Apex Capital vs OTR Solutions: Which Factoring Company Is Right for Your Fleet?

Quick Verdict

If you have been researching freight factoring for your trucking operation, two names keep showing up: Apex Capital and OTR Solutions. Both are top-tier factoring companies with strong reputations, transparent pricing, and real support teams staffed by people who understand trucking. But they are built around different philosophies, and the right pick depends on what matters most to your operation.

Here is the short version before we get into the details.

	Apex Capital	OTR Solutions
Our Score	4.6 / 5	4.7 / 5
Badge	Best Customer Service	Best Overall
Recourse Rate	1.5-3.5% (most pay ~2% flat)	2.5-3%
Non-Recourse Rate	Custom quote	3-4%
Advance Rate	Not published (industry standard range)	96% non-recourse / 92% recourse
Funding Speed	24/7/365 including holidays	Same-day + BOLT instant (weekends/holidays)
Monthly Minimums	None	None
Contract Length	No contract (60 days notice to leave)	No contract, no termination fee
Termination Fee	None	None
Fuel Card Savings	$300-$500/truck/month	~$600/truck/month ($7,200/year)
Fuel Advances	Not offered	Up to 50% of load value
Free Broker Credit Checks	Yes	Yes
In Business Since	1995 (30+ years)	2011 (14+ years)
Best For	Carriers who prioritize service, flexibility, and 24/7 access	Carriers who need non-recourse protection and high advance rates

Both companies are solid choices. You will not go wrong with either one. But the differences matter, so let's break them down.

Factoring Rates and Fee Structure

This is the category where most carriers start comparing, and it is where Apex and OTR diverge the most.

Apex Capital charges 1.5-3.5% per invoice on recourse factoring, with most owner-operators and small fleet owners paying around 2% flat. ¹ They also offer non-recourse factoring at a custom rate that requires a phone call to get quoted. Apex gives you three pricing structures to choose from: flat rate (fixed percentage per invoice), tiered rate (adjusts based on how fast the broker pays), and volume-based pricing (better rates as your monthly volume grows). Most small operators prefer the flat rate for its predictability.

OTR Solutions charges 3-4% per invoice on non-recourse factoring and 2.5-3% on recourse. ² There is one rate structure, and the quoted percentage is the total cost.

Both companies deserve credit for clean pricing. Neither charges ACH fees, invoice processing fees, monthly account fees, or minimum volume penalties. The rate you are quoted is the rate you pay. That might sound like baseline behavior, but plenty of factoring companies advertise low headline rates and then stack hidden fees that push the effective cost well above what you expected. Apex and OTR both avoid that game entirely.

The bottom line: if you are comparing recourse-to-recourse, Apex is cheaper. If you are comparing Apex's recourse program to OTR's non-recourse program, you are comparing two different products. The 1-2% premium OTR charges for non-recourse is the cost of transferring broker credit risk off your books. Whether that premium is worth it depends on your tolerance for risk and your cash reserves. Use our factoring cost calculator to run the numbers for your specific volume and see how the fees compare side by side.

Advance Rates and Funding Speed

OTR Solutions publishes clear advance rates: 96% on non-recourse invoices and 92% on recourse. ² That 96% number is among the highest in the industry for genuine non-recourse factoring. On a $3,000 invoice, you get $2,880 upfront. The remaining balance, minus the factoring fee, arrives after the broker pays OTR.

Apex Capital does not publish a standard advance rate, so you will need to get a quote. Their advance percentage falls within the industry standard range, but you will not know your exact number until you talk to their team.

On funding speed, both companies deliver.

Apex offers true 24/7/365 funding. Submit an invoice at 2 AM on Christmas morning, and it gets processed. That around-the-clock availability is not a marketing gimmick. Apex runs staff through nights, weekends, and every holiday on the calendar. For carriers who run irregular schedules or handle time-sensitive freight, this eliminates the bottleneck of waiting for business hours.

OTR offers same-day funding on invoices submitted before noon, plus their BOLT instant payment system that works on weekends and holidays. BOLT pushes money to your account immediately after invoice approval, which means Saturday afternoon funding is a reality, not a promise for Monday.

