Freight Audit and Payment

Our clients have reported savings of up to 5% when GEODIS manages freight payment on their behalf. These savings come from multiple sources including identification of billing errors, prevention of duplicate payments, verification of accessorial charges, and enforcement of contracted rates. Our expert audit team physically reviews a significant percentage of invoices, going beyond automated matching to find discrepancies that technology alone might miss. For many clients, this represents significant financial recovery that directly impacts the bottom line.

When we identify discrepancies, our expert team works directly with carriers to resolve issues promptly. We dispute any unsupported or invalid carrier charges on your behalf, with our team winning the vast majority of carrier disputes filed. We maintain detailed documentation throughout the process and have established carrier-specific dispute protocols. For persistent issues, we escalate to carrier national account executives through weekly meetings. This systematic approach ensures you only pay for legitimate charges while maintaining positive carrier relationships.

GEODIS provides comprehensive freight audit and payment services across all major transportation modes including parcel, Less than Truckload (LTL), Truckload (TL), Truck Rail Intermodal, Over the Road, and Drayage. Our specialized teams understand the unique pricing structures, accessorial considerations, and compliance requirements for each mode. This multi-modal expertise ensures accurate auditing regardless of your transportation mix, providing consolidated financial management across your entire network.

Our transportation management system maintains a complete database of all your carrier contracts, rates, accessorials, and supporting information. When contracts change, our expert team updates the system to ensure all audits reflect current terms. For client-managed contracts, we integrate the rate information directly into our TMS. This systematic approach ensures every invoice is compared against the exact contract terms in effect at the time of shipment, maintaining rate integrity across your entire carrier base.

Our freight audit and payment process is executed through our transportation management system, which is enhanced with GEODIS-specific customizations. We maintain a 99% paperless solution and integrate directly with carriers via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) or through an online web portal. Our auto-matching process is four times faster than manual processes, allowing us to efficiently handle over 1 million invoices annually while maintaining accuracy. The system provides real-time visibility into freight charges, payment status, and historical data

Beyond basic payment processing, we provide deep analytics that transform invoice data into actionable intelligence. Our reporting capabilities include freight charges by stakeholder, department, cost center, product, weight, and mileage. We identify patterns in billing errors or excessive accessorials that may indicate systemic issues in your transportation network. This analysis enables you to address root causes of unnecessary costs, optimize carrier selection, and improve shipping practices across your organization. We regularly review findings with clients to drive continuous improvement.

GEODIS manages all freight accruals on your behalf, providing accurate estimates for in-transit shipments and updated information as accessorial or unexpected charges occur. Our transportation analysts apply such charges to the shipment history prior to delivery and update this information in our visibility portal. We provide monthly reporting on freight accruals that gives your finance team the data needed for accurate expense recognition and month-end closing. This visibility enhances your financial planning and budgeting processes while eliminating end-of-month surprises.

Freight audit and payment implementation is integrated into our standard TMS setup process, requiring minimal additional implementation time. The system can be tested and validated within hours once your rates are loaded into our database. Our seamless integration with carrier development and rate loading teams ensures a smooth transition. We work closely with your finance and transportation teams throughout implementation to ensure all requirements are met and the system is properly configured for your specific needs.

Our payment structure creates positive cash flow while maintaining carrier satisfaction. Our payment performance is exceptional, with nearly 100% of carriers paid on time according to contracted terms. This reliable payment record strengthens carrier relationships, helping ensure capacity availability and favorable treatment during tight market conditions.

Parcel shipments require specialized auditing expertise due to their unique pricing structures and volume. Our parcel audit services include detailed rate audits, dimensional weight verification, duplicate billing checks, residential delivery surcharge validation, address correction fee assessment, delivery area surcharge verification, and void audits for manifested but unshipped items. We challenge parcel carriers on rate and service discrepancies, often identifying significant savings opportunities in these complex billing structures. Our comprehensive approach ensures you only pay for actual parcel services delivered according to contracted terms.