How to automate your freight audits

Automate freight audits to recover overcharges, reduce disputes, and speed up invoice reconciliation.

An example Parabola Flow.

Freight audit automation checks carrier invoices against rating rules and shipment data at scale, recovering overcharges and speeding payment cycles. Instead of line‑by‑line reviews, a flow can validate accessorials, fuel, and contract rates automatically so finance focuses on exceptions.

Designing an automated freight audit that actually recovers money

Start by centralizing invoice, manifest, and contract data. Normalize carrier formats (including PDF‑to‑table extraction when needed) and calculate expected charges for each shipment. Compare billed vs. expected to flag duplicates, misapplied surcharges, residential corrections, and dimensional weight errors. Add SLA checks (on‑time delivery, damage claims) and roll up KPIs like recovery rate and average days to resolution. With Parabola, teams build this logic visually, export dispute packets, and route exceptions to the right owners. The result is faster reconciliation, fewer surprises, and leverage for renegotiations.

Want to see how an automated audit finds recoveries you’ve been missing? Explore our free freight audit workflow.

Frequently asked questions

What does a freight audit involve?

It checks carrier invoices against agreed rates and service levels to catch overbilling or errors.

Why automate freight audits?

Manual audits are slow and often miss errors, while automation validates invoices at scale.

What savings result from automating audits?

Companies reduce freight spend leakage, improve compliance, and build stronger carrier relationships.