Freight Billing Adjustment

Where to Find Details About Adjusted Charges

When drivers perform services beyond those stated on the bill of lading (BOL), they list those adjustments on the proof of delivery (POD). After inspecting your shipment, the driver will sign and provide you and FreightCenter with a copy of the POD. The proof of delivery document will include any damages to the freight and confirm your shipment’s weight, dimensions, and contents.

If there are any discrepancies between the POD and BOL, FreightCenter will receive a second invoice in the form of a rebill/billing adjustment directly from the carrier. Your FreightCenter Account Manager or a FreightCenter Customer Service Representative will immediately contact you requesting payment of the unpaid balance. After 72 hours, FreightCenter will charge the credit card or account used for the initial payment for the billing adjustment. You can view the bill in your FreightCenter account.

Quick Steps to Avoid Billing Adjustments

To avoid billing adjustments for services rendered but not prepaid, follow these steps when requesting a freight quote online or by phone:

1. Weigh and measure your item according to the manufacturer’s specs. Don’t forget to include packaging in your measurements, along with hazardous material transportation fees.
2. Look up the correct freight class.
3. Confirm your quote and bill of lading amounts match before making the initial payment.
4. Before signing the POD, carefully review it to ensure no additional fees or services are listed.

How to Avoid a Billing Adjustment

When obtaining a freight quote, the type of commodity, the number of items, weight, dimensions, freight class, pick up and delivery location, and distance all influence the shipping cost. The best way to avoid a billing adjustment is to ensure that all information given to FreightCenter when quoting and booking is 100 percent complete and accurate.

• Make sure to provide accurate weight and measurements:
  Never estimate how much your packaged freight weighs; this is the leading cause of most billing adjustments. All packaging adds to the total weight of your shipment. When scheduling your pickup, ensure you are as honest and accurate as possible about your packaged freight’s contents, weight, size, and location.
• Check your freight class:
  Your freight class helps carrier know what they are transporting and the risks they take if anything happens to your shipment during transit. Check that your freight class is accurate to your contents. You can use FreightCenter’s freight class lookup tool to help you with the calculations. Your FreightCenter agent can also assist you in determining your shipment’s freight class if you are unsure what it is.
• Plan how you will load and unload your freight to and from the truck:
  Standard less-than-truckload service includes curbside pickup and delivery. If you need a lift gate to raise or lower your shipment into the back of a truck, you must request that equipment at the time of quote. If you need a lift gate and a driver arrives without the right equipment, the customer will not only be charged for the lift gate but also for rescheduling the pickup or delivery. Accessorials, such as a lift gate or loading/unloading services required at pickup or delivery, will be billed by the carrier and appropriated to the FreightCenter account on file.
• Double-check your paperwork:
  Read through your BOL, POD, and other essential documents for errors or mistakes. Any issues you encounter with your paperwork should be reported immediately to your FreightCenter agent or a Customer Support representative to amend these mistakes.

If you believe your billing adjustment was due to a carrier service failure, please get in touch with FreightCenter Customer Service at your earliest convenience. Your continued business is important to us. We strive to resolve issues between our partner carriers and shippers promptly. Most billing adjustments we receive are due to a non-service failure, such as a discrepancy between the BOL and POD documents.

FreightCenter customers should never receive a bill directly from the carrier. If this happens, please contact us immediately to resolve the issue. To avoid receiving a bill from the carrier, the FreightCenter BOL document must be used at pickup time. If the FreightCenter BOL is not used, the carrier will not know the shipment is prepaid and will attempt to bill the receiver for the freight charges. We are committed to helping our customers avoid additional charges and seek alternative payment methods.