The Freight & Logistics AR Playbook
Manage accessorial disputes, shipper payment terms, and factoring optimization. Built for brokers, 3PLs, and carriers.
Why freight AR is a constant battle
High volume, thin margins, and constant disputes. Freight AR requires speed, documentation, and smart prioritization to protect your cash flow.
Accessorial Disputes
Detention, layover, lumper fees—accessorials are disputed constantly. Each one requires documentation you may or may not have.
Automated accessorial documentation tracking with proof-of-delivery integration
Shipper Payment Behavior
Shippers pay when they pay. Some are reliable, others stretch Net 30 to Net 90. You need to know who's who before you book the load.
Shipper payment intelligence with historical pay patterns and risk scoring
Broker vs. Shipper Collections
Collecting from brokers is different than collecting from shippers. Terms, leverage, and escalation paths are completely different.
Separate workflow configurations for broker vs. direct shipper receivables
High Volume, Low Margin
Thin margins mean every past-due invoice hurts. But high transaction volume makes it impossible to manually track everything.
Automated prioritization based on margin, age, and shipper risk profile
Factoring Optimization
Factoring fees eat margin, but cash flow is king. Knowing what to factor vs. collect direct is part art, part science.
Factoring decision support based on shipper pay history and current cash position
Freight & logistics AR benchmarks
How does your AR performance compare?
Average DSO
Industry Typical
35-50 days
With Able Collect
25-35 days
Accessorial Collection Rate
Industry Typical
60-75%
With Able Collect
85-95%
Touch Rate
Industry Typical
20-30%
With Able Collect
55-70%
Factoring Volume
Industry Typical
40-60%
With Able Collect
20-40%
Best practices for freight AR
Strategies from carriers, brokers, and 3PLs who've optimized their collection operations.
Master Accessorial Documentation
Accessorials are only collectible if you can prove them. Document everything, automatically.
- Require driver documentation for all detention, layover, and lumper fees
- Integrate with ELD and proof-of-delivery systems for automatic timestamps
- Attach all supporting documentation to the invoice at creation
- Track accessorial dispute patterns by shipper—some dispute everything
- Know your win rates: if you're losing 50% of accessorial disputes, fix your documentation
Know Your Shippers
Not all shippers are created equal. Track payment behavior and adjust your approach accordingly.
- Maintain shipper payment scorecards based on actual pay history
- Flag slow payers before dispatching new loads
- Adjust credit terms based on payment history, not just credit reports
- Share shipper intelligence across your sales and ops teams
- Consider requiring prepayment or quick pay for poor-performing shippers
Separate Broker and Direct Collections
Broker collections require different tactics than direct shipper collections.
- Understand each broker's back-office process and pay cycle
- Build relationships with broker AP teams—they handle thousands of carriers
- Escalate differently: broker ops managers have more pull than AP for prioritization
- Track broker creditworthiness independently of their shippers
- Know when to fire a broker: some aren't worth the collection effort
Optimize Your Factoring Mix
Factor strategically—not everything, not nothing.
- Factor invoices from unknown or slow-paying shippers
- Collect directly from shippers with strong pay history—keep the margin
- Calculate true factoring cost including recourse risk
- Use factoring capacity strategically during cash crunches
- Track which invoices you factor vs. collect—optimize over time
Automate at Scale
High volume, low margin means you can't manually touch every invoice. Automate the routine, focus humans on exceptions.
- Automate first-touch communication for all new invoices
- Set up automatic escalation triggers based on age and amount
- Use automated follow-up for shippers with consistent pay patterns
- Reserve manual collection effort for disputes and high-risk accounts
- Track cost-to-collect and optimize automation rules accordingly
5 Proven AR Recovery Programs
Based on what works for freight companies like yours. Configure the triggers, thresholds, and escalation paths to match how your team operates.
Early Delinquency Outreach (15-30 Days)
The problem: In freight, 30 days is already late. Invoices slip without follow-up while you're focused on moving loads.
The approach: Automated outreach starting at invoice creation. Track shipper response patterns. Escalate non-responders quickly.
Configure it: Set your outreach timing, shipper-specific rules, and escalation triggers.
High-Risk Recovery (60+ Days)
The problem: At thin margins, aged invoices quickly become unprofitable. But high volume means problem accounts get lost.
The approach: Surface high-risk shippers automatically, consolidate all open invoices, generate recovery strategies.
Configure it: Define your risk thresholds, shipper blacklist rules, and escalation paths.
Accessorial Dispute Fast-Track
The problem: Detention, TONU, and lumper disputes drag on. Each requires documentation you may or may not have.
The approach: Centralized accessorial queue, automatic documentation gathering, shipper-specific dispute patterns.
Configure it: Set resolution targets, documentation requirements, and auto-write-off thresholds.
Shipper Risk Intelligence
The problem: You book loads before knowing if the shipper actually pays. By the time you find out, it's too late.
The approach: Continuous shipper payment scoring, early warning on deteriorating payers, pre-dispatch risk flags.
Configure it: Define your risk thresholds, dispatch warnings, and payment term adjustments.
Factoring Optimization
The problem: Factoring fees eat margin, but you need cash to pay carriers. Factoring everything is expensive; collecting everything is impossible.
The approach: Identify reliable payers to collect directly. Reserve factoring for slow-payers and unknowns. Track the ROI of both.
Configure it: Set shipper-specific factoring rules, collection vs. factor thresholds, and cash flow triggers.
$950K-$1.7M
Combined annual improvement for mid-size freight companies
*Based on outcomes from brokers and carriers with $50-150M revenue and $8-15M in open AR. Impact scales with your AR volume—larger companies with more AR outstanding see proportionally larger results.
See Able Collect for freight
We'll show you how Able Collect handles accessorials, shipper intelligence, and factoring optimization.