Capability template for finance and accounting
Carrier freight invoice check
The freight auditor gets a carrier invoice checked line by line against the shipment export and the rate confirmation: duplicate lines, rate differences and extra charges with no delivery or waiting-time record, each tied to its shipment. Accounts payable decides what to pay or dispute.
Listed under
Add it to a workflow in the Fully Powered Planner, beside the teams and roles that will run it. Book a fit call
The outcome
When a carrier invoice arrives with extras on it, or a total that is not what the shipments led you to expect, the freight auditor has one page that shows where every line stands. Each line is matched to its shipment and to the amount the rate confirmation gave for that charge, and each ends in exactly one place: matched, duplicate, rate difference, not on the rate confirmation, support missing, or shipment not found.
Every line in question lists the facts behind it. A repeated line names the line it repeats. A rate difference shows the billed amount, the confirmed amount and the gap. An extra charge such as detention or a liftgate shows whether a delivery or waiting-time record was supplied for that shipment, and for waiting time it works out the minutes between arrival and departure from the times in the record.
The totals tie back to the invoice: the amounts in each group add up to the invoice total, and the page says how much is in question and how much is not. The check compares amounts. It does not read the wording of the rate confirmation, so what a free-time clause or a cap means stays with the people who agreed it.
Who starts the work, and when
The freight auditor or an accounts payable clerk starts it when a carrier invoice arrives that carries extra charges or does not match the expected cost, before the invoice goes to payment. The freight auditor verifies the match line by line. Accounts payable approves payment or a dispute. The capability pays nothing, disputes nothing and contacts no carrier.
What they supply
- The carrier invoice, one row per charge line: invoice, line number, shipment, carrier, charge type and amount.
- The shipment export for the shipments billed: shipment, carrier, ship date, lane and delivered date.
- The rate confirmation, one row per agreed charge: shipment, charge type and confirmed amount.
- Delivery and waiting-time records for any extra charge: shipment, charge type, the kind of record, and arrival and departure times where they apply.
- The settings: the invoice date, today's date, the roles involved, the currency, how far an amount may differ and still match, and, only if your rate confirmation states it, the free waiting minutes.
The headers of each file are checked first. If one does not match, the work stops and asks which column is which.
What comes out
One page in a fixed order: data checks, totals that tie to the invoice, each line in question with its facts, the matched lines, the waiting-time facts, and the decisions for accounts payable. A section with nothing in it says "None." The last lines say what was not supplied or not checked, and that a match is not authority to pay.
An invented example
Illustrative example with invented data. The company, the carrier, the shipments, the lanes and every charge below are made up. Carrier A is an invented name, not a real carrier. The company is Alder Mill Home Goods, an invented company; roles are used instead of names. The settings are the invented company's: invoice INV-A-9142 from Carrier A, dated 2026-11-02, checked on 2026-11-04 by the freight auditor, run by the freight audit clerk, for the accounts payable lead. Currency is dollars. The tolerance is 0.00, so any difference is listed. The rate confirmation states 120 free waiting minutes.
What the freight audit clerk supplies
Carrier invoice:
invoice,line,shipment_id,carrier,charge_type,amount
INV-A-9142,1,P201,Carrier A,linehaul,640.00
INV-A-9142,2,P201,Carrier A,fuel,96.00
INV-A-9142,3,P202,Carrier A,linehaul,640.00
INV-A-9142,4,P202,Carrier A,fuel,96.00
INV-A-9142,5,P202,Carrier A,linehaul,640.00
INV-A-9142,6,P203,Carrier A,linehaul,545.00
INV-A-9142,7,P203,Carrier A,fuel,78.00
INV-A-9142,8,P204,Carrier A,linehaul,520.00
INV-A-9142,9,P204,Carrier A,fuel,78.00
INV-A-9142,10,P204,Carrier A,detention,150.00
INV-A-9142,11,P205,Carrier A,linehaul,450.00
