Logistics – Automating 3,000+ Monthly Freight Payables for Cost Control and Faster Turnaround
Industry: Logistics
Service: Freight & Carrier Payables Automation
Client Background
The client is a fast-growing logistics and supply chain company in the USA, managing a fleet of more than 150 trucks and servicing nationwide distribution centers. With every shipment generating multiple payables such as freight invoices, detention fees, fuel charges, tolls, and adjustments, the Accounts Payable team was handling thousands of documents every month.
As volumes increased, the finance team struggled to maintain consistent, timely, and error-free processes, making it difficult to maintain visibility and control over shipment-level costs.
Challenges
- High Volume of Shipment-Based Invoices – Each delivery generated 2 to 4 separate invoices, resulting in 3,000+ invoices per month and making accurate validation difficult.
- Frequent Billing Discrepancies – Rate mismatches, repeated line items and incorrect detention or fuel surcharges led to regular disputes with carriers.
- Slow Invoice Matching and Approvals – Approvals required matching invoices with BOLs, mileage logs, fuel usage and shipment data, causing long delays.
- Compliance and Tax Complexities – Differing state-level tax requirements and regulatory paperwork had to be manually checked, increasing compliance risk.
- Limited Visibility into Route-Based Spend – The team lacked reliable insights to identify high-cost routes, low-margin customers or excessive spending patterns.
How Did APS Help?
APS team delivered a customized Freight & Carrier Payables Automation solution tailored to the logistics industry’s high-volume, high-variance billing requirements.
- Automated Shipment-to-Invoice Matching – Invoices were automatically validated against rate sheets, BOLs and mileage or fuel logs to detect discrepancies instantly.
- Dispute Management Workflow – A structured workflow for rate mismatches reduced manual communication and improved dispute resolution speed.
- Unified Vendor Submission System – Carriers and fuel vendors uploaded invoices through a single digital portal, eliminating scattered communication and lost paperwork.
- Route Cost Intelligence Dashboard – APS team built analytics showing cost per lane, per truck and per customer, enabling smarter operational decisions.
- Compliance-Ready Digital Repository – All documents were stored with audit trails, making state compliance checks and internal audits significantly easier.
Results Achieved
The client experienced measurable improvements within months:
- 70% Faster Invoice Processing – Turnaround reduced from 12+ days to 3–4 days, improving payout speed and reducing backlog.
- 40% Reduction in Billing Disputes – Automated validation caught errors early, reducing carrier disagreements and rework.
- 100% Digital Carrier Submission – All carriers and fuel vendors transitioned to the digital portal, improving accuracy and traceability.
- Improved Cash-Flow Control – Real-time visibility into upcoming payables strengthened forecasting and payment planning.
- Higher Carrier Satisfaction – Predictable processing timelines helped secure better service and stronger partnerships.
- Confident Audit Readiness – Each invoice now carries a complete approval trail, making audits smoother and more reliable.
As a result, the firm gained:
- Scalable AP operations ready to support fleet expansion.
- Real-time visibility into shipment and route-level costs.
- Reduced financial leakage from overbilling and errors.
- Faster and smoother coordination between operations and finance.
- Improved lane and customer profitability through better cost insights.
In summary
APS helped the logistics company transition from slow, manual and error-prone freight payables to a streamlined, automated and insight-driven AP function that supports growth, accuracy and stronger vendor relationships.
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