The short answer
Transport business loans give trucking, freight, courier and logistics operators fast cash for fuel, breakdowns, registration and insurance renewals, driver wages and new contracts while customers take 30 to 60 days or more to pay. We lend $20,000 to $5,000,000 against residential or commercial property, so trucks already on finance aren't needed as security, and approval is often the same day.
- Cash for fuel, repairs, rego and wages while freight invoices are outstanding
- Secured by property, leaving the fleet's equipment finance alone
- Bridge the start-up costs of a new contract
- Exit through customer payments, asset finance or a property sale
| Loan size | $20,000 to $5,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Security | Home, investment property, depot or yard |
| Funding time | Within 24 hours on simple files; most in a few business days |
| Credit | Defaults, ATO debt and bank declines considered |
Transport business loans are fast, short-term loans for trucking companies, owner-drivers, couriers, freight forwarders and warehouse operators, secured against property rather than the vehicles. They pay for the diesel, tyres, repairs, registration, insurance and wages that a transport business funds every day, while its customers pay on terms that run a month or two. We lend $20,000 to $5,000,000 and have done this kind of lending since 2004.
How does cash flow actually work in a transport business?
Transport cash flow runs backwards: you pay for the job in full before the customer pays you a cent. Fuel is bought daily, drivers are paid weekly, and lease or finance repayments come out monthly. The customer receives the freight, then pays on 30, 45 or 60-day terms, and large customers often stretch that.
On top of the running costs come the lumps: registration and insurance renewals across a fleet, a major engine rebuild, a set of tyres for a B-double. And fuel tax credits, a real part of the margin for heavy vehicles, come back through the BAS rather than at the bowser. The ATO adjusts those rates during the year, including a 1 July change for heavy vehicles on public roads tied to the road user charge, so the amount you get back moves around.
Subcontractors to bigger carriers feel the squeeze hardest. An owner-driver pulling loads for a large freight company is often paid on that company’s schedule, sometimes with deductions for fuel levies or delays, and has little say over timing. A single late remittance can mean choosing between fuel and the truck repayment. That’s the gap a short property-secured loan closes.
Why are trucking businesses under more pressure right now?
Trucking businesses are under more pressure because higher energy prices have pushed up fuel costs and good drivers are still hard to find. The RBA’s October 2026 Financial Stability Review named transport, along with hospitality and construction, among the energy-intensive or cyclical industries with fewer buffers that are more vulnerable to cost pressures. Its March 2026 review noted labour shortages remain a constraint for some transport firms.
In practice that means operators are carrying more cost for longer, with less room for a breakdown or a late-paying customer. A short property-secured loan doesn’t fix freight rates, but it stops a cash gap from turning into repossessed trucks or a lost contract.
What do transport operators borrow for?
They borrow for the costs that keep wheels turning and the contracts that grow the business:
- Fuel and wages during a gap in customer payments.
- Breakdown repairs that need paying before the truck goes back on the road.
- Fleet rego and insurance due in the same month.
- Finance arrears on trucks or trailers, before a financier acts.
- ATO debt from unpaid BAS or PAYG withholding. See business loans for tax debt.
- New contract start-up costs: extra drivers, extra trailers, a deposit on a new prime mover.
- Buying a competitor’s run or a depot with a short settlement date.
Fast private money costs more than an equipment loan from a bank, and it pays for itself when it keeps a contract or saves a truck from being repossessed.
Why lend against property instead of the trucks?
Property is the cleaner security because most trucks are already financed, depreciate quickly and are expensive to recover and sell. A financier who holds the truck under a chattel mortgage or lease has first claim on it, so a second lender can’t do much with it. Property is different: it holds value, it’s registered on a title, and it can secure a loan in days.
| Security | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Your home | A second mortgage leaves the bank loan in place |
| Investment property | First or second ranking, often larger amounts |
| Depot, yard or warehouse | First mortgage or second behind the bank |
| A director’s or family property | Guarantee plus mortgage |
| Trucks and trailers | Better suited to asset finance once you’re through the gap |
If the long-term answer is new equipment finance, we can bridge you there. A common pattern is our short loan to pay the deposit and get a truck on the road, then a standard asset finance facility takes over.
