6 Ways Carriers Can Protect Cash When Rates Drop 

Cash protection matters more than keeping your truck moving right now.

The numbers from our recent survey with Bloomberg Intelligence are clear. More than half (51%) of carriers reported rates were down compared to the same period last year, and 41% saw revenue decline. When you’re running more but making less, the problem isn’t that you’re not busy enough. The problem is the freight you’re running doesn’t pay what it costs to run it.

And here’s what makes this harder. More than two-thirds (67%) of carriers said rates felt softer in Q4 of 2025 compared to Q3. That means the pressure isn’t just year over year. It’s happening quarter to quarter, week to week. You’re watching rates stay low while trying to keep the wheels turning and the bills paid.

Running loads just to stay active sounds like the right move when freight is slow. But if those loads don’t net out positively at the end of the week, you’re burning cash, not making it. Every mile costs fuel. Every load puts wear on your equipment. Every hour spent sitting at a dock is an hour you’re not getting paid for.

When rates are down, the carriers who survive are the ones who protect cash first and worry about utilization second. Here’s how to do that without parking your truck.

1. Re-define what good freight means in this market

Good freight isn’t the load with the highest rate per mile anymore. Good freight is the load that makes your entire week work.

Start thinking about your week as a complete unit instead of a series of individual loads. Does this load set you up for a solid backhaul? Does it put you in a market where you know you can find freight to get home? Does it require you to sit for hours at pickup or delivery, eating into time you could be running another load?

Those questions matter more than the posted rate when margins are tight.

Here’s what to look for when you’re deciding whether freight is worth taking:

• Lanes with predictable reloads. If you’ve run a route before and you know there’s usually decent freight on the other end, that’s worth more than a one-off load that pays well but leaves you stuck in a dead zone.
• Low deadhead miles. A load that pays $2.50 per mile but requires 100 empty miles to the pickup is worse than a load that pays $2.40 with no deadhead. Do the math on the full trip, not just the loaded miles.
• Manageable dwell time. If you’re spending four hours waiting to get loaded and another two hours waiting to unload, that’s six hours you’re working for free. A load that pays less but gets you in and out fast might actually net you more money when you factor in what else you could be running in that time.

The shift here is from load-by-load thinking to week-level planning. You’re not trying to maximize every single load. You’re trying to build a week that actually makes money when you add it all up.

2. Track your true cost per mile

When margins tighten, guessing is not good enough. You need to know your actual cost per mile.

According to the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), the average cost to run a truck was $2.26. That number gives you a benchmark. But your real number could be higher or lower depending on your fuel efficiency, insurance premiums, truck age, and how many miles you’re running.

Here’s what to include when you calculate cost per mile:

• Fuel. This is your biggest variable expense. Track what you’re actually spending per mile, not what you hope to spend. Include deadhead miles in the calculation.
• Maintenance and repairs. Add up what you spent over the last three months on oil changes, tires, brake work, and repairs. Divide that by the miles you ran. That’s your real maintenance cost per mile.
• Insurance. Take your annual premium and divide it by the miles you expect to run this year. If you’re running fewer miles than you planned, your insurance cost per mile just went up.
• Truck payment or depreciation. If you’re making payments, divide your monthly payment by the miles you run each month. If you own the truck outright, set aside money for replacement. That truck will need to be replaced eventually.
• Permits and fees. IFTA, permits, tolls, licensing. Add it up and spread it across your miles.

Once you know your true cost per mile, add your personal pay requirement. That’s the minimum rate you need to accept. Anything below that number is costing you money.

And here’s the part most carriers miss. Your cost per mile goes up when you run fewer miles. Fixed costs like insurance and truck payments don’t change whether you run 2,000 miles or 3,000 miles. So if you’re running less, each mile needs to cover more of those fixed costs.

Chasing cheap freight to stay busy can quietly put you in the red.

3. Build broker relationships that pay on time

When cash is tight, who you work with matters as much as what you haul. So how do you choose a freight broker?

Start with payment speed. Slow-paying brokers create cash flow pressure that forces bad decisions. If you are waiting 45 or 60 days to get paid, you may take freight you should not take just to cover expenses due now.

Start by identifying which brokers pay you fastest. Look at your invoices from the last three months. Who pays in 7 days? Who pays in 15? Who takes 30 or more? Make a list.

When rates are soft and you need to protect cash, prioritize the brokers who pay fast. Even if their rates are slightly lower than someone else, getting paid in a week instead of a month is worth the difference.

Here’s why. Fast payment gives you more options. You’re not scrambling to cover fuel or insurance because you’re still waiting on invoices from three weeks ago. You can be more selective about the next load because you’re not desperate for cash.

When booking new freight, use the data available to you. Truckstop.com’s load board shows you days to pay, complaint scores, and carrier feedback. A broker with a high complaint score and slow payment history is a risk you can’t afford right now.

