DAT Outgo Factoring
The Honest 2026 Guide
New owner-operator trying to work out factoring? How it actually works, what it costs, what to ask before you sign, and why we point graduates here.
Most new owner-operators run short on cash inside their first 90 days — not because they aren’t earning, but because brokers pay on net-30 to net-60 terms. You haul Monday. The money shows up in a month or two. Fuel, insurance, the truck payment and groceries don’t wait that long.
That gap ends more new trucking businesses than bad freight, bad lanes or bad luck combined.
Factoring closes it. You haul the load, submit the invoice, and the factor pays you within a day. They wait on the broker — you don’t.
We’ve trained thousands of CDL drivers across 49 states. Once they’re out on their own authority, the question isn’t “how do I find loads?” It’s “how do I survive the wait between them?”
Our answer is DAT Outgo. Here’s what it costs, what to ask before you sign, and where it genuinely isn’t the right call.
Freight is tighter than it’s been in years. Brokers are slower to pay. Operating costs are up. And more new authorities are entering the market than at any point in the last decade.
Brokers stretch payment timelines to manage their own cash. New owner-operators absorb it hardest because they have no cushion.
The cost stack on every load keeps getting heavier, and most of it is due before the load pays.
A $2.40 load you can’t afford to run is worth less than a $2.20 load you can. Liquidity decides which loads you can actually take.
For most new authorities factoring isn’t a luxury — it’s the difference between making it past year one and parking the truck.
A factor pays you for your invoice up front, then collects from the broker later.
You complete the delivery as normal.
Send the paperwork to Outgo through the platform.
The advance hits your account, usually the same business day.
A percentage of the invoice is the factoring fee.
Outgo waits the 30–60 days. You already have your money.
You get cash now. They take on the wait. That’s the whole product.
Plenty of factors advertise “24-hour funding.” Outgo publishes actual distribution, which is a different and more useful claim.
Nearly a third of invoices funded within a quarter of an hour of submission.
95 of every 100 invoices funded the same business day, not the next.
Trucking factoring generally runs 1.5% to 3% per invoice, driven by your volume, your broker mix and the contract structure. On a $2,000 load that’s roughly $30 to $60 to have the money today instead of in 45 days.
Published ranges are starting points, not quotes. Your actual rate depends on underwriting. Get it in writing, and get the fee schedule — not just the headline rate — before you sign anything.
The three questions that decide whether a factoring offer is good, in order of how much money they move:
Recourse means you owe the money back if the broker never pays. Non-recourse means the factor carries that risk. Outgo offers non-recourse — their Rate Match terms specifically require a non-recourse contract to qualify. This is the single most important line in any factoring agreement.
Some factors advance 90–95% and hold the rest in a reserve you see weeks later. Outgo advertises no reserves. A 100% advance at 2.5% beats a 90% advance at 2% almost every time.
Wire fees, ACH fees, per-invoice fees, monthly minimums, setup costs. A “1.5% rate” with $25 wire fees on $1,200 invoices isn’t 1.5%. Ask for the full schedule.
Outgo advertises no long-term contracts. Confirm the current cancellation notice period in writing before you start — not when you want to go.
You run three loads in a week at $2,000 each. $6,000 invoiced.
Without factoring
Week 1: invoices submitted
Weeks 2–8: waiting on broker payment
Eventually: $6,000 arrives — if everyone pays on time
Meanwhile you’re floating fuel, insurance and the truck payment on savings or a card.
With factoring
Week 1: invoices submitted
Same business day: roughly $5,820–$5,910 lands
That week: you refuel, cover the note, take the next load
The factor waits on the broker. You don’t.
Cost in this example: roughly $90–$180. Cost of parking the truck for a week because you’re short: several thousand, plus the loads you couldn’t take.
Rate Match Guarantee — and what it actually requires
If you hold a lower discount rate elsewhere, Outgo will match it for one year. Worth knowing the conditions before you assume you qualify: the existing contract must be non-recourse, with a 100% advance rate, no check processing fee and no per-invoice fee. You must pass Outgo’s underwriting and maintain an average invoice value of at least $750.
Most factoring companies don’t publish rates at all. Outgo publishes theirs and backs them — the conditions are just worth reading first.
Read the full terms →Illustration only — the actual match depends on your current contract and underwriting.
