Freight audit and disputes

Freight invoice records contain the carrier’s invoice identity, dates, currency and amount. Freight invoice lines supply the billed charge breakdown, with charge category, billed amount, billed weight and billed miles where relevant. The linked shipment identifies the applied rate contract. Freight Audit Clerk uses this chain to explain a billed amount before it is treated as eligible for an external accounts-payable handoff.

The active Freight Invoice Import And Audit (2) workflow runs when an invoice enters Auditing. Enter the invoice and its lines first, then start that state with an authorized account. Freight Audit Clerk can then compare the result with the charge evidence already entered. The audit reads the applied agreement, matching rate matrix and accessorial rates, computes expected charges and writes freight audit results.

• Inspect the comparison. Freight audit results hold expected amount, billed amount, tolerance percent, reason code and status. Match, Overcharge, Undercharge, Disputed and Waived are distinct outcomes. Use billed and expected amounts to explain the difference, keeping each line traceable to the carrier document.
• Require operational proof. Accessorial Charge Validation checks contracted charges against detention justification and shipment flags. An unsupported charge becomes Overcharge with reason code unjustified accessorial. Detention requires the relevant justified hours; a lift-gate charge needs the shipment’s lift-gate requirement.
• Retain the carrier dispute. Dispute records link a freight invoice line and carrier with claimed amount, recovered amount, reason, carrier response and resolution dates. Awaiting carrier and awaiting internal describe different follow-up needs. Record a recovery when it is evidenced, rather than equating a filed claim with money recovered.

Decide who may enter invoice headers and lines. Freight Audit Clerk can manage audit results and disputes, but can only view freight invoice records and freight invoice lines. Route header or line corrections to the authorized invoice-entry account. Logistics Manager coordinates the responsible invoice-entry account.

Agree the tolerance and waiver policy, including who can change an audit result to Waived. Retain the reviewer and review date, then rehearse the decision with its supporting evidence before go-live. Keep each amount in its invoice and contract currency; reconciling different currency values requires an explicit external conversion basis.

Enter a carrier invoice containing base freight and a detention line after all supporting lines are ready. Start Auditing and compare the resulting expected amount with the applied contract. For the detention line, use recorded charged hours greater than justified hours and inspect the unsupported-charge outcome. Freight Audit Clerk opens a dispute and records the carrier’s response without erasing the original billed amount.

Freight Invoice Approval evaluates an Audited invoice automatically. It requires a non-zero amount and audit results all in Match or Waived. An unresolved Overcharge leaves the invoice Audited with blocking rows logged. Eligible invoices become Approved and receive approval date and payable bill reference. Connect eligible invoices to accounts payable during setup and reconcile the receiving system’s acknowledgment before tracking payment.

• Freight Invoices To Audit — Received, Auditing and Audited invoices with billed and expected amounts.
• Audit Variance Worklist — Differences requiring evidence or an authorized review outcome.
• Open Disputes — Carrier and internal follow-up with claimed and recovered amounts.

Rehearse invoice eligibility and trace a detention dispute.