Match carrier invoices to rate confirmations
An agent reads each carrier invoice, finds the load and signed rate confirmation in your TMS, and checks line haul, fuel and accessorials against what was agreed. Clean invoices go to payment approval. Mismatches reach an auditor with the difference spelled out. Built for freight brokers and 3PLs that pay carriers every week.
Match carrier invoices to rate confirmations
6 steps
At a glance
- Trigger
- A carrier invoice arrives by email, a carrier portal or EDI.
- Typical inputs
- Carrier invoice PDFs and EDI 210 files
- Signed rate confirmations
- Accessorial approvals stored on the load
- Carrier payment terms and quick-pay agreements
- Systems it usually connects to
- McLeod
- Turvo
- Gmail
- QuickBooks
- How the work splits
3 rules, 2 model, 1 person steps
How it runs, step by step
6 steps, each tagged by what does the work. Rules are fixed logic, a model reads or drafts, and a person decides.
- Rules Fixed logic in code
- Model AI reads or drafts, with a confidence score
- Person A named person decides
- 1
Capture the invoice
RulesThe invoice is pulled from the AP inbox or carrier portal and tied to a carrier ID and load number using its reference fields.
- 2
Read the line items
ModelA model extracts line haul, fuel surcharge, detention, lumper and other charges and gives each field a confidence score.
- 3
Compare with the rate confirmation
RulesCode checks every charge against the signed rate confirmation and any accessorial approved in the TMS, within a tolerance you set.
- 4
Explain mismatches
ModelFor each difference, a model writes a plain note (for example, detention billed with no approval on file) and drafts the dispute email.
- 5
Resolve exceptions
PersonAn auditor accepts the invoice as billed, approves the contracted amount or sends the dispute.
- 6
Post for payment
RulesCleared invoices become bills in accounting with the load number attached, and the due date follows the carrier's terms.
Where people approve
The decisions that stay with your team, whatever the confidence score says.
- An auditor reviews every mismatch before a dispute goes to a carrier.
- Invoices above your payment threshold wait for a named approver.
- Changes to a carrier's remit-to details are confirmed through a known contact first.
KPIs to track
What to measure, before and after. Targets come from your own baseline.
- 01Share of invoices cleared with no human touch
- 02Overbilling caught per month, from your own audit log
- 03Days from invoice receipt to approval
- 04Time to resolve a carrier dispute
Questions about this workflow
Can it handle loads with several stops or a re-tender?
Those are the first exceptions. The matcher compares against the latest signed rate confirmation, and when a re-tender or multi-stop load has no clear reference it sends both documents to an auditor side by side. Most teams leave these in the review queue for the first few weeks and loosen rules once the exception log shows a pattern.
How are detention and lumper charges treated?
They match only when your TMS holds an approval, a timestamp or a receipt for them. Without that evidence the line is flagged rather than paid, and the same evidence is what you attach to a dispute.
Which steps use rules, a model and a person?
Rules: capture the invoice; compare with the rate confirmation; post for payment. Model: read the line items; explain mismatches. Person: resolve exceptions. Rules are fixed logic in code. A model reads or drafts and reports its confidence. A named person decides.
What do we need to start?
Typically: carrier invoice PDFs and EDI 210 files; signed rate confirmations; accessorial approvals stored on the load; carrier payment terms and quick-pay agreements. You also need read access to McLeod, Turvo, Gmail and QuickBooks, or the equivalents you use. A workflow audit measures your volumes and past cases first, then gives a fixed price for the build, so you can decide with real numbers.