Broker Quick Pay vs. Factoring: Fees, Speed and the Catch for Factored Carriers

By The Trucking Factoring Guide editorial team · How we check
Published October 26, 2026 · Fact-checked October 26, 2026

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Key takeaways

Quick pay is a broker paying you early on its own loads for a fee. Factoring covers loads from many brokers, adds collections and credit checks, and costs a percentage too.
Published quick pay terms (checked Oct 26, 2026): TQL 5% for 1-day or 3% for 7-day vs. 28-day standard; C.H. Robinson 2% for as little as 2 business days vs. 28 days; J.B. Hunt's older pages (2017–2022) list 1.5% and 3% for different programs.
If you factor, brokers usually pay your factor, not you. J.B. Hunt says Quick Pay isn't available to factored carriers without a letter of release from the factor.
Factoring contracts often make you factor every invoice from a broker once you start with that broker, so you may not be able to use one broker's quick pay while factoring that same broker.
Compare cost per day of speed, not just the percentage. The cash today estimator shows both side by side.

Big brokers will pay you in days instead of weeks if you give up a slice of the load. Factoring companies will do the same for nearly any broker's invoice. Which costs less depends on who you haul for, how many brokers you use, and whether you're already factoring. This guide uses the quick pay terms three large brokers publish on their own sites, all checked on October 26, 2026.

What's the difference?

Quick pay is the broker paying its own invoice early, minus a fee. It only covers that broker's loads. You still do your own collections and credit checks for everyone else.
Factoring is selling your invoices to a factoring company. It pays you most of the invoice up front for loads from almost any approved broker, then collects from the broker. Many factors also run broker credit checks and handle the paperwork. Some offer non-recourse protection. (See recourse vs. non-recourse.)

What three big brokers publish

Broker	Standard pay	Quick pay	Source (checked Oct 26, 2026)
TQL	28 days	1-day at 5% off the gross pay, or 7-day at 3%	TQL carrier FAQs
C.H. Robinson	Within 28 days, no cost	As little as 2 business days for a 2% fee on C.H. Robinson loads	C.H. Robinson Financial page
J.B. Hunt	21 days (business days on its load-payments page)	1.5% for 2-day Quick Pay on its load-payments page and Carrier 360 payments guide; 3% on its Carrier 360 Quick Pay page, free for Elite carriers	J.B. Hunt load-payments page, Carrier 360 Quick Pay page, Carrier 360 payments PDF

About J.B. Hunt's two numbers. J.B. Hunt's load-payments page says Quick Pay has a "1.5% fixed fee" and that "for loads booked using Carrier 360, the 1.5% fee is waived." Its Carrier 360 Quick Pay page says non-Elite carriers "may still use Quick Pay by signing up and paying a 3% fee," and that Elite carriers (90% app usage and automation, 95% on-time, 95% loads completed) get it free. We couldn't tell from J.B. Hunt's pages which applies to which carrier, so we show both. These pages are old: the load-payments post is dated January 2017, the Carrier 360 Quick Pay post August 2018, and the payments guide PDF was created in 2022. They were still online when we checked (Oct 26, 2026), but the terms may have changed. Ask J.B. Hunt which fee applies to your account.

C.H. Robinson also offers a cash advance of "up to 60%" of the payment after pickup, and factoring at rates it describes as "starting at 1.5%–2.5%" (1.5% on C.H. Robinson loads, 2.5% on other brokers' loads, per its comparison table). The page says the factoring is offered by TBK Bank, SSB (Triumph's bank) doing business as C.H. Robinson Financial, with final terms subject to Triumph's approval.

The catch if you already factor

When you start factoring, your factor sends each broker a Notice of Assignment telling it to pay the factor. Brokers then pay the factor, not you, and broker quick pay generally isn't available to you on those invoices.

J.B. Hunt says carriers using a factoring company "must contact the factoring company for an official letter of release (LOR)" to set up Quick Pay, and its Carrier 360 payments guide says "Quick Pay is not available for carriers with factoring as their payment method." For factored carriers, that guide says payment goes to the factor "30 days after all load documents have been submitted." (That guide is from J.B. Hunt's Carrier 360 drayage help center.)
TQL tells carriers: "If you factor, please send all documents to your factoring company and not to TQL."
Your factoring contract may also require you to factor all of a broker's invoices once you've factored one. Apex and OTR both say so on their sites. If you want to take one broker's quick pay, ask your factor for a written release for that broker, and check whether your contract has a minimum you'd fall short of.

