Freight Bill Audit Continued…

Freight bill audit service providers may perform pre audits, post audits and parcel service guarantee follow-ups. Pre audits that take place before payment of invoices can ensure that over charges are caught before they become an actual expense. Post audits review past records and carefully screen for possible errors. In addition to these two types of freight bill audits, many service providers will also work to ensure reimbursement for parcel delivery failures. Many carriers have a policy that promises full refund of carrier charges if a delivery fails, but receipt of this refund requires a relatively large amount of paperwork and time dedicated to following up with claims. While most businesses do not have the ability to dedicate this time and effort, freight bill audit service providers will work to ensure that the business receives monies due.

Freight bill audit service providers may include duties such as the maintenance and review of freight tariffs and contracts, the formulation of accurate freight bill charges, scheduling of freight bill processing, and freight bill payment among their services. Other services that many audit service providers also offer are customized reports, comparison charts to select the lowest-priced freight carrier that still meets all the company's needs, and complete freight bill recordkeeping.

Freight Bill Audit Software

Not all companies feel that hiring a full-service freight bill audit service provider is warranted. Perhaps the quantity of shipments is moderate as opposed to unmanageably large, or the business prefers to keep audit efforts in-house. Whatever the case, there are many freight bill audit software programs now available that can make this task much easier than in the past.

Most freight bill audit software programs work by comparing shipment information with invoices sent by the carrier. The software automatically computes data about adjustments to the charges, additional fees charged, and other discrepancies that could possibly be overcharges refundable to the business. The software will most likely have sophisticated reporting features so that data can be analyzed and reported in an easy-to-understand but comprehensive format. Many programs will also have the ability to process data about shipments that have not yet been billed, allowing the business to keep track of costs that will be incurred in the near future.

By Kira Lee