Both companies solve the same problem. If you need money on a Saturday evening to fuel up for a Sunday morning pickup, either one will get it done. Apex's advantage is the truly continuous processing window. OTR's advantage is the published 96% advance rate, so you know exactly how much you are getting before you submit.

Contract Terms: Recourse vs Non-Recourse, Minimums, and Length

This is where the two companies feel most similar on the surface but differ significantly underneath.

Contract flexibility: Both companies operate without long-term contracts. Apex asks for 60 days notice before you leave, which is standard transition time, not a penalty. OTR has no termination fee and no long-term commitment. Neither company will punish you for leaving, which is a significant advantage over factors that lock you into 12-month agreements with steep early termination costs.

Monthly minimums: Neither company charges them. Factor one invoice this month and fifty next month. Your account adjusts to your volume without penalties.

Recourse vs non-recourse: This is the real difference. Apex is primarily a recourse factoring company. Their standard product means you carry the risk if a broker does not pay. They do offer a non-recourse option, but it requires a custom quote, and the company's reputation is built on the recourse side. OTR Solutions is built from the ground up around non-recourse factoring. When you factor with OTR, they assume the credit risk on clean deliveries. If a broker goes bankrupt or disappears, OTR takes the loss. No chargeback, no buyback clause, no collections call asking you to cover the difference.

For carriers who are new to freight factoring, the recourse vs non-recourse distinction is the single most important factor in this comparison. If you are not familiar with how each model works, read our complete factoring guide before making a decision.

Apex's all-invoice requirement: One policy worth mentioning. Once you choose to factor invoices from a particular broker through Apex, every invoice from that broker goes through Apex. You cannot pick and choose individual invoices from the same broker. You can decide which brokers to include and which to exclude entirely, but within each broker relationship, it is all or nothing. OTR does not have this restriction in the same way, and their no-minimum structure gives carriers more flexibility on a per-invoice basis.

Technology and App/Portal Quality

Neither Apex nor OTR is going to win a Silicon Valley design award, but both provide functional platforms that handle the day-to-day without unnecessary friction.

Apex Capital offers an online portal where you can submit invoices, track payment status, manage account settings, and request broker credit checks. The system is straightforward and built for people who want to get in, get their business done, and get back to driving. It does what it needs to do without overcomplicating things.

OTR Solutions positions itself as a "trucking technology provider" in addition to a factoring company. Their platform includes invoice submission, payment tracking, broker credit checks, and load board integration. The load board feature connects freight search with your factoring workflow, which reduces the number of apps and tabs a solo operator needs to manage. OTR also integrates their BOLT instant payment system directly into the platform, so requesting immediate funding is part of the same workflow as submitting invoices.

Both companies allow mobile invoice submission, which matters when you are sitting in a truck cab and need to photograph a POD and get it processed fast.

The technology edge goes slightly to OTR for the load board integration and the BOLT system built into the platform. But this is not a category where either company falls short. Both portals work, both are reliable, and both are designed for truckers rather than accountants.

Customer Service and Reputation

This is the category where both companies genuinely stand out from the rest of the factoring industry, and where the comparison gets interesting.

Apex Capital carries a Net Promoter Score of 90, a number so high that it puts them in rare company across any industry, not just trucking finance. ¹ For context, anything above 70 is considered world-class in financial services. Their BBB rating is A+, and they received the BBB Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics in 2018. ³ Trustpilot reviews average 4.4 out of 5. Carrier feedback consistently mentions hold times under five minutes and account managers who actually understand the business. With roughly 350-400 employees focused exclusively on trucking factoring and nearly 30 years in operation, Apex has built the kind of institutional knowledge that shows up every time you call.

OTR Solutions holds a 4.7 out of 5 on Google from more than 883 reviews and a 4.5 out of 5 on Trustpilot from over 323 reviews. ⁵ Their BBB rating is A+ with the fewest complaints among major trucking factors, an accreditation they have maintained since 2014. ⁴ With approximately 430 employees, OTR provides dedicated account managers who handle invoicing support and collections follow-up with brokers. The words that show up most in their reviews are "attentive," "reliable," and "trustworthy." Multiple carriers specifically note that OTR delivered on the promises made during the sales conversation, which says something about the gap between marketing and reality at other companies.