How to compare the cost

A percentage fee is easier to compare when you look at how many days of waiting it saves.

Illustrative example (numbers made up for the math): a $2,500 load from a broker with 28-day standard pay.

Broker 7-day quick pay at 3%: you get $2,425 in 7 days. Cost $75 to save 21 days.
Broker 1-day quick pay at 5%: you get $2,375 next day. Cost $125 to save 27 days.
A factor at 3% with a 95% advance and the fee taken from the advance: you get $2,300 today and $125 later from the reserve. Cost $75, but money arrives on day 0. Transfer fees, if any, come on top.

The factor wins on speed for the same 3% here, but only if your all-in factoring cost really is 3%. Add every fee and any monthly minimum, then plug both options into the cash today estimator, which has a quick pay comparison built in.

When quick pay can make more sense

You haul mostly for one or two large brokers that offer quick pay, and you don't need credit checks or collections on anyone else.
You'd only need fast money occasionally. Quick pay is usually per load or per account setting, not a contract with minimums.
Your factoring offer has minimums, a long contract or extra fees that push its real cost above the broker's quick pay fee.

When factoring can make more sense

You haul for many brokers, including small ones that don't offer quick pay.
You want broker credit checks and someone else chasing slow payers.
You want non-recourse protection. Read what it covers first.
You need fuel advances or a fuel card tied to your invoices. See fuel advances and fuel cards.

FAQ

Is quick pay cheaper than factoring? Sometimes. TQL's 7-day quick pay is 3% and C.H. Robinson's is 2% (checked Oct 26, 2026). Many factoring quotes are in a similar range before fees. Compare the total cost and the number of days each option saves.

Can I use broker quick pay if I factor? Usually not on invoices your factor owns. J.B. Hunt requires a letter of release from your factor, and TQL tells factored carriers to send documents to the factor. Your factoring contract may also require you to factor all of that broker's invoices.

What is a letter of release? A letter from your factor telling a broker it no longer needs to pay the factor. J.B. Hunt asks for one with the factor's branding and signature to set up Quick Pay.

How fast is quick pay? TQL offers 1-day and 7-day options. C.H. Robinson says as little as 2 business days. J.B. Hunt's older pages say 2 business days (48 hours in its Carrier 360 guide) after it has all the paperwork.

Does quick pay check broker credit or collect for me? No. Quick pay only speeds up that broker's own payment. Factoring companies typically credit-check brokers and handle collections.

This article is general information, not financial or legal advice. Broker programs change often; confirm the current terms with the broker before you rely on them.

Sources

All sources last verified October 26, 2026.

TQL, Carrier FAQs (28-day standard terms; 1-day at 5% and 7-day at 3% quick pay; factored carriers send documents to the factor): https://www.tql.com/carriers/faqs
C.H. Robinson, Financial services for carriers (Quick Pay 2% in as little as 2 business days vs. 28-day standard; factoring 1.5% on C.H. Robinson loads, 2.5% on others, offered by TBK Bank, SSB d/b/a C.H. Robinson Financial; cash advance up to 60%): https://www.chrobinson.com/en-us/financial/
C.H. Robinson, Quick Pay (2 business days vs. standard 28): https://www.chrobinson.com/en-us/carriers/carrier-financial-services/quick-pay/
J.B. Hunt, Load Payments (post dated Jan 24, 2017; 21-day standard; 2-day Quick Pay at 1.5%, waived for Carrier 360 loads): https://www.jbhunt.com/blog/j-b-hunt-360/carrier/load-payments
J.B. Hunt, Free Quick Pay with Carrier 360 (post dated Aug 27, 2018; 3% for non-Elite carriers; free for Elite; letter of release required for factored carriers): https://www.jbhunt.com/blog/j-b-hunt-360/carrier/carrier-360-quick-pay
J.B. Hunt, Carrier 360 Understanding Payments quick reference guide, drayage help center PDF (created 2022; Quick Pay 1.5% within 48 hours; factored loads paid to the factor in 30 days; Quick Pay not available to factored carriers): https://www.jbhunt.com/content/dam/jbhunt/technology/carrier-360/carrier-360-dray-help-center/pdfs/Carrier%20360%20-%20Understanding%20Payments.pdf
Apex Capital, Trucking Factoring FAQs (factor all of a customer's invoices): https://www.apexcapitalcorp.com/factoring/freight-and-trucking/faq/
OTR Solutions, Frequently Asked Questions (broker invoices must be factored until a release is provided): https://otrsolutions.com/faqs