INV-A-9142,12,P205,Carrier A,fuel,67.50
INV-A-9142,13,P205,Carrier A,liftgate,45.00
INV-A-9142,14,P205,Carrier A,detention,150.00
INV-A-9142,15,P206,Carrier A,linehaul,450.00
INV-A-9142,16,P206,Carrier A,fuel,69.00
INV-A-9142,17,P299,Carrier A,linehaul,380.00
Shipment export:
shipment_id,carrier,ship_date,lane,delivered_date
P201,Carrier A,2026-10-12,Warehouse to Denver,2026-10-14
P202,Carrier A,2026-10-12,Warehouse to Denver,2026-10-15
P203,Carrier A,2026-10-13,Warehouse to Boise,2026-10-16
P204,Carrier A,2026-10-18,Warehouse to Boise,2026-10-20
P205,Carrier A,2026-10-20,Warehouse to Reno,2026-10-22
P206,Carrier A,2026-10-27,Warehouse to Reno,
Rate confirmation:
shipment_id,charge_type,confirmed_amount
P201,linehaul,640.00
P201,fuel,96.00
P202,linehaul,640.00
P202,fuel,96.00
P203,linehaul,520.00
P203,fuel,78.00
P204,linehaul,520.00
P204,fuel,78.00
P204,detention,150.00
P205,linehaul,450.00
P205,fuel,67.50
P205,liftgate,45.00
P206,linehaul,450.00
P206,fuel,67.50
Delivery and waiting-time records:
shipment_id,charge_type,record_type,arrival_time,departure_time,note
P204,detention,waiting,2026-10-20 08:30,2026-10-20 11:45,receiver log bay 3
P205,detention,waiting,2026-10-22 13:05,,driver note with no departure time
What comes out
CARRIER FREIGHT INVOICE CHECK: Carrier A, invoice INV-A-9142
For: the accounts payable lead; checked by the freight auditor, run by the freight audit clerk. Invoice dated 2026-11-02; records as supplied on 2026-11-04. Currency dollars.
Data checks: 17 invoice lines; 7 shipments billed; 1 line on a shipment not in the export or listed under another carrier (line 17). Credit lines: None. Shipment and charge type billed more than once at different amounts: None. Shipments billed with no delivery date: P206 (lines 15, 16). Confirmed charges not invoiced: None. Shipments in the export not on the invoice: None.
Totals
- Invoice total: 5,094.50 on 17 lines.
- Matched: 11 lines, 3,265.50.
- Duplicate: 1 line, 640.00.
- Rate difference: 2 lines, billed 614.00; confirmed 587.50; difference 26.50.
- Not on the rate confirmation: 0 lines, 0.00.
- Support missing: 2 lines, 195.00.
- Shipment not found: 1 line, 380.00.
- Credits: 0 lines, 0.00.
- Tie-out: 3,265.50 + 640.00 + 614.00 + 0.00 + 195.00 + 380.00 + 0.00 = 5,094.50.
- Amount in question: 1,241.50. Billed amount not in question: 3,853.00.
Lines in question
- Line 5, P202, linehaul, billed 640.00: Duplicate. Repeats line 3 (same shipment, charge type and amount). In question: 640.00.
- Line 6, P203, linehaul, billed 545.00: Rate difference. Confirmed 520.00; billed 25.00 over. In question: 25.00.
- Line 13, P205, liftgate, billed 45.00: Support missing. Confirmed at 45.00; no record was supplied for this shipment and charge type. In question: 45.00.
- Line 14, P205, detention, billed 150.00: Support missing (incomplete). The waiting record has no departure time. Also not on the rate confirmation. In question: 150.00.
- Line 16, P206, fuel, billed 69.00: Rate difference. Confirmed 67.50; billed 1.50 over. In question: 1.50.
- Line 17, P299, linehaul, billed 380.00: Shipment not found. P299 is not in the shipment export. In question: 380.00.
Matched lines: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15; 11 lines, 3,265.50.
Waiting-time facts
- Line 10, P204, detention billed 150.00: arrived 2026-10-20 08:30, left 2026-10-20 11:45, waited 195 minutes against 120 free minutes supplied: 75 minutes over.
- Line 14, P205, detention billed 150.00: arrived 2026-10-22 13:05, no departure time; minutes waited cannot be worked out.
Decisions for the accounts payable lead (5)
1. Matched lines: lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 15 match the rate confirmation, 11 lines, 3,265.50. Line 10 is a detention line with 75 minutes over the 120 free minutes supplied, as the waiting-time facts show. Line 15 is on P206, which has no delivery date in the export. Whether to approve payment of these lines once the freight auditor has verified the match.
2. Duplicate: line 5 repeats line 3 (P202, linehaul), 640.00. Whether to dispute, hold or approve this line.
3. Rate difference: line 6 (P203, linehaul) is billed 545.00 against 520.00 confirmed, 25.00 over; line 16 (P206, fuel) is billed 69.00 against 67.50 confirmed, 1.50 over; 26.50 in question. Whether to dispute, hold or approve these lines.