Both of these companies have earned their reputations through years of consistent service, not through a burst of incentivized reviews. When reviews are positive across Google, Trustpilot, the BBB, and trucker forums independently, that pattern points to real satisfaction.

The honest assessment: Apex has the edge in raw NPS score and the longevity of their track record. OTR has the edge in total volume of verified online reviews and the lowest complaint count at the BBB. Either company will treat you significantly better than most of the alternatives in this market.

Additional Services: Fuel Cards, Fuel Advances, and More

Beyond the core factoring product, both companies bundle services that offset costs and simplify operations.

Fuel cards: Apex saves carriers $300-$500 per truck per month ($3,600-$6,000 per year). ¹ OTR averages $7,200 per truck per year. ² Both cards carry zero transaction fees. For a five-truck fleet, those fuel savings alone represent $18,000-$36,000 annually, which is real money coming off your operating costs and partially offsetting what you pay in factoring fees. OTR's published per-truck savings figure is higher, though individual results depend on routes, fuel volume, and which stations are in each card's network.

Fuel advances: OTR offers fuel advances up to 50% of a load's value for on-road expenses. This is separate from the standard factoring advance and gives you access to working capital before the invoice is even submitted. Blow a tire in West Texas or need an emergency DEF system repair mid-run, and that fuel advance keeps your truck moving. Apex does not offer a comparable fuel advance feature.

Broker credit checks: Both companies include free, unlimited broker credit checks with every account. Run a check before accepting a load from an unfamiliar broker and save yourself the pain of hauling freight you will never get paid for.

Partner network: OTR maintains a vetted network of service providers covering tax preparation, equipment financing, commercial insurance, and compliance support. These are optional partnerships, not mandatory bundled services. Apex offers dedicated account managers with deep industry knowledge who can provide guidance, particularly for carriers new to factoring.

Load board access: OTR integrates load board functionality into their platform. Apex does not offer a comparable load board feature.

The extras edge goes to OTR for the fuel advance program, higher published fuel card savings, and load board integration. Apex's fuel card savings are still meaningful, and their dedicated account management has a well-documented track record of guiding new carriers through the learning curve.

Which Is Better for New Authority Carriers?

For carriers in their first 24 months with a new MC authority, OTR Solutions is the stronger pick.

Here is why. New authority carriers face a brutal combination of thin cash reserves, limited broker relationships, and zero margin for error. One unpaid invoice from a broker who goes under can be the difference between making your next truck payment and parking the truck. OTR's non-recourse protection exists for exactly this situation. You deliver the load clean, submit the invoice, and if that broker never pays, OTR absorbs the loss.

OTR's partner network also matters here. New carriers are making dozens of decisions about insurance, compliance, tax structure, and equipment financing, often without experienced guidance. Having pre-vetted service providers available through a company you already trust prevents costly mistakes during the startup phase.

That said, Apex is not a bad choice for new carriers. Their dedicated account managers are known for patient onboarding, and the 24/7 funding means you are never waiting for business hours during those early months when cash is tight and schedules are unpredictable.

Which Is Better for Owner-Operators With 1-3 Trucks?

It depends on your risk tolerance and cash position.

If you are running one to three trucks and a single bad broker payment would seriously hurt your operation, OTR's non-recourse factoring is worth the rate premium. Small operations do not have the financial cushion to absorb a $3,000-$5,000 loss and keep rolling. The math is simple: one unpaid invoice at a recourse factor can wipe out months of savings from lower rates.

If you have been in business long enough to build cash reserves, you know which brokers to trust, and you are comfortable managing credit risk yourself, Apex's lower recourse rates will save you money on every invoice. The 24/7 funding is particularly valuable for small operations where the owner is also the driver and dispatcher. You submit invoices when you have time, not when a factoring company's office happens to be open.

Both companies work well at this scale. Neither charges monthly minimums, so your slow months are not penalized.

Which Is Better for High-Volume Factoring?

For carriers factoring $100,000 or more per month, Apex Capital has the edge on cost.

At higher volumes, the rate difference between Apex and OTR compounds. Even a 1% gap on $100,000 in monthly invoices is $1,000 per month, or $12,000 per year. Apex offers volume-based pricing that rewards growth, and their tiered rate structure can work in your favor when you are working with quick-paying brokers.

