Carrier invoices sometimes contain errors, which can translate to significant losses when left undiscovered and unaddressed. Audits can reveal overcharges in parcel and freight bills, justifying refund requests and increasing the chances of recovering lost funds.
Getting financial documents thoroughly examined also costs money, so finding a third party that specializes in parcel and freight bill auditing and offers the best value is the key. These three companies have the most competitive prices.
1.Broussard Logistics
Broussard Logistics specializes in parcel and LTL freight bill audits. This provider combines its auditing capabilities with contract renegotiation and embeds them in its proprietary transportation management system (TMS), Newblims, enabling shippers to recover past losses and proactively control costs.
According to the organization, “4% of invoices are incorrect.” To catch these errors, Broussard Logistics automates invoice verification, preaudits charges to validate them before payment and conducts postaudits to prevent duplicate billings. It aligns freight invoices with contracts, purchase orders and shipment records.
Its technology detects late parcel deliveries and recovers funds on behalf of clients. The overcharges identified in its assessments are disputed and short-paid. This auditing expert generates detailed reports to reveal trends and opportunities for cost reduction.
Key Features
●Comprehensive contract optimization services
●Intuitive, custom TMS
●Ongoing support
2.ShipSigma
ShipSigma is an artificial intelligence-powered freight and parcel bill auditor. Its tech analyzes 50-plus audit points and runs weekly assessments. It automates recovering, claiming and refunding fees from late FedEx and UPS shipments, damaged or lost packages, wrong dimensional weight charges, incorrect rates, and invalid surcharges. The auditing provider explains that seemingly minor errors, such as erroneous address corrections and duplicate charges, “can accumulate into significant financial losses over time.”
The company’s auditing software supports live shipment audits. This capability enables ShipSigma to sense inconsistencies immediately, flag rate changes, re-weighs, and reclassifications, and address discrepancies. Its operational team reviews shipments daily, coordinates with carriers on late deliveries and updates information in the TMS.
Key Features
●Under-four-minute client time investment
●Carrier algorithm mirroring
●Data-driven renegotiation
3.Transportation Insight
Transportation Insight audits the parcels and freight bills of medium-sized and enterprise shippers. As a Beon company, it uses a purpose-built AI-powered platform trained on billions of data points.
According to the company, it has “over $13.8 billion in freight under management,” indicating that its benchmarking data encompasses tens of thousands of shipping lanes, accessorial fee patterns and carrier contracts. This data-driven approach contextualizes audits and results in better catch rates. Transportation Insight prioritizes upstream issue flagging and carrier compliance tracking over just finding invoice errors.
Key Features
●Resolution-first philosophy
●Managed transportation suite
●BeonLink API integration
Comparing Parcel and Freight Bill Auditing Companies With the Best Value
Evaluating Broussard Logistics, ShipSigma and Transportation Insight based on their years of experience, audit coverage and expertise can help inform decision-making.
Company | Year Founded | Items Audited | Best for |
Broussard Logistics | 1978 | Accessorial fees and concessions Duplicate items Extension errors FAK Freight class Fuel surcharge Fuel type Late deliveries Minimum charge Rate base Tariffs Weight and volume charges | E-commerce, distribution, energy and manufacturing industries |
ShipSigma | 2018 | 50-plus audit points | Companies with high-volume parcel shipping |
Transportation Insight | 1999 | Accessorial fees Applied discounts Contracted rates Duplicate billing Freight classification Fuel surcharges Linehaul charges | Food and beverage, technology, retail and e-commerce, and health care and life sciences companies |
Methodology for Evaluating Parcel and Freight Bill Auditing Providers
The following factors were prioritized when selecting and ranking top parcel and freight bill auditing companies.
●Audit mechanics: How the company’s audits work, what they cover and what happens afterward
●Mode coverage: The modes of transportation that the parcel and freight bill auditor handles
●Technology: The organization’s auditing platform’s features and the integrations it supports
●Speed: How fast an auditor promises to process invoices and secure refunds
●Industry expertise: The team’s familiarity with unique logistical challenges and whether the business has experience assisting shippers from specific industries
●Track record: The auditor’s background, notable clients, awards and affiliations
●Support: The company’s self-service resources and the availability of its representatives
●Pricing: The organization’s pricing structure and how its services compare in value to competitors
Hire a Freight and Parcel Bill Auditor That Offers the Best Value
The value of a company’s parcel and freight invoice auditing services is relative to the shipper. Broussard Logistics, ShipSigma and Transportation Insight have unique strengths and serve different clients. Learn more about each one’s offerings to find the perfect fit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the answers to the most common questions asked about freight and parcel bill auditors.
Q: What Does a Parcel Auditor Do?
A: Parcel auditors are auditing software designed to analyze large volumes of shipment data to ensure the shipper does not overpay. They identify service failures, overcharges and billing errors, compare invoices against contractual rates, and verify if the packaging dimensions match the billed weight. All tools support dispute management, and some programs can automatically submit refund claims to carriers.
Q: What Does It Mean to Audit a Freight Bill?
A: Auditing a freight bill means ensuring the accuracy of charges to prevent the shipping from overpaying. Automated freight bill auditing uses specialized software to process large volumes of invoices before or after payment. Freight bill auditors check the accuracy of invoice data, verify that charges reflect the quoted rates in the contract, and catch unauthorized charges and noncompliance with agreed-upon terms.
Who Offers the Best Value Parcel and Freight Bill Auditing?
Broussard Logistics offers the best-value parcel and less-than-truckload freight bill audits and contract optimization services for shippers in e-commerce, distribution, energy and manufacturing industries. ShipSigma specializes in UPS and FedEx parcel shipments, while Transportation Insight is an ideal fit for medium-sized and enterprise shippers.
Dylan Berger is a logistics and supply chain writer whose work has appeared in Global Trade Mag, BOSS Magazine and other industry publications.