4. Support missing: line 13 (P205, liftgate, 45.00) has no record supplied; line 14 (P205, detention, 150.00) has a waiting record with no departure time and is not on the rate confirmation; 195.00 in question. Whether to dispute, hold or approve these lines.
5. Shipment not found: line 17 (P299, linehaul), 380.00, is on a shipment that is not in the export. Whether to dispute, hold or approve this line.
Not supplied or not checked: earlier invoices were not supplied, so a charge already paid on an earlier invoice would not show as a repeat; the wording of the rate confirmation was not read, only its amounts and the free minutes in the settings; no delivery documents were supplied beyond the records listed.
Every figure traces to invoice INV-A-9142 and the shipment export, rate confirmation and records supplied on 2026-11-04. The check changes no records, contacts no carrier, pays nothing and sends nothing. A match is not authority to pay.
How the figures were reached
The invoice has 17 lines. Line 17 is on P299, which is not in the export, so it is Shipment not found. Line 5 has the same shipment, charge type and amount as line 3, which comes first, so line 5 is the duplicate and line 3 stays in the comparison. Of the others, lines 6 and 16 differ from the confirmed amounts (545.00 against 520.00, and 69.00 against 67.50), giving differences of 25.00 and 1.50. Line 13, a liftgate charge, has no record for P205, and line 14, a detention charge, has a record with no departure time, so both are Support missing; line 14 is also not on the rate confirmation, which the line notes without changing its status. Line 10, detention on P204, has a complete record and matches its confirmed 150.00, so it is matched. The 11 matched lines are 640.00, 96.00, 640.00, 96.00, 78.00, 520.00, 78.00, 150.00, 450.00, 67.50 and 450.00, which add to 3,265.50. The invoice total is 3,265.50 + 640.00 + 614.00 + 195.00 + 380.00 = 5,094.50. The amount in question is 640.00 + 25.00 + 1.50 + 195.00 + 380.00 = 1,241.50, and 5,094.50 less 1,241.50 is 3,853.00. Detention on P204 is 11:45 less 08:30, which is 3 hours 15 minutes, or 195 minutes; 195 less 120 is 75. All 14 confirmed rows appear on the invoice, and all six shipments in the export are billed.
Where it fits
- Finance and accounting: the check that sits between receiving a carrier invoice and approving it, on one fixed method whoever runs it.
- Supply chain and inventory: freight charges read against the shipments that caused them.
- Logistics and trade: businesses that book freight through several carriers and receive invoices in their own formats.
- Manufacturing: inbound and outbound freight where accessorial charges creep into invoices.
- E-commerce and retail: parcel and freight invoices with many small lines, where one repeated line is easy to miss.
- Growth and scaling: when freight volume has outgrown a spot check.
- Established businesses: when rate confirmations and invoices have been matched by eye for years.
Checking supplier bills for goods and services before a payment run is supplier bill review and payment run preparation. Comparing carriers on delivery, damage and cost across a period is carrier performance review. This capability looks at one carrier's invoice.
What has to change for your company
- Your file layouts, set once so the header check passes without a question.
- Your charge types, if you use names beyond linehaul, fuel, detention, liftgate, lumper and other.
- How far an amount may differ and still count as matching; the default is no difference at all.
- Free waiting minutes, if your rate confirmations state them, so the page can set minutes waited against them.
- Which records count as support for each extra charge, and where your team keeps them.
- Who verifies and who approves, and how a dispute reaches the carrier, which is done by a person outside this capability.
- Your AI product. It runs in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini from the files you supply. It needs no connection to your accounting or transport systems, contacts no carrier and never asks for a password.
What has been checked
Fully Powered AI wrote this capability template in its own words. It was editorially reviewed on 10 November 2026. It was tried once on its invented example in Claude on 10 November 2026, and the record is published with it. Any edits made after the trial have not been run again. It has not yet been tested in a client environment. It has not yet been tested as a packaged version in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini.
Testing in your environment means running it on invoices your freight auditor has already checked by hand, plus hard cases written in advance, each with its expected behavior: a renamed column, a repeated line, a charge on a shipment not in the export, a detention charge with no departure time, a credit line. The freight auditor checks every figure against the invoice and the rate confirmation before anyone relies on it. Pilot acceptance-test preparation builds that test set, and what we test before we call an AI workflow ready describes the record we keep.
The full capability template
Everything above is the outline. The complete capability template is the working version: the roles, the inputs, the procedure, the exceptions and stop conditions, the output format, the reviewer checklist, the acceptance tests, the instructions for an AI assistant and what to customize for your company. It comes with a download and the link to its folder in Fully Powered’s public repository.
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