High-volume operations also tend to have more broker relationships and better data on which brokers are creditworthy. That reduces the value of non-recourse protection, since you are already doing effective credit screening through experience and volume.

OTR can also negotiate better rates for higher-volume carriers, but their starting point is higher than Apex's, and the rate compression at volume still typically leaves Apex with a per-invoice cost advantage.

If you are factoring at high volume and want to see exactly how much each company would cost you per month, plug your numbers into our factoring cost calculator.

Which Is Better if You Want No Long-Term Contract?

Both companies are equally good here. This is one area where you genuinely cannot go wrong.

Neither Apex nor OTR charges termination fees. Neither requires a long-term contract. Both allow you to leave if the service stops working for you. Apex asks for 60 days notice, which is a standard transition window. OTR operates on a similarly flexible basis.

Compare that to factoring companies that lock carriers into 12-month agreements with $2,500+ early termination penalties, and both Apex and OTR stand out as carrier-friendly on contract terms.

Our Verdict

After reviewing the data, the rates, the reviews, and the real-world feedback from carriers who use both companies, here is where we land.

Choose OTR Solutions if:

• You are a new carrier in your first two years of operation
• Non-recourse protection is a priority because one bad broker payment would seriously hurt you
• You want a high advance rate (96%) with transparent, published terms
• Fuel advances for on-road expenses would keep your truck moving during tight weeks
• You want load board access integrated into your factoring platform

Choose Apex Capital if:

• You have been in business long enough to manage broker credit risk yourself
• You want the lowest possible per-invoice cost on recourse factoring
• 24/7/365 funding matters because you run nights, weekends, and holidays
• You value a 30-year track record and the industry's highest NPS score
• You prefer working with a company that has proven staying power across multiple freight cycles

The bottom line: OTR Solutions earns our Best Overall badge at 4.7/5 because their non-recourse protection, high advance rates, and all-in pricing give the widest margin of safety to the carriers who need it most: owner-operators and small fleets running tight margins. Apex Capital earns our Best Customer Service badge at 4.6/5 because their service quality, 24/7 funding, and competitive recourse rates deliver outstanding value for experienced carriers who prioritize flexibility and cost efficiency.

Both companies are in the top tier of trucking factoring. Both will treat you well. The decision comes down to whether you are buying protection (OTR) or buying the lowest cost with the best service (Apex).

Read our full Apex Capital review and OTR Solutions review for deeper analysis of each company, or compare all factoring companies on our main comparison page.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Apex Capital or OTR Solutions cheaper?

Apex Capital is generally cheaper on a per-invoice basis. Their recourse rates run 1.5-3.5%, with most carriers paying around 2% flat. OTR charges 2.5-3% for recourse and 3-4% for non-recourse. However, OTR's non-recourse program transfers broker credit risk to OTR. When you account for the cost of even one unpaid invoice from a failed broker, OTR's higher rate can end up saving you money over time.

Do both companies offer non-recourse factoring?

Yes, both offer non-recourse options. Apex is primarily a recourse factoring company with a non-recourse option available at a custom rate. OTR Solutions built its business model around non-recourse factoring, and their program is widely regarded as one of the most straightforward in the industry. OTR absorbs the financial loss on clean deliveries when a broker fails to pay, without hidden chargeback clauses.

Can I leave either company without paying a penalty?

Yes. Neither Apex nor OTR charges termination fees. Apex requires 60 days notice for transition planning. OTR operates without long-term contracts or termination fees. Both companies are significantly more flexible than factoring companies that lock carriers into year-long agreements with steep cancellation costs.

Which company has better customer reviews?

Both have strong review profiles. Apex carries a Net Promoter Score of 90, a Trustpilot average of 4.4/5, and the BBB Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. OTR holds a 4.7/5 Google rating from 883+ reviews, a 4.5/5 Trustpilot score from 323+ reviews, and the fewest BBB complaints among major trucking factors. Both companies receive consistent praise for knowledgeable support staff and reliable funding.

Do both companies offer fuel cards?

Yes. Apex saves carriers $300-$500 per truck per month. OTR averages $7,200 per truck per year. Both cards carry zero transaction fees. OTR also offers fuel advances up to 50% of a load's value for on-road expenses, which is a separate feature from the fuel card discount and helps cover emergencies while you are on the road.