This page explains exactly how our editors score freight factoring companies, what each criterion is worth, and where the inputs come from. It exists so you can judge the scores yourself rather than take them on trust. The current scores are on our freight factoring ratings page.
Who does the scoring
Our editors do the scoring. The same nine criteria and the same weights apply to every company on the list. No company can pay to be included, to be scored differently or to move up the list.
When the ratings were last reviewed
Scores are reviewed once a year. The ratings were last reviewed in January 2026. Between annual reviews we correct factual errors as they come to light rather than waiting for the next cycle.
How the 100 points break down
The nine criteria fall into three groups.
- Customer sentiment, 40%. Overall public review score (10%), share of 5-star ratings (15%), share of 1-star ratings (15%).
- Complaint record, 25%. Better Business Bureau grade (5%), BBB complaints closed in the last 12 months (10%), BBB complaints in the last three years (10%).
- What you actually get, 35%. Contract length and flexibility (15%), assistance availability (10%), other benefits and offerings (10%).
Overall score weights
| Weight | Criterion |
|---|---|
| 10% | Public reviews overall score |
| 15% | Public reviews, share of 5-star ratings |
| 15% | Public reviews, share of 1-star ratings |
| 5% | Better Business Bureau grade |
| 10% | Number of BBB complaints closed in the last 12 months |
| 10% | Number of BBB complaints in the last 3 years |
| 10% | Assistance availability |
| 15% | Contract length and flexibility |
| 10% | Other benefits and offerings |
| 100% | Total score |
Assistance availability weights
Assistance availability is made up of four parts.
| Weight | Component |
|---|---|
| 4.0% | Live support hours |
| 3.5% | In-person US office availability |
| 1.0% | Phone number on the website and easy to find |
| 1.5% | Chat feature on the website |
| 10.0% | Total assistance availability |
Other benefits and offerings weights
Other benefits and offerings is made up of four equal parts.
| Weight | Component |
|---|---|
| 2.5% | Load board, access and cost |
| 2.5% | Fuel card with discounts |
| 2.5% | Fuel advance |
| 2.5% | Other financial solutions: lending, leasing, financing, traditional banking, insurance |
| 10.0% | Total other benefits and offerings |
How each criterion is calculated
Public reviews overall score
| Part | Value |
|---|---|
| Numerator | Aggregated public review score |
| Denominator | 5 (a perfect score) |
Public reviews, share of 5-star ratings
The share of a company's public reviews that are 5-star, applied to the 15% weight.
Public reviews, share of 1-star ratings
| Calculation |
|---|
| 1 minus the share of 1-star ratings |
A company with no 1-star reviews earns the full 15%.
BBB complaints in the last 12 months and the last 3 years
| Rule |
|---|
| The company with the most complaints on the list sets the benchmark |
| Score is 1 minus (this company's complaints divided by the benchmark company's complaints) |
The benchmark company therefore scores zero on that criterion, and a company with no complaints scores the full 10%.
Better Business Bureau grade
| Grade points | BBB grade | Share of weighting |
|---|---|---|
| 5.00 | A+ | 100% |
| 4.66 | A | 93% |
| 4.33 | A- | 87% |
| 4.00 | B+ | 80% |
| 3.66 | B | 73% |
| 3.33 | B- | 67% |
| 3.00 | C+ | 60% |
| 2.66 | C | 53% |
| 2.33 | C- | 47% |
| 0.00 | D and below | 0% |
The BBB sets its own grades on a scale from A+ down to F. It says the grade reflects the business's complaint history, type of business, time in business, transparency, licensing, advertising issues and any failure to honour commitments to the BBB, and that customer reviews are not part of the grade. That is why we score BBB complaints and public reviews separately from the letter grade.
Contract length
| Months | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1.00 |
| 3 | 1.00 |
| 6 | 0.75 |
| 12 | 0.25 |
Cancellation notice period
| Notice required | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 30 days | 1.00 |
| 60 days | 0.66 |
| 90 days | 0.33 |
Contract length and the notice period together make up the contract length and flexibility criterion. Short terms and short notice periods score best because the most common complaint about freight factoring is being locked into an agreement that is hard to leave.
Live support hours
| Part | Value |
|---|---|
| Benchmark | The company with the most live support hours on the list |
| Numerator | Live support hours for this company |
| Denominator | Live support hours for the benchmark company |
In-person US office availability
| Part | Value |
|---|---|
| Benchmark | The company with the most offices on the list |
| Numerator | Number of offices for this company |
| Denominator | Number of offices for the benchmark company |
Load board, access and cost
| Component | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Has a load board (1 or 0) | 0.5 |
| Load board is free (1 or 0) | 0.5 |
Other financial solutions
| Service | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Lending or financing | 0.34 |
| Banking | 0.33 |
| Other extras | 0.33 |
Why price is not in the score
The two numbers carriers ask about first, the factoring rate and the advance percentage, are negotiated per carrier. They depend on your monthly volume, your equipment and the credit of the brokers you haul for. Folding one published figure into a score would suggest a precision that is not there, so we leave price out. We score what is the same for every customer: how the company treats people, how hard it is to leave, and what you get beyond the advance. To compare actual quotes, use our factoring calculator and read the fees that do not show up in an advertised rate.
Affiliate relationships
Some companies we rate have an affiliate relationship with us, and we may earn a commission if you contact one through this site and become a customer. Affiliate status is not one of the nine criteria and carries no weight. The scores come from the inputs above and nothing else.
Limitations worth knowing
Public review scores reflect only the customers who chose to leave a review, which skews toward very good and very bad experiences. BBB complaint counts depend on customers knowing to use the BBB at all. Contract terms are scored from the agreements and published terms available to our editors at the time of review, and a company can change them the day after we look. Because the complaint and support criteria are benchmarked against the other companies on the list, a score is relative to the group rated in the same review.
Treat the score as a starting point for your own checks, not a substitute for reading the agreement you are asked to sign. Our guides on reading a factoring contract and recourse versus non-recourse factoring cover the clauses that matter most.
Corrections
If you are a rated company and believe something we publish is wrong, or a carrier whose experience differs materially from what we describe, tell us through our about page. We correct factual errors between annual reviews.