What do transport business loans need from you?
Transport business loans need proof of the security and a clear repayment plan. Usually:
- ID for each borrower and guarantor.
- A rates notice and mortgage statement for the property.
- An aged debtors list, if customer payments are your exit.
- The new contract, if you’re funding a start-up.
- A summary of finance arrears or ATO debt, if that’s the purpose.
Many files need no financial statements at all. If you want money moving quickly, lodge your transport enquiry as soon as you have the property details. Our 24 hour business loans page explains what has to line up for next-day funding.
Illustrative example: a regional carrier winning a distribution contract
Illustrative example: a regional refrigerated carrier with 12 trucks wins a two-year distribution contract with a major grocery supplier. The contract needs three more refrigerated trailers on day one, four additional drivers and a deposit on a new prime mover, about $420,000 in total before the first invoice is even raised. The first payment won’t arrive for around 60 days.
The owners have a depot worth about $1,800,000 with $700,000 owing and a home with good equity. We approve a $420,000 second mortgage over the depot for eight months. It’s signed within two days and settled before the week is out. Trailers are delivered, drivers are hired and the contract starts on schedule. Once the new trucks are on the road and the contract is paying, the operator arranges equipment finance on the new units and uses the proceeds plus contract income to clear the loan in month six.
How is the loan repaid?
The loan is repaid from money you can see coming. For transport businesses that’s usually:
- Customer payments on outstanding freight invoices.
- Equipment finance drawn on trucks once they’re delivered, which repays the deposit funding.
- A refinance to a bank or non-bank once the books are up to date.
- Sale of surplus trucks, trailers or a property.
If your exit depends on a single customer, we’ll want a second way out alongside it. Our page on fast cash flow loans explains how lending against slow debtors works in more detail.
Keep the fleet on the road
Send us the details and an experienced lender will call you, look at the property and the plan, and give you a straight answer fast. There’s no credit check at the first enquiry, your details aren’t broadcast to a list of lenders, and if we can’t help we’ll say so straight away.
Be accurate when you fill in the form: what you think the property is worth, what’s owing, and how much you need. That’s how you get an answer that holds. Apply for transport funding, call 1300 852 150, or see our lending across other industries.
Transport and logistics: your questions answered
Can an owner-driver with one truck borrow from you?
Yes. An owner-driver with a single prime mover and a home with equity in it is a very normal borrower for us. We lend for the business purpose, take the property as security and look at how the loan will be repaid, often from the freight invoices you're waiting on.
My trucks are on finance and I'm behind on repayments. Can you help?
Often, yes. Catching up arrears before a financier repossesses a truck is the kind of urgent problem short-term property-secured money solves. We need to know the full arrears figure and that the ongoing repayments are manageable once you're back on track, otherwise we're only delaying the problem.
Do you lend against a depot or truck yard?
Yes. Industrial land, a depot with a workshop or a hardstand yard can all secure a loan, as a first mortgage or a second behind your bank. We assess the site ourselves with no valuation needed, though specialised sites need a closer look, so let us know early if the property is unusual.
Can you fund the purchase of a transport business?
Yes, when there's property to secure it. Buying a freight or courier business often comes with a tight settlement and a fleet that needs to be refinanced. We can bridge the purchase and you move to longer-term funding once you're running it.
What happens if a big customer goes broke owing me money?
You'll still have wages, fuel and finance to pay, which is exactly when a fast secured loan helps. We won't count the stuck debt as the exit, but we'll work with other repayment sources: your remaining customers, an asset sale or a refinance.
Sources we checked
Written by the BizLoansFast lending team · Updated 2026-10-05