Automated Freight Audit & Payment
AI-powered invoice auditing with automated dispute resolution and payment processing to eliminate overcharges and streamline AP workflows.
Why This Matters
What It Is
AI-powered invoice auditing with automated dispute resolution and payment processing to eliminate overcharges and streamline AP workflows.
Current State vs Future State Comparison
Current State
(Traditional)Manual matching of carrier invoices to shipment records and contracted rates. AP staff manually review 3-way match (PO, shipment, invoice) for discrepancies. Accessorial charges often not validated. Disputes handled via email/phone with carriers over weeks or months. Payment cycles delayed by audit backlogs. Lost savings from untimely dispute filing.
Characteristics
- • Transportation Management Systems (TMS) like IntelliTrans and GEODIS TMS
- • Freight Audit Software such as Trimble Freight Audit and Cass Information Systems
- • Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems
- • Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) systems
- • AI and Automation Tools for anomaly detection and predictive analytics
Pain Points
- ⚠ Data Quality Issues: Inaccurate or incomplete carrier invoices require manual intervention, increasing labor and delaying payments.
- ⚠ Complex Pricing Rules: Handling complex contract terms and accessorial charges can be challenging for automated systems.
- ⚠ Dispute Resolution: Billing disputes often require expert human review, slowing down the process.
- ⚠ Integration Challenges: Difficulties in seamless integration between TMS, ERP, carriers, and payment systems.
- ⚠ Manual Processes: Reliance on spreadsheets and email leads to inefficiencies and higher error rates.
- ⚠ Late Payments and Finance Charges: Slow invoice processing can lead to late fees and finance charges.
- ⚠ Limited Real-Time Visibility: Manual processes hinder real-time tracking and visibility of freight charges.
Future State
(Agentic)AI freight audit system automatically ingests carrier invoices (EDI, email, portal) and matches to shipment records and contracted rates. Machine learning validates accessorial charges against actual service delivery using telematics and proof-of-delivery data. System auto-approves clean invoices for payment and flags discrepancies with AI-generated dispute documentation. Automated dispute submission to carriers via EDI with tracking. Continuous analysis identifies systemic billing issues and carrier performance trends. Dynamic payment terms optimization based on cash flow and early payment discount opportunities.
Characteristics
- • Carrier invoices (EDI 210, PDF, email)
- • Shipment records with quoted rates
- • Contract rate tariffs
- • Telematics data (actual delivery times, locations)
- • Proof of delivery documents
- • Accessorial service validation data
Benefits
- ✓ 98-100% invoice audit coverage (vs 60-80%)
- ✓ 90-95% reduction in audit cycle time (hours vs 3-7 days)
- ✓ 80-90% dispute recovery rate (vs 30-50%)
- ✓ 2-5% total freight spend savings from recovered overcharges
- ✓ 70-85% reduction in AP processing costs
Is This Right for You?
This score is based on general applicability (industry fit, implementation complexity, and ROI potential). Use the Preferences button above to set your industry, role, and company profile for personalized matching.
Why this score:
- • Applicable across multiple industries
- • Higher complexity - requires more resources and planning
- • Moderate expected business value
- • Time to value: 3-6 months
- • (Score based on general applicability - set preferences for personalized matching)
You might benefit from Automated Freight Audit & Payment if:
- You're experiencing: Data Quality Issues: Inaccurate or incomplete carrier invoices require manual intervention, increasing labor and delaying payments.
- You're experiencing: Complex Pricing Rules: Handling complex contract terms and accessorial charges can be challenging for automated systems.
- You're experiencing: Dispute Resolution: Billing disputes often require expert human review, slowing down the process.
This may not be right for you if:
- High implementation complexity - ensure adequate technical resources
- Requires human oversight for critical decision points - not fully autonomous
Parent Capability
Payment Orchestration
Optimizes payment processing across multiple gateways with intelligent routing, automatic failover, and cost optimization.
What to Do Next
Related Functions
Metadata
- Function ID
- function-tms-freight-audit-payment