How LuminaData Transformed a 3PL’s Freight Audits

Freight billing errors are more common than most 3PLs realize. Duplicate charges, unbilled shipments, and unexpected surcharges often go unnoticed and when you manage multiple carriers and high order volumes, manual audits simply can’t keep up.

This was exactly the challenge faced by a mid-market eCommerce 3PL we recently worked with. Here’s how they solved it with LuminaData.

The Challenge

This customer ships thousands of eCommerce orders every week using multiple carriers, including FedEx, DHL, and USPS.

Their internal finance team relied heavily on manual Excel audits to validate freight invoices. But with different carriers, rate structures, and tracking formats, it was almost impossible to catch every issue consistently.

Key problems included:

• Duplicate charges on invoices

• Unbilled shipments that were never charged to clients

• Unexpected surcharges and weight discrepancies

Even with dedicated staff, freight audits were slow and inconsistent, taking up to 10 hours per cycle and still leaving revenue on the table.

The Solution

The 3PL implemented LuminaData’s Excel-native AI agents to automate the entire reconciliation process.

Here’s what changed:

1. Automatic Matching:
   The AI cross-referenced carrier invoices with shipment records and tracking numbers to ensure every charge aligned with actual shipments.
   
   

2. Categorized Mismatches:
   Issues were sorted by type duplicates, missing charges, and weight discrepancies making it easy for the team to review and act quickly.
   
   

3. No New Systems Required:
   The solution worked directly in their existing spreadsheets, so there was no need for ERP integrations or new software training.
   
   

The Impact

Within the first month of using LuminaData, the results were clear:

• $20,000+/month in recovered overcharges

• Audit cycle time cut from 10 hours to under 1 hour

• Zero-code deployment. Everything worked within their existing workflow

As the Founder rightly puts it:

“We knew we were leaking margin on freight, but never had the time or tooling to fix it. LuminaData plugged the hole and paid for itself in the first month.”

Key Takeaway

For 3PLs managing multiple carriers and high shipment volumes, manual audits simply aren’t enough. Automating freight reconciliation not only saves time but also prevents significant margin leakages, as this 3PL’s $20K/month recovery proves.

Recover lost margins sitting in your freight bills. Try LuminaData now!