A tenth of a point on the discount rate is worth less than any one of these.
The factor carries the credit risk. If a broker you hauled for goes under before paying, you keep what was advanced. On a recourse contract you’d owe it back — which is how one bad broker takes out a good quarter.
Outgo advertises no long-term contracts, so you can try it for a month and decide. Plenty of factors want 12 to 24 months. Confirm the current notice period in writing before you start.
Many factors hold back 5–15% of every invoice in a reserve account. Outgo advertises none — the full amount less the fee, same business day. This moves your real cash position more than the headline rate does.
We’re not going to pretend Outgo is the only option.
Outgo vs Apex Capital
Apex is one of the biggest names in trucking factoring with decades behind them, competitive rates, strong service and a fuel card. Outgo’s edge is the DAT integration — factoring inside the same platform you’re already using. If you’re not on DAT, Apex is genuinely worth quoting.
Outgo vs RTS Financial
Another major factor with a long track record and an integrated fuel card. Similar rate range. The real difference is ecosystem — RTS is its own, Outgo lives inside DAT.
Outgo vs TBS Factoring
TBS targets owner-operators specifically and has strong fuel discounts. Comparable rates, service skewed toward small operators.
Factoring vs broker quick pay
Many brokers offer quick pay at 2–3% off the invoice, sometimes more. Two problems: it only covers their loads, and the fee is often higher than dedicated factoring. Factoring covers every load, every broker.
The honest take: if you’re already on DAT One, Outgo is the path of least friction — same platform, same login. If you’re shopping factoring standalone, get quotes from Apex and RTS too. At this scale the differences between the major factors are smaller than the differences between contracts.
And when factoring isn’t worth it: if you’re running dedicated freight for one or two shippers who pay in 15 days, or you have three months of operating expenses banked, the fee is buying you something you already have. Factoring solves a timing problem. If you don’t have one, skip it.
You’ve paid for your authority, your FMCSA registration, your insurance down payment and your first tank of fuel. You have no cushion, no broker relationships, and no rate history to argue from.
Then you deliver your first three loads and discover the money arrives in six weeks.
That’s the window where factoring stops being optional for most new authorities. It’s not a growth tool — it’s how you stay running long enough to build the thing.
We recommend Outgo in our post-graduation material. There’s a commission — disclosed at the bottom — and it’s the same recommendation we’d make without one. Which is also why the section above tells you when to skip factoring entirely.
What is factoring?
How much does factoring cost?
Is it worth it for a new owner-operator?
Recourse vs non-recourse — what’s the difference?
Do I need DAT One to use Outgo?
Are there contracts or minimums?
How fast do they actually pay?
Will factoring upset my brokers?
What does the Rate Match Guarantee require?
Do they hold back reserves?
What if a broker goes bankrupt before paying?
Cash flow is one half. Loads are the other. Plus the 49-state CDL requirements, hazmat endorsements and the full owner-operator startup stack.
Outgo handles getting paid; you still need the freight. Our partner link takes 10% off your first year — Standard from $53.10 a month if you run partials, Pro from $152.10 for full truckload. Get 10% off DAT →
Read the DAT review →What to budget, when money actually arrives, and how to bridge the gap between your first load and your first payment. The plan factoring fits into.
Read the 90-day plan →Hazmat, CDL A, CDL B, Passenger, School Bus. Submitted to the FMCSA registry within 24 hours. Under 2 hours. Accepted in 49 states. Verify us on the registry →
Your biggest risk is cash flow
Factoring closes the gap. Paid the same business day instead of in 45.
Get started with DAT Outgo →DLA Academy is an FMCSA-registered ELDT and hazmat training provider with 49-state coverage. We recommend Outgo in our post-graduation material because running out of cash kills more new authorities than anything else — and it’s the same recommendation we’d make without a commission, which is why this page also tells you when to skip factoring.
Disclosure: DLA Academy is a DAT and DAT Outgo affiliate partner. We earn a commission when you sign up through our links, at no additional cost to you. Fee ranges on this page are general industry figures and Outgo’s published materials as of September 2026 — your actual rate depends on underwriting. Confirm current terms directly with Outgo before signing. We are not affiliated with Apex Capital, RTS Financial or TBS Factoring — those references are for comparison only.