleet need?
What an operator needs depends mostly on how many vehicles it runs. Fleet finance for a large operator and truck finance for an owner-driver use the same products, but lenders weigh them differently.
| Operator | Typical need | Products that usually fit |
|---|---|---|
| Owner-driver | The first or replacement vehicle, and a cushion for repairs | Hire purchase; a small working-capital loan |
| Small fleet | Adding vehicles for new work, and covering fuel and wages while invoices are unpaid | Hire purchase or finance lease; invoice finance; revolving credit |
| Larger fleet | A replacement cycle, depot and handling equipment, and predictable costs | Finance lease or contract hire; invoice finance; property finance |
For the working-capital side in more depth, read our guide to haulage business loans.
Which product fits which need?
Fund a vehicle with finance secured on the vehicle, and fund running costs with short-term working capital. Mixing the two, such as buying a truck on an unsecured loan, usually costs more.
| Need | Product | Secured on |
|---|---|---|
| Trucks, trailers and vans | Asset finance: hire purchase or leasing | The vehicle |
| Forklifts, racking and depot equipment | Asset finance | The equipment |
| Fuel, wages, repairs and insurance | Working-capital loan or revolving credit | Often unsecured, usually with a personal guarantee |
| Customers on long payment terms | Invoice finance | Your unpaid invoices |
| Cash tied up in vehicles you own | Refinancing an owned vehicle | The vehicle |
Hire purchase, finance lease or contract hire?
The three differ in who owns the vehicle and what happens at the end. Hire purchase ends in ownership, a finance lease does not, and contract hire is a rental that usually includes services.
| Hire purchase | Finance lease | Operating lease or contract hire | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who owns the vehicle | You, once the final payment is made | The lender, throughout | The lender, throughout |
| What you pay | A deposit, then instalments, sometimes with a final balloon | Rentals that cover most of the vehicle’s cost | Rentals for the period you use it |
| At the end | You keep the vehicle | You extend the lease, or the vehicle is sold | You hand the vehicle back |
| Maintenance | Yours | Yours | Often included in the rental |
| Tends to suit | Vehicles you run for a long working life | Vehicles you replace on a cycle | Fixed costs and regular renewal |
The tax and VAT treatment differs between them. Capzy does not give tax advice, so check with your accountant before you choose.
How do lenders assess a transport business?
Lenders assess whether the business earns enough, reliably enough, to cover the repayments after fuel, wages and existing finance. For HGV finance they assess the vehicle as well.
- Bank statements: regular income and how tight the balance runs.
- Customers: who you work for, on what terms, and how much rests on one contract.
- Existing finance: what is owed on the fleet now and how it has been repaid.
- The vehicle: age, mileage and resale value.
- The operator: time trading, the directors’ credit history and the operator’s licence.
Where does cash flow come under pressure?
Cash flow comes under pressure because the costs are paid now and the income arrives later. Fuel and wages go out weekly or monthly, while customers pay on credit terms.
- Fuel: a price rise hits at once, and a contract without a fuel surcharge absorbs it.
- Payment terms: larger customers often set longer terms, and you fund the gap.
- Seasonal peaks: extra vehicles and agency drivers are paid for before the peak work is invoiced.
- Wages: 25% of HGV businesses surveyed reported driver vacancies in the first quarter of 2026.
- Repairs and downtime: a vehicle off the road costs money and earns none.
Test fixed repayments against a poor month, not an average one. A personal guarantee makes a director personally liable, and a financed vehicle can be taken back if payments are missed. All funding is subject to status and lender criteria.
Northern Ireland operators should also read our page on business loans in Northern Ireland, because the Growth Guarantee Scheme limit is lower for borrowers in scope of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Sources
- Domestic road freight statistics, April 2025 to March 2026, Department for Transport
Costs worth a second look in the yard.
Fuel cards, fleet insurance, telematics and tyre contracts.
Review my costsTransport & logistics funding questions.
Ready for the next vehicle?
Keep reading
Haulage business loans
Which finance fits trucks, fuel and slow-paying customers, and how lenders assess a haulier.
Business loans in Northern Ireland
What funding is open to Northern Ireland businesses, and where the rules differ from Great Britain.
Growth Guarantee Scheme
How the 70% guarantee to the lender works, the limits in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and who can apply.
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What is hire purchase?
How a business buys vehicles and equipment over time: ownership, hire purchase against leasing, regulation and tax points.