If you are a company that ships LTL freight and uses a freight broker, or are going carrier direct and wondering why you would consider using a broker, the following services should be required of any quality freight broker. This is the last of a 5 part series, so go back and read Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV for the entire series. And don’t forget to check out our free freight shipping guide available for download.

Billing & Auditing

One of the most important jobs of a freight broker is to make sure their shipping quotes match what is actually invoiced to the customer. This may sound simple, but with the large amount of additional charges levied by carriers in the LTL shipping industry, it can be anything but.

While most  brokers simply pass on additional invoiced charges from the carrier to their customer we first audit all charges to confirm their legitimacy. This ensures that by the time the customer is invoiced for the additional charge, our FreightPros have done the necessary research and pulled the necessary documents to not only prove the legitimacy of the additional charge, but also find ways to avoid such charges in the future.

Of course, not all charges invoiced from the carrier are legitimate. When faced with false charges, our team disputes the charges until they are dropped or the carrier has provided sufficient explanation. Of course, the customer will not be charged while we handle the dispute.

Our billing / auditing process is unique in that it both saves time for our customers as well as identifying LTL carrier trends such as limited access locations, extended delivery points, and even location-dependent accessorials. With this information, our brokers can ensure that future LTL shipments for each customer go as smoothly as possible.

If the first time you are notified of additional fees on your freight is the day you receive your bill from your carrier (ie UPS Freight) or broker, then you are missing out on a huge opportunity to reduce your freight spend. A great broker will work with you and battle the LTL carriers for you to dispute illegitimate charges.

Don’t let your broker or carrier merely use these additional charges as a pass-thru for additional revenue stream. Work with your broker to fight these charges and challenge your broker to figure out ways for you to ship your freight in the most economical and efficient way possible.