Integrated intelligence for freight spend management
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FREIGHT PAYMENT
demand for near real-time data and analytics,” he added.
Such expectations come at a time of worsening fraud. This has made it essential for freight payment and audit companies to enable what Jaime Syring, CEO of TI Freight Audit, describes as a zero-trust environment in which humans are in the loop even as process automation intensifies.
“ So that there isn’ t just a system taking in [ data ] and rubber stamping it because it matches all the criteria,” she said.
Fraud comes in various forms. One common method is for criminals to establish a bogus carrier that files transportation invoices to shippers. Double brokering— in which the shipping carrier and the billing carrier are the same entity— is also widespread.
Typically, companies set an accrual in back-office systems, which is an estimate of the fee due for a specific invoice. Florida-based PayCargo’ s automated tools will flag any mismatch, setting tolerance checks so that if an invoice amount is within 2 %, for example, of the expected value, it will be processed. Staff will be automatically alerted to any discrepancies exceeding these parameters.
“ If you have a 20 % or 30 % error rate on manually processed invoices, imagine the time it takes to correct that.”
“ All that process can be digitized now, and automated— there’ s no reason for a human to manage that with email and Slack messages,” said Jamie Proctor, chief information officer at PayCargo. Yet perils exist in this otherwise sensible reasoning. If a carrier gets to know the precise variance limit, some less scrupulous operators will increase their invoice to just below this limit, Syring noted.
This is making it essential for freight payment and audit providers to establish appropriate safeguards to flag any spike in unusual activity or billing cost patterns by examining a random sample of shippers’ invoices each month.
With such guardrails in place, automation can reduce the need for manual exception handling throughout the payment and release process. Through cleaner data and better validation tools, providers automate large parts of reconciliation and self-audit many workflows.
“ That saves labor. It saves time,” said Dennis Monts, president and chief operating officer at PayCargo Labs.“ It reduces post-audit operational processes and improves the reliability of the payment itself. There’ s less doubt and there’ s less extra work needed.”
Manual processes can be problematic, creating the potential for human error and restricting companies’ ability to grow their businesses efficiently and profitably.
“ If you have a 20 % or 30 % error rate on manually processed invoices, imagine the time it takes to correct that,” said Jose Vasquez, PayCargo’ s chief banking and compliance officer.“ Imagine having
Integrated intelligence for freight spend management
Integrated freight audit and payment
Providing a comprehensive freight audit and payment solution, CT Logistics can integrate directly into clients’ supply chain operations. With more than a century of experience, the company combines industry expertise with purpose-built technology to validate freight costs, ensure accurate allocation and deliver clear visibility into transportation spend.
Process discipline and financial control
At its foundation, CT Logistics strengthens financial control by ensuring invoice accuracy and timely carrier payments. CT’ s process-driven approach, supported by SOC certification and ISO 9001:2015 accreditation, reinforces governance, data integrity and consistency. Clients benefit from reduced administrative burden, improved payment accuracy and insights that support informed decision-making. intelligence tools, the company provides visibility into spend patterns, carrier performance and cost drivers, enabling clients to better manage transportation networks.
Scalable solutions for a dynamic market Designed for complex, global environments, CT Logistics’ solutions support freight rate management, cost allocation, and reporting across modes and geographies. Ongoing investment in AI-enabled capabilities enhances efficiency, control and insight, allowing clients to remain agile while keeping internal resources focused on core priorities.
Analytics-driven insight and advisory Beyond execution, CT Logistics serves as a strategic partner through advisory capabilities that identify savings opportunities and operational efficiencies. Using advanced analytics and business
58 Journal of Commerce | June 1, 2026 www. joc. com