Payment terms on transport are not an afterthought — they're a cash-flow tool, and for high-volume dealers and brokers, they can be the difference between sustainable growth and constant scrambling.The basic fact: buying inventory and paying for transport at the same time creates friction. A dealer buys a unit at auction on Monday, transport is arranged Tuesday, unit arrives Wednesday, and the invoice lands Thursday. But the dealer doesn't get paid by the retail customer until Friday — or sometimes much later. That's a cash float, and for a dealer running on thin margins, it compounds across dozens of units.This is why payment terms matter. And there are three models in the market.**Model 1: Pay-on-Delivery (COD)**The unit arrives, you inspect it, you pay. This is the starting point for most transport relationships, and it's perfectly fine for small-volume dealers or one-off shipments. No prepayment, no float on the transport side, straightforward.The drawback: if you're moving five, ten, or twenty units a month, you're cutting a check (or processing a wire) daily. That's administrative overhead, and you're paying in real-time without any benefit of timing.Cost to the carrier: minimal. They get paid at delivery, which is predictable and reliable. Price reflects basic service.**Model 2: COD with Consolidation**A step up: you pay weekly or bi-weekly for all moves from that period, not per-delivery. Same "pay on delivery" principle, but consolidated invoicing so you're reconciling once or twice a month instead of dozens of times.This works for dealers moving 10+ units per week. It's cleaner administratively, and the transport partner appreciates the consolidated cash flow.Cost to the carrier: minimal premium. You're still reliable, just tidier.**Model 3: Net-30 (or Net-15, Net-60)**You receive a consolidated invoice at the end of the month (or week) for all moves, and you have 30 days to pay. This is standard in B2B — dealers, brokers, insurance companies, and leasing companies all work this way.The win: a dealer with 50 units shipping per month pays for all 50 (plus reconditioning, plus acquisition costs) after 30 days. That's real working capital relief.The cost to the carrier: they're financing your inventory for a month. That's a risk, which is why net terms are only offered after vetting — the carrier needs confidence you're going to pay, your volume is real, and your account is credit-worthy.So when does each model make sense?**Pay-on-Delivery:** You're a smaller dealer, you move fewer than 5 units a month, or this is a one-time shipment. Simple, no complications.**COD with Consolidation:** You're moving 10+ units per week and want administrative tidy-up without extending payment. You're growing, but you're paying in real-time.**Net-30 (or longer):** You're a high-volume dealer, broker, or operation with repeating monthly moves. Your volume is substantial enough that the transport partner can carry the float, and you have the credit stability to warrant it.There's also a fourth model that smart operations use:**Blended Terms:** Smaller one-off moves pay COD; regular monthly programs are net-30. You get the working capital benefit where it matters most (bulk moves) and keep friction low on ad-hoc transport.For dealers thinking strategically, payment terms are a margin tool. Compare two scenarios:Dealer A pays COD on 20 units per month = $5,000 cash out the same week as buying the inventory. That capital is tied up.Dealer B works net-30 on the same 20 units = invoice due 30 days after delivery. That's 30 extra days to sell and collect from the retail buyer.That 30-day float on transport costs across a year of volume adds up. And if you're running a high-volume operation, it's the difference between having cash on hand and running strapped.SendMyRide offers flexible payment terms. Small operations and one-off moves: pay on delivery, no problem. High-volume dealers and brokers: net-30 or net-15 for recurring programs, consolidated monthly invoicing, so you're not juggling dozens of payments. We verify credit and volume upfront, so approved accounts get terms locked in, and cash flow works for your business model.Payment terms shouldn't be a deal-killer. For the right partner and the right volume, they're part of how a dealer scales.