FREIGHT BILL AUDIT & PAYMENT
T he freight bill audit and payment (FBAP) market continues to evolve amidst broader economic shifts, including uctuating tariffs and interest rates, in ation, advancing technology, and changing freight demand, says Scott Burglechner, senior vice president and head of freight payment product management with U.S. Bank. Given a continually changing business environment, shippers increasingly are looking for FBAP rms to offer more than standard audits. “They’re seeking deeper cost savings, advanced spend management, and support for all modes of transportation,” he says. The worlds of transportation spend management and freight bill audit and payment are blending together, adds Craig Cameron, chief marketing of cer with A3 Freight Payment. “Historically, transportation spend management was the realm of high-priced consultants,” he says. Now, many FBAP providers can provide both the technology solutions and insight companies need to effectively manage their transportation spending. Often, shippers have been told a transportation management system (TMS) is a one-size- ts-all solution. “The reality is that shippers of all sizes face challenges, but not every one needs—or has the budget for” these solutions, says Luther Brown, chief executive of cer at nVision Global. In discussing their pain points, however, it often becomes clear that many shippers need a strong freight rating solution. Providers need to be creative and design con gurations that address each customer’s speci c requirements, as the right rating solution can empower shippers to optimize freight costs and lay the groundwork for future ef ciencies.
Freight bill audit and payment providers o er creative solutions and design configurations that address market trends and shippers’ specific requirements.
The technology shift capturing attention in the FBAP sector is the
It may be three or four years before AI initiatives yield cost reductions, says Allan Miner, CEO of CT Logistics. High expenses and the need for resources to de ne model goals make it clear: “It’s not just ipping a switch,” he says. For AI solutions to be effective, organizations also need a solid freight bill audit and payment process with credible data, Cameron explains. And once an AI solution is up and running, the organization needs experts who can validate the information it is producing. Even when an AI solution uncovers steps a company could take to improve operations, the organization may lack the resources needed to implement the changes. For example, a company may be incurring $50,000 in charges for address corrections each month. The expense may be sizable, but given more pressing business priorities, it may not be signi cant enough to dedicate resources to resolving it. This challenge likely will become more pronounced as AI begins to identify greater numbers of cost-saving opportunities, Cameron adds. Tariffs Capture Attention Along with AI, tariffs are on the minds of many FBAP providers and their clients. Some shippers are changing suppliers, at least temporarily, to minimize tariff
growing role of arti cial intelligence (AI). Much of this stems from organizations’ desire for real-time information analysis. “People want to know what AI can uncover that they’re unaware of and that could turn around and bite them,” Cameron says. Many freight payment customers also are exploring AI use cases to improve operations. Companies seeking to streamline processes and automate work ows look to AI to accelerate digitized self-service, enable more intuitive interfaces and data outputs, and facilitate API integrations that help retire legacy EDI systems. Guiding AI Initiatives Still, the role AI can play in FBAP remains uncertain. “The advent and rapid growth of arti cial intelligence and machine learning have streamlined some functions, while also propelling too much trust into algorithms that do not understand shipping nuances,” says Dani Funk, Senior Vice President-– Sales, Marketing & Organizational Development at Trans Audit. The rm is seeing over-reliance on AI alongside less focus on rate- and contract-related discrepancies, she notes.
56 Inbound Logistics • September 2025
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