If you have strong relationships, ask about faster payment terms. Reliable carriers often have leverage. And if a broker consistently pays late or creates issues, move on.

Building a network of brokers who pay fast and communicate clearly takes effort. But in a down market, those relationships are what keep cash flowing.

4. Use factoring to stabilize cash flow, not to grow

Factoring gets a bad reputation because people think of it as a sign you’re struggling. That’s not the right way to look at it.

Factoring is a tool to boost cash flow when payment timing is unpredictable. And in this market, unpredictable cash flow is a problem.

Here’s the reality. Many brokers take 30+ days to pay. If you’re running week to week and you don’t have cash reserves built up, waiting a month for payment creates problems. You still have to pay for fuel, insurance, and maintenance today. You can’t wait 30 days to cover those costs.

Factoring gives you access to cash within a day or two instead of waiting weeks. That’s breathing room. It means you’re not forced to take bad freight just because you need cash to cover an expense that’s due this week.

The cost of factoring is usually a small percentage of the invoice. Yes, that cuts into your margin. But compare that to the cost of taking a load that barely covers your expenses just because you need cash now. That load might cost you more in wear, fuel, and lost time than the factoring fee would have.

And here’s the other benefit. When you’re not stressed about cash, you make better decisions about which loads to take. You’re choosing freight that makes sense for the week, not just freight that gets you paid fast.

5. Cut expenses that don’t affect your ability to run

When revenue is down, the fastest way to protect cash is to reduce what’s going out or your operating costs.

Look at your monthly expenses and separate them into two categories. Expenses that directly affect your ability to run loads, and expenses that don’t.

Fuel, insurance, truck payments, maintenance — those are non-negotiable. You need those to operate. But there are other expenses you’re probably paying for that you can cut or reduce without affecting operations.

Here’s where to look:

• Fuel stops and food. Eating at truck stops every day adds up fast. A $15 meal twice a day is $210 a week. Over a month, that’s nearly $900. Keeping basic food in the truck and eating out less often can save hundreds per month without affecting how much you run.
• Unnecessary deadhead. Every empty mile is a wasted expense. If you’re regularly deadheading 50 or 100 miles to pick up loads, you’re burning fuel for free. Optimize your freight routes to minimize deadhead or negotiate detention and deadhead pay into your rate.
• Idling. Idling burns fuel without putting miles on the board. If you’re idling for hours every day for heat or AC, look at alternatives. APUs or plug-in options cost money upfront but save fuel long term.
• Fees and penalties. Late payment fees, overdraft charges, missed scale tickets that turn into fines. These are small expenses that add up. Set reminders for due dates and keep enough cash buffer to avoid penalties.

None of these cuts will save you thousands in a single month. But combined, they can free up several hundred dollars. And when margins are thin, a few hundred dollars can be the difference between breaking even and going negative.

The goal isn’t to stop spending on things you need. The goal is to stop spending on things you don’t.

6. Set a weekly cash target and track against it

Miles do not pay your bills. Cash does.

Figure out what you need to clear each week to cover your expenses and pay yourself. That’s your weekly cash target. Everything you do should be focused on hitting or exceeding that number.

Here’s how to set your target:

1. Add up your fixed weekly costs, including truck payments, insurance, permits, subscriptions, etc.
2. Add your variable costs per mile including fuel, maintenance, and tolls. Multiply that by the number of miles you expect to run in a typical week.
3. Add what you need to pay yourself.
4. Add those three numbers together. That’s your weekly cash target.

That total is your weekly cash target. A simple P&L template can help you organize these numbers and see where your money is really going.

Then track it. At the end of each week, compare what you cleared after expenses to your target. If you are consistently short, either raise revenue by improving rates and lane selection or cut unnecessary costs.

Weekly tracking gives you faster feedback. By Friday, you should know whether next week needs an adjustment. It also helps you decide which loads to take. If you are already at your target, you can be selective. If you are behind, you know exactly what gap you need to close.

Carriers protecting cash are not guessing. They know their number and book freight that moves them toward it.

Protect your position

When rates are down, cash flow discipline matters more than miles run.

The data shows this clearly. According to the Truckstop.com and Bloomberg Intelligence Q4 2025 survey, 68% of carriers are not planning to buy or replace equipment over the next 3 to 6 months. When asked why, 32% pointed to weak demand. That tells you carriers are being cautious.

The carriers who survive this phase are the ones who know their numbers, build relationships with brokers who pay on time, and cut costs that don’t affect their ability to run. They’re not chasing volume. They’re protecting the week.

When conditions improve, the carriers who stayed disciplined will be in position to take advantage. The ones who chased volume and burned through cash will still be recovering.

Truckstop.com gives you the tools to maintain stability and choose the best loads for your truck. Use the load board to filter to plan profitable lanes. Check broker factorability and ratings to find loads that pay fast. Track your data to know which routes consistently work and which ones don’t.

Protect your cash. Make every week count. And stay in position for when the market turns.

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