Every week, a 3PL pays carriers for the loads it ships. Each invoice should match the agreed rate, the bill of lading and the proof of delivery, and checking by hand means overcharges get paid. Here, Harrowgate 3PL Home Supply, the company we use to show ALK at work, checks this week’s 24 carrier invoices before paying them.
Step 1 of 9
Connect where the files live
Harrowgate’s carrier invoices land in its accounts payable inbox, so that is where ALK connects. The inbox is connected once, on the integrations page.
Step 2 of 9
Choose where the audit starts
The Gmail inbox is connected and selected as a start. For this 24-packet run, the carrier files were added directly before ALK checked them.
Step 3 of 9
The pile, sorted
This week’s 24 carrier invoices are read and sorted in about 19 minutes. 17 are approved to pay, 5 go to dispute and 2 wait on proof of delivery.
Step 4 of 9
Every flag explains itself
Great Lakes Haulage billed the fuel surcharge at 38%. The rate confirmation says 32%. ALK writes out the reason and sends the invoice to dispute.
Step 5 of 9
One click to the source
The rate confirmation opens right next to what ALK read from it, so anyone on the team can confirm the 32% in seconds.
Step 6 of 9
The decision: dispute first
Each disputed invoice waits with its reason named: fuel above contract, detention and a liftgate charge nobody approved, linehaul $300 over the agreed rate, and a delivery one pallet short. A person signs off before anything is paid.
Step 7 of 9
See where the money is
$13,743.50 is in dispute across three carriers, and $59,513.93 is clear to pay.
Step 8 of 9
Draw the line
One instruction: warn me when more than $10,000 is in dispute.
Step 9 of 9
ALK watches
This week $13,743.50 is in dispute, $3,743.50 over the line, and $10,260.40 waits on proof of delivery.
What ALK checks on every invoice
- Linehaul against the agreed rate on the rate confirmation
- Fuel surcharge against the contract rate
- Extra charges, such as detention or liftgate, against what was approved
- Pallets received on the proof of delivery against pallets shipped
- Where each invoice goes next: approve to pay, dispute, or wait on proof of delivery
Try it on your own invoices
Send one real carrier invoice with its rate confirmation, or a redacted one, and see what ALK finds.
