A trucking company owes your shop money.Here's how Canadian heavy-duty shops actually collect it.
The short answer: check the invoice, any time-sensitive lien rights, and the cost of each recovery option. If the balance is agreed, you can offer the carrier a voluntary choice: pay in full or split the amount into 3 or 5 monthly payments. Get qualified advice before relying on a lien or letting a deadline pass.
Most delinquent carriers aren't deadbeats; they're squeezed. Fuel costs and soft freight rates have can make a $42,000 repair invoice difficult to clear at once. Five payments of$8,820 include the 5% total plan fee and may be more manageable for some carriers. A plan gives a willing customer a clear way to pay; it does not guarantee that every installment will succeed.
Your four options on a $42,000 unpaid repair invoice
Compare the costs and tradeoffs. RemitRight takes no collection commission.
| Option | What it costs you | Invoice outcome if paid | Customer relationship | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collection agency | 25%–50% contingency | $21,000–$31,500 | Usually burned — agencies pressure; carriers remember | Months, if it works at all |
| Invoice factoring / financing | Discount + fees; often recourse (their default becomes your debt) | Face value minus the discount — and the risk can come back | Intact, but you've taken on a lender | Fast cash, ongoing cost |
| Small claims court | Filing fees + your time; limits vary by province | A judgment isn't money — you still have to enforce it | Over | Many months |
| Automatic payment plan (RemitRight) | No RemitRight subscription or commission. Carrier plan fee: 3% total over 3 months or 5% total over 5 months | Invoice paid; no RemitRight commission | Preserved — you offered them a way to pay, not a fight | Plan can start the week they accept |
Use your lien leverage — before the truck leaves the bay
In Canada, a shop that repairs a commercial vehicle generally holds a possessory lien — your strongest legal position exists while the unit is still in your possession. The moment it rolls out, your rights narrow and deadlines start. Know your province's rules:
Ontario
Repair and Storage Liens Act (RSLA)
While the truck is in your possession you hold a possessory lien for the repair bill. If you release the unit, you can still claim a non-possessory lien — but only if you obtained a signed acknowledgment of indebtedness and register a claim for lien in the Personal Property Security Registry. Priority depends on registering promptly.
Alberta
Garage Keepers' Lien Act
Your lien terminates on the 21st day after you surrender the vehicle unless, on or before day 21, you register a financing statement in the Personal Property Registry. Miss the window and the leverage is gone.
British Columbia
Commercial Liens Act (in force June 30, 2025)
BC replaced the old Repairers Lien Act with the Commercial Liens Act. You have a lien while you hold the vehicle, and registering in the Personal Property Registry lets the lien survive after you release the unit back to the carrier.
A lien is leverage, not cash — enforcing one means seizure and sale through a bailiff, and it usually ends the customer relationship. The productive move is converting that leverage into an agreement: "we'll release the unit / hold off on registering enforcement, and you go on an automatic 3- or 5-month plan for the full amount." General information only — for lien enforcement, talk to a lawyer in your province.
Why carriers aren't paying — and the ask they'll say yes to
Canadian carriers are getting squeezed from both ends: diesel and operating costs stay high while freight rates stay soft. When a fleet's cash is going to fuel cards and payroll, your invoice — often one of their biggest non-fuel bills — slides. Not because they dispute the work, but because they can't clear it in one payment.
That's why the all-or-nothing demand fails: you're asking for the one thing they don't have. Split the same number into months and the answer changes:
3-month plan
$14,420/month
Carrier pays the $42,000 invoice plus one 3% plan fee across all3 installments. Successful payments reach your connected account as they clear.
5-month plan
$8,820/month
Carrier pays the $42,000 invoice plus one 5% plan fee across all5 installments. Successful payments reach your connected account as they clear.
For illustration only: at a hypothetical 25–50% agency contingency, you would keep $21,000–$31,500 if the invoice were recovered in full. Actual agency fees and outcomes vary.
How RemitRight collects it for you
The AI texts the carrier about the balance
A calm, professional SMS about the invoice identifies the sender and offers a one-word STOP opt-out. Confirm an appropriate basis for contacting this customer; you can step into any conversation yourself.
It offers 3- or 5-month terms
Instead of "pay it all now," the carrier is offered the invoice split into 3 or 5 automatic monthly payments — the ask most struggling fleets can actually say yes to.
Stripe runs the plan; every payment lands with you
When they accept, Stripe schedules the installments automatically. Each payment pays out to your own Stripe account — we never hold your funds.
No RemitRight collection commission
The plan fee (3% total over 3 months or 5% total over 5 months) is added to the carrier's total only if they choose installments. Full payment has no RemitRight plan fee.
Questions heavy-duty shop owners ask
A trucking company owes my shop money and says they can't pay. What should I do?
Before releasing a unit, review your provincial lien rights. For an agreed $42,000 invoice, a customer could choose five payments of $8,820 including the 5% total plan fee, if those terms work for them. RemitRight can request payment and offer a voluntary 3- or 5-month plan without a subscription or commission.
How do I collect an unpaid repair invoice before hiring a collection agency?
For an agreed invoice, a voluntary payment plan may be worth trying. RemitRight takes no collection commission. Agency fees depend on the provider and account: a hypothetical 25–50% commission on a fully recovered $42,000 invoice would leave $21,000–$31,500 before other costs. This is an illustration, not a quoted market rate or a recovery forecast.
Can I put a lien on a truck I repaired in Canada?
Generally yes while you still possess the vehicle — that's a possessory lien. After release, the rules are provincial: Ontario's RSLA allows a registered non-possessory lien if you got a signed acknowledgment of indebtedness; Alberta's Garage Keepers' Lien Act gives you 21 days after surrender to register; BC's Commercial Liens Act (since June 30, 2025) lets a registered lien survive release. Registration deadlines are strict — this is general information, not legal advice.
Should I offer a payment plan to a customer who owes me money?
If a customer accepts the invoice but cannot pay at once, a voluntary plan may give them a workable option. RemitRight offers 3 or 5 monthly card payments with the total plan fee disclosed before acceptance. Future installments are not guaranteed.
Is this invoice factoring?
No. Factoring sells your receivable at a discount and can leave you on the hook if the carrier defaults. With a payment plan, the carrier pays the invoice they already owe — in full, over 3 or 5 months — and your shop borrows nothing and gives up nothing.
What does RemitRight cost a repair shop?
There is no RemitRight business subscription, setup fee, or collection commission. Standard card processing applies to successful payments. A carrier choosing installments pays a separate fee (3% total over 3 months or 5% total over 5 months); full payment has no RemitRight plan fee.
Is texting a business customer about an overdue invoice legal in Canada?
Yes, done properly. RemitRight's SMS collection is built for Canadian rules: consent-based outreach, honest sender identification, and a one-word STOP opt-out honoured immediately, in line with CASL. You can review every conversation.
Related reading
Stop financing your customers' fuel bills.
Review the invoice and start a respectful payment conversation. No RemitRight subscription or collection commission. A carrier choosing installments pays the disclosed plan fee.