Trucking Operator Secures $100K Line of Credit After Initial Decline

A trucking freight business came to us needing working capital. The problem: most lenders weren't approving deals in this sector.

There's a reason for that. Canadian trucking has been in what industry analysts call "watch-and-wait mode" since 2023. Freight volumes dropped, rates compressed, and operating costs climbed across the board. Fuel prices, insurance premiums, and maintenance costs all increased while freight rates barely moved. Many carriers exited 2025 with significantly thinner margins than expected, and the market entered 2026 under continued pressure.

For lenders, trucking became a risk category. Interest rate increases hit the sector hard — many operators saw their borrowing costs double or triple, since most loan facilities are tied to prime.
The 2023 bankruptcy of Yellow Corp., one of North America's largest trucking companies, reinforced the perception that even established players weren't safe. Banks pulled back. Credit unions got cautious. Approvals slowed to a crawl.
We submitted the file to one of our credit union partners, but it hit multiple roadblocks in underwriting and was ultimately declined. The lender flagged concerns about the industry and the structure of the deal. For most clients, that would have been the end of the road.

What We Did

We stayed on the file for months, working directly with the lender's team to understand exactly why it was declined and what it would take to get it reconsidered. We restructured the deal, repositioned the client's financials, and addressed every concern the underwriting team raised. That meant multiple rounds of documentation, revised projections, and ongoing conversations to demonstrate the client's stability and ability to service the debt.

Throughout the process, we kept the client informed and involved. We held regular calls to walk them through what was happening, what the lender needed, and what we were doing to keep the deal moving. At the same time, we leaned on our relationship with the credit union's team to get the file reassigned for a second review with a different underwriter. That relationship made the difference — without it, the file would have stayed closed.

The Outcome

The client was approved for a $100,000 line of credit — a result that's difficult to achieve in the current market for trucking and freight businesses. That capital gives them the flexibility to manage cash flow, cover operating expenses, and take on new contracts without scrambling for funds.

For a business in a sector where most lenders won't even look at the file, this approval was a turning point.

Why It Matters

This deal didn't close because of luck. It closed because we didn't give up, we had the relationships to get a second look, and we knew how to reposition the file to meet lender requirements. That's what advocacy looks like.

It also shows why working with an advisor matters.

A business owner going directly to a lender gets one shot. When that shot misses, the file is dead. We have the experience and the relationships to keep deals alive, find alternative paths, and fight for approvals that wouldn't happen otherwise.