Tomato AutomateTomato Notes
Freight & Logistics · 4 min read

Freight broker back office automation: what to automate first

Every load makes the same paperwork. Here's where a brokerage's back-office hours go, and what to automate first, with no new TMS.

One load's paper trail from rate con to TMS, check call, POD, invoice, carrier pay and ledger, with tick marks at every hand-off where someone retypes, and POD to invoice marked to automate first RATE CONemail · PDF TMSload record CHECK CALLdriver · customer PODphoto · signed INVOICEdetention · lumper CARRIER PAYrate con match LEDGERQuickBooks EACH TICK = A RETYPE AUTOMATE FIRST
Fig. 1 Every load leaves the same paper trail, and each tick is a place where someone types it again.

The sales floor brings in the loads, but the back office decides how many loads each person can handle. Every load creates the same paperwork: a rate confirmation, tracking updates, a proof of delivery, an invoice, a carrier payment. When all of that is typed by hand, adding loads means adding people.

Back-office automation means software does the copying, matching and chasing. People handle the exceptions. You don't need a new TMS for it. You need the systems you already have to pass information to each other. If you only automate one thing, make it POD to invoice. Here's why, and what comes next.

Where the back-office hours go

Walk one load through your office and count every time someone retypes or checks something. You'll find most of them here:

  1. Rate cons and load entry. Load details arrive by email or PDF and get keyed into the TMS.
  2. Check calls and updates. Someone calls or texts the driver, then emails the customer.
  3. PODs and BOLs. Documents come in by email, text or photo and have to be matched to the right load.
  4. Invoicing. The invoice can't go out until the POD is in and the accessorials (detention, lumper, TONU) are confirmed.
  5. Carrier pay. Someone matches each carrier invoice to the rate con, checks factoring notices and schedules the payment.
  6. Accounts receivable. Someone chases late customer payments.
  7. Accounting sync. Someone re-enters or reconciles TMS totals in QuickBooks or another ledger.

The order to automate it

A POD photo arrives on a phone, is matched to the load record, and the invoice goes out the same day, shortening the days to cash POD PHOTO INemail · text · photo MATCHED TO LOADcomplete · signed INVOICE OUTaccessorials confirmed DAYS TO CASH SAME DAY DELIVEREDINVOICE SENTDAY SAVED = PAID SOONERPAID
Fig. 2 The POD is matched to the load as it arrives, so the invoice goes out the same day and the cash comes in sooner.

Start where the work is most repetitive and where delays cost cash.

1

POD to invoice.

Start here. When a POD arrives, match it to the load, check it's complete and signed, and send the invoice the same day. Every day saved here is a day sooner you get paid.

2

Rate con to TMS.

Read rate confirmations and load tenders from email and create the load in the TMS. A person reviews it instead of typing it.

3

Carrier invoice matching.

Compare each carrier invoice to the rate con and flag only the ones that don't match (extra charges, wrong amount, new remit-to details). Always send changed payment details to a person.

4

Accessorials.

Detention and lumper charges get missed when nobody times the stop. Capture arrival and departure times from tracking, and add the charge to the invoice with the proof attached.

5

AR follow-up.

Polite, automatic reminders on overdue invoices, with the POD attached, and a list of the accounts a person should call.

6

Accounting sync.

Push invoices and payments from the TMS to your ledger so month-end isn't a retyping project.

We start every project by mapping these steps for your own office on one page. See how the Redprint works.

What stays human

Normal loads run along one calm automated line while one load drops into a small exceptions tray for a person: disputes, odd charges, new customers and payment-detail changes NORMAL LOADS FLAGGED WITH THE REASON DISPUTESODD CHARGESNEW CUSTOMERSPAYMENT-DETAIL CHANGES EXCEPTIONS TRAYSTAYS HUMAN
Fig. 3 Loads that look normal stay on the automated line; disputes, odd charges, new customers and payment-detail changes drop to a person.

Let automation handle the loads that look normal. People should handle the rest: disputes, odd charges and new customers. Also payment-detail changes, and anything a customer sees for the first time. A good setup tells you which loads it couldn't handle, and why.

How to tell if it's working

Track three numbers before and after: the days from delivery to invoice sent, the loads handled per back-office person per week, and the share of loads that needed someone to touch them. If those don't move, the automation isn't doing its job.

Where we come in

We're a small team based in the Hudson Valley, NY, spread across the globe, serving clients in many countries. We build back-office automation for freight brokers, 3PLs and carriers. That covers rate cons into the TMS, check calls and ETAs, PODs and BOLs to billing, detention, settlements and compliance. We work on top of the TMS and inbox you already use. It starts with your Redprint, a map of how your work runs today, delivered within 48 hours of your intake. There's a 30-day money-back guarantee: if you don't like what we plan to build, you get all your money back. After the build comes the Optimizing Phase. We stay on as your operational partner and keep improving the system as AI and your business change. You can cancel anytime. The automations run on our system, so they stop when the Optimizing Phase does.

Not sure what to automate first? We'll map your back office with you in 20 minutes. Book a 20-minute call

Questions

What is freight broker back office automation?

Software that handles the paperwork every load repeats: load entry, document matching, invoicing, carrier pay and AR reminders. Your staff handle only the exceptions.

Do I need a new TMS to automate my back office?

No. Start by connecting the TMS, inbox and accounting system you already have.

What should a freight broker automate first?

POD-to-invoice, because it's repetitive and every day saved means you get paid sooner. Rate con entry and carrier invoice matching come next.

Will automation replace my back-office staff?

It takes over the copying and chasing. The aim is for the same team to handle more loads, not to cut people.

Can freight invoicing be automated?

Yes. Once the POD matches the load and the accessorials are confirmed, the system builds and sends the invoice. Anything unusual goes to a person.