Transport Funding
Funding to enable haulage and distribution SMEs to smooth cashflow and invest in growth
Keeping transport businesses moving when cashflow is stretched
The transport industry plays a vital role in the UK economy, keeping goods moving between producers and consumers at both a local and global level. Transport businesses need the confidence and flexibility to manage growth and respond to changing market conditions, but delayed payments, rising fuel costs and high operational overheads can put pressure on cashflow. Fixed-price contracts are also a challenge, limiting the ability to pass on increased costs. Whether you're managing fleets, taking on new contracts or keeping drivers on the road, success often depends on having the financial flexibility to keep things moving without disruption.
We provide Invoice Finance to many businesses operating in the logistics sector as it is a flexible finance solution that enables you to smooth out cashflow. This can support meeting your operational commitments such as fuel and wages, to keep your vehicles moving and provides the working capital to invest in what is needed to grow your business and take on new contracts.
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Geopolitical disruption and rising costs
The transport sector is facing growing external pressures. Our 2026 Trading Places report1 found that 86% of transport SMEs have experienced disruption linked to the conflict in Iran, with 80% reporting increased cashflow pressure. Transport businesses also reported an average financial loss of £50,300 due to currency volatility linked to these current geopolitical tensions. BFS's Foreign Exchange solutions can help to mitigate these overseas pressures by protecting businesses from market volatility and ensuring cost-efficient transactions.
1Source: Bibby Financial Services, 2026 Trading Places Report, survey of >500 UK SMEs, conducted April-May 2026.
Fleet investment and business growth
Transport is a fast-moving sector that requires constant investment to remain competitive. In our Q1 2026 SME Confidence Tracker2, although 41% of transport SMEs reported planning to invest in digital technology over the next six months, 50% of SMEs reported that it was harder to access external finance than six months ago. With decreased access to finance, but an increase in planned investment of digital infrastructure and fleet expansion, businesses have to wait months for cashflow pressure to ease to make these purchases, potentially missing out on contracts in the meantime. Our Asset Finance can help transport businesses make vital investment purchases whilst maintaining healthy cashflow, so they can grow at pace, without missing out on contracts.
Staff shortages and cashflow resilience
With a shortage of staff across the transport sector, particularly specialist drivers such as tanker drivers, attracting and retaining talent remains a significant challenge. At the same time, 24% of SMEs have paused hiring due to persistent late payments, highlighting the importance of healthy cashflow. Through Bibby Financial Services' Invoice Finance, transport businesses can usually access up to 95% of invoice value, usually within 24 hours, for payment terms of up to 90 days, allowing them to recruit additional drivers and staff and offer more competitive wages to attract talent.
BFS also offers Bad Debt Protection, so that transport businesses are less exposed to customer or supplier insolvencies. With 63% of SMEs reporting one or more customers becoming insolvent in the previous six months, we can help to cover these losses, protect cashflow and reduce the impact of customer failure, supporting supply chain and logistics resilience.
2Source: Bibby Financial Services, SME Confidence Tracker Q1 2026, survey of 1000 UK SMEs, conducted March 2026.
Our transport clients
We support a wide range of transport businesses, including haulage, courier, logistics, distribution and storage providers.
Mor Cross
“Bibby Financial Services has been providing our firm with funding for over 18 years and we rely on a steady stream of funding to operate our business efficiently throughout the year. The additional funding also provides us with capital that we can put back into the business to grow our fleet of vehicles. As a haulage provider our fleet is at the heart of our business.”
Currie European Transport Ltd
We provided a £9m Group Funding facility to refinance Currie European Transport Ltd, a transport and storage group operating across four countries. The funding enabled the Scotland-headquartered business to acquire Kent-based haulage company Laser Transport International Ltd, accelerating its acquisition-led growth strategy and increasing Group turnover to £75m.
Doran Direct
“Since working with Bibby Financial Services Ireland, the flexibility of their funding solutions has allowed us to expand into new sectors and develop our offering – so that all our vehicles are now fitted with dual temperature fridges, mobile phone and satellite tracking systems, insulated boxes, and other technologies. As a result, we’re able to transport a wider range of goods safely and reliably, and our customers can monitor the exact location of their order.”
Why Bibby Financial Services?
- One of the UK’s largest independent SME funders
- Experience supporting transport businesses since 1984
- Weekly fuel, driver and subcontractor costs versus longer customer terms
- Funding fleet expansion when contracts arise
- Seasonal fleet utilisation
- Driver recruitment costs
- Credit control for high-volume B2B invoicing