Reliable Freight Auditing for Over 60 Years

Trust our experience. National Traffic Service has been providing superior freight audit and payment services since 1956. We are SAS 70 and SSAE 16 Type II certified, which means we operate under the highest quality processing controls.

We process 40 million domestic and international bills annually representing $2 billion in freight for over 200 companies throughout the United States and Canada. Learn more about us.

We Save Our Clients Tens of Millions of Dollars

Each year we save our clients over $40 million in potential overcharges, not including duplicate invoices, as a result of our audits.

Our typical audit savings is $4.25 for each freight bill that we audit, excluding duplicate invoices. On average, you’ll reduce your transportation expense 2% by having us eliminate overcharges on your invoices. Contact us at goswald@natraf.com for more information.

Greater Visibility Into Your Supply Chain

Freight costs are a significant portion of your company’s expenses. Visibility into your supply chain is the key to achieving cost savings that keep your company competitive.

Very few freight audit companies can give you the level of business intelligence that we offer. As we process your bills, we capture over 150 fields from your freight invoices, bills of lading and delivery receipts. That information can be viewed through standard reports or imported into your company’s ERP systems.

You can generate reports yourself through our web-based reporting tools, or let us generate and distribute reports to your employees.

See how we can improve your supply chain visibility.

Reduce Administrative Burdens With Our Payment Services

Letting us handle your freight payments reduces the load on your staff. We pay your carriers promptly, while freeing up your accounting department to perform other more productive functions.

  • If you’re paying your carriers yourself, your AP department is cutting and mailing dozens of checks each week. By allowing us to pay your carriers for you, you generate one check, ACH or wire. This can significantly reduce your AP expenses.
  • Carriers are provided with all pertinent information regarding adjustments to their invoices as a result of our audit. They’re given billed amounts, paid amounts and reasons for adjustments by Pro or tracking number.
  • Carriers are paid within 48 hours after receipt of your funds. We issue carrier payments 3 times a week.
  • We can age your carrier payments based on specific payment terms, maximizing cash flow.
  • If your carriers need to check payment status, they call us, not you. All carriers have access to payment status of their invoices on our website. They can see if the invoice has been received by us, the status of the invoice, and if it’s paid, the check number and paid date are provided. If they need additional information, our carrier service department is available via phone, email or fax to assist with their inquiry.
  • All client funds are kept in a separate account from our corporate funds.

Our Freight Audit Process

Each day we receive freight invoices from the tens of thousands of carriers that we work with. Invoices are received via mail, e-mail or electronically via EDI format.

Once received, the data is entered and verified manually by our experienced data entry staff, or inserted electronically via EDI. Each and every bill that we process at National Traffic Service is audited either electronically through our AutoRate system or by a professional auditor before payment.

We'll check for any and all possible overcharges including:

  • Duplicate invoices
  • Liability of the invoice
  • Missing or incorrect discounts
  • Inaccurate classifications
  • Incorrect tariffs
  • Wrong mileage and zip codes
  • Accessorial charge errors
  • Extension and addition errors
  • And numerous other factors

What We Audit

Our freight audit process varies depending on the mode of freight. Here’s what we check for each form of transportation.

Truck Bills

  • Liabilty for the freight bill
  • Correct classification or FAK
  • Proper rate and weight level are assessed
  • Mileages on truckload or other commodity rates using miles as a determination
  • Application of the proper discount
  • Special customer requirements, including but not limited to, waiver of certain accessorial charges
  • Appropriate fuel surcharges based on weekly DOE diesel prices
  • For interline bills, we determine if the carrier issuing the bill should be the billing carrier.

Parcel Bills

  • Verify that all account numbers billed by the parcel carrier have been approved for processing
  • On-time delivery and adjust the bill to zero if you have not waived your GSR
  • Audit both consolidated and single-piece shipments for compliance to contracted rates
  • Complete multiple audit steps based on a manifest match supplied by you

Rail Bills - We determine carrier liability as with truck bills; determine if rate is correct based on your rate contract and shipper's routing instructions; check accessorial charges, such as demurrage.

International Air Freight - We examine the airbill for source information; determine the origin and destination; determine if rates are based on pounds or kilos; determine freight charges based on the greater of actual or DIM (dimensional) weights; determine the type of service (standard, expedited, etc.); determine if there is any distinction for type of transport (door-to-door, door-to-airport, etc.); check fuel and security surcharges; check any other accessorial charges; check currency conversions.

Ocean Shipments - We examine the bill of lading for source information; determine the origin and destination, including ports of exit and entry; determine type of container used; verify delivery charge; check fuel (BAF) and security surcharges; check for any other accessorial charges.

International Brokerage Invoices - We check the entry summary for the commodities being imported; audit customs entry service fee; audit the merchandise processing fee (MPF); audit any accessorial charges related to the clearance through customs such as storage charges, FDA charges, etc.; for carnet shipments check for documentation for temporary importation of goods; audit transportation or cartage fee.

Contact us to get started.