Factoring companies with fuel cards: fuel for every truck before the load pays

Fuel is the one bill that can't wait for a broker. A reefer leaving Dallas for the Midwest needs several hundred dollars of diesel before it earns a cent, and a fleet of four needs that every day. Factoring companies with fuel cards help in two ways: a fuel advance against a booked load, and a card with discounts and spending controls for each driver.

With U.S. on-highway diesel averaging $6.199 a gallon in the week of October 5, 2026 EIA, Gasoline and Diesel Fue…U.S. on-highway diesel, average$6.199/gal (week of Oct 5, 2026)EIA weekly retail on-highway diesel price, U.S. average, week of October 5, 2026: $6.199 per gallon, down $0.183 from the prior week and up $2.488 from a year earlier. Updated every Monday.EIA, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update, 2026Checked Oct 2026Close, both matter more than they did a few years ago.

Two different things: advances and cards

A fuel advance is part of a load's pay sent before delivery, usually after the rate confirmation is signed. The factor takes it back out of that load's invoice when you factor it. It's cash flow, not a discount.

A fuel card is a payment card for fuel and sometimes maintenance, often with a per-gallon discount at network stations. It may be prepaid, funded from your advances, or carry a credit line. It's savings and control, not extra money.

Many fleets use both: the advance to start a long trip with full tanks, the card so every gallon after that gets the discount and shows up on one statement.

Fuel card rules for a fleet

Cards built for fleets come with controls an owner should set on day one:

• Spending limits per card, per day or per transaction
• Fuel-only or fuel-plus settings, so a card can't buy snacks, tools or anything else you didn't approve
• Driver ID or PIN codes at the pump, tied to the unit
• Card lock to freeze a lost or misused card from your phone
• Location and time limits, where the program offers them
• One statement across all cards, with gallons and price per unit

RTS Financial's fuel card page lists spending limits, card lock and fuel codes, plus a self-funded card offered regardless of credit RTS Financial, fuel cardsRTS Financial fuel cardAverage savings of 45 cents per gallon at 4,000+ stations (RTS figure); bundling with factoring offeredRTS Financial fuel card page: an average savings of 45 cents per gallon at over 4,000 fuel stations nationwide (RTS's own average, not a guaranteed discount); a self-funded card regardless of credit; spending limits, card lock and fuel codes; bundling fuel and factoring promoted for better savings and lower rates. No fuel advance terms published on the page.RTS Financial, fuel cards, 2026Checked Oct 2026Close. Its Fleet One card also lists maintenance discounts.

Rules worth writing down for drivers: which stations to use, whether reefer fuel goes on the same card, what to do if a card is declined at 2 a.m., and the receipt you expect in the app. Clear rules up front prevent arguments at settlement.

Fuel stop plan, EXAMPLE trip

One reefer load, unit 104, Dallas, TX to Columbus, OH. About 1,045 miles at 6.5 miles per gallon is roughly 160 gallons. Diesel priced at the EIA national average.

EXAMPLE In this plan the factor approves a $750 fuel advance against the signed rate con. It covers the first two stops and part of the third. The rest goes on the fuel card at a network station. When the load delivers and the invoice is factored, the $750 comes off the advance on that invoice. The advance amount, the stations and the card discount here are illustrations, not any factor's published terms.

Two things the plan shows: the advance only needs to cover the stretch before the load pays, and the card stop is chosen by network, not by whichever station is closest. To see what a card discount is worth across your fleet, use the fuel card savings calculator.

Advance limits, as published

Most factors don't publish fuel advance limits on their websites; they set them per account and per load. That includes RTS Financial, whose fuel card page publishes card features and an average savings figure but no advance terms when we checked on October 19, 2026 RTS Financial, fuel cardsRTS Financial fuel cardAverage savings of 45 cents per gallon at 4,000+ stations (RTS figure); bundling with factoring offeredRTS Financial fuel card page: an average savings of 45 cents per gallon at over 4,000 fuel stations nationwide (RTS's own average, not a guaranteed discount); a self-funded card regardless of credit; spending limits, card lock and fuel codes; bundling fuel and factoring promoted for better savings and lower rates. No fuel advance terms published on the page.RTS Financial, fuel cards, 2026Checked Oct 2026Close.

Questions to ask any factor:

• What share of the rate con can be advanced, and is there a dollar cap per load?
• Is the advance available at booking, at pickup, or only after pickup is confirmed?
• Is there a fee per advance, on top of the factoring rate?
• How is it paid: to the fuel card, by ACH, or as a fuel code?
• What happens if the load is canceled after the advance? (Expect to repay it.)

Who qualifies for advances

Qualification is set by each factor, and published criteria are rare. In practice, factors look at the same things they check for factoring: an active authority and insurance, a signed rate con from an approved broker, and some history with the factor. New accounts may need a few funded invoices before advances open up. Ask what applies to you before you plan a trip around one.

The card itself is often easier to get than the advance. RTS Financial says its self-funded card is available whether you have good credit or no credit RTS Financial, fuel cardsRTS Financial fuel cardAverage savings of 45 cents per gallon at 4,000+ stations (RTS figure); bundling with factoring offeredRTS Financial fuel card page: an average savings of 45 cents per gallon at over 4,000 fuel stations nationwide (RTS's own average, not a guaranteed discount); a self-funded card regardless of credit; spending limits, card lock and fuel codes; bundling fuel and factoring promoted for better savings and lower rates. No fuel advance terms published on the page.RTS Financial, fuel cards, 2026Checked Oct 2026Close.

Where cards work

Every fuel card runs on a network of stations, and the discount may only apply at some of them. RTS Financial publishes a network of over 4,000 fuel stations nationwide and an average savings of 45 cents per gallon RTS Financial, fuel cardsRTS Financial fuel cardAverage savings of 45 cents per gallon at 4,000+ stations (RTS figure); bundling with factoring offeredRTS Financial fuel card page: an average savings of 45 cents per gallon at over 4,000 fuel stations nationwide (RTS's own average, not a guaranteed discount); a self-funded card regardless of credit; spending limits, card lock and fuel codes; bundling fuel and factoring promoted for better savings and lower rates. No fuel advance terms published on the page.RTS Financial, fuel cards, 2026Checked Oct 2026Close. That's RTS's own average across its users, not a guaranteed discount at any one pump.

Before you sign up, check the network against your real lanes. A big discount at stations your drivers never pass is worth nothing. A smaller discount at the stops on your regular I-40 or I-80 run can be worth hundreds a month per truck.

For how factoring itself works across a fleet, read the freight factoring guide.

We're not a lender or a fuel card issuer. Card and advance terms come from the company that issues them.