Yet, in today’s challenging freight market, many shippers are causing arrhythmias by extending payment terms from 30 to 45, 60, or even 90 days from the invoice date.
To restore financial stability, carriers must eliminate billing delays and errors that clog their invoicing process. This means accurately capturing arrival and departure times, proof of delivery (POD), and accessorial charges at the point of delivery, without exception.
That’s precisely what Fraley and Schilling, a Rushville, Indiana-based carrier with more than 650 power units, did by using a custom mobile app built on the Eleos platform. The result? Faster invoicing, fewer disputes, and dramatically improved days sales outstanding (DSO).
Enforcing Document Capture at Delivery
Before implementing Eleos, Fraley and Schilling used a standalone document scanning app, which it later replaced with an integrated scanning feature in an ELD platform. Neither solution offered what they required: enforcement.
Drivers could bypass critical steps, such as scanning the bill of lading (BOL), leaving the back office scrambling to track down paperwork days later, explains Nicky Cupp, Director of Continuous Improvement at Fraley and Schilling.
With Eleos, the process is locked down. The fleet utilizes a custom workflow that prevents drivers from proceeding to the next load until they have submitted the necessary documents for their current assignment.
“When the driver arrives, whether it’s a pickup or a drop, it doesn’t matter. Whatever task I want them to complete is in front of them, and they can’t continue to the next step on their load until they complete it,” she says.
From Seven Days to Same-day Billing
Soon after rolling out the custom app, Fraley and Schilling acquired KBT Enterprises, a pneumatic bulk tank carrier, in January 2021. KBT had extensive expertise in hauling dry bulk materials but operated using paper processes.
Many of its loads entered the billing queue a week after being delivered. “Drivers brought paperwork into the office at the end of the week, and the invoicing process wouldn’t even start until the following Monday or Tuesday,” Cupp recalls. “With the Eleos driver app, we were able to reduce the billing time from one week to hours.”
With the custom app, as soon as drivers scan a document, it is added to the billing queue. What’s more, many of Fraley and Schilling’s customers are connected via EDI. When shipments arrive and depart, the fleet’s app instantly updates load statuses in its TMS, enabling faster communication with customers and immediate invoicing upon delivery, resulting in fewer disputes.
“You don’t have to second-guess whether the load has been closed out. Once the paperwork is in our queue, we process the invoice, and the remaining steps are automated,” Cupp explains.
Raising the Bar on Quality
Today, more than 99% of Fraley and Schilling drivers scan their paperwork at the point of delivery, a significant leap in both compliance and speed. Besides improving DSO, the fleet has seen a dramatic quality improvement.
If a scanned image is blurry or missing pages, billing clerks can assign a To-Do task directly from the accounting system, which is then forwarded to the driver app. The To-Do task remains visible until the driver resubmits a clear and complete document or the invoice is finalized.
The scanning technology of Eleos also resolves issues that were previously caused by low-resolution shipper documents.
“Some shippers still use Dot Matrix printers, and before Eleos, you couldn’t even read the BOL. Now, with the image processing behind the scenes, it’s easier to read than the physical copy,” Cupp says.
Savings from Consolidation
The switch to Eleos also enabled Fraley and Schilling to consolidate their tech stack, eliminating the need for third-party scanning tools and avoiding add-on licensing costs associated with other platforms.
The fleet’s custom app provides drivers with a single interface that contains all the tools they need to perform their jobs successfully. With the Eleos platform, everything, from hours-of-service visibility, trip planning, load status updates, document capture, messaging, and more, is available in an intuitive dashboard.
Accelerating Driver Pay
Mobile document capture benefits more than the back office. Drivers can view completed loads, estimate upcoming pay, and respond quickly if paperwork is missing. This boosts job satisfaction and retention.
“Drivers want to get paid as quickly as possible. The best way to make that happen is for them to submit their paperwork on time—and now, they do,” Cupp says.
Take Control of Your Cash Flow
Fraley and Schilling’s custom driver app is a success story in maximizing efficiency and driver satisfaction while accelerating cash flow when it matters most. During a challenging freight market, the company has drastically improved DSO by enforcing document submission at the point of delivery and automating workflows.
Are you still waiting days—or weeks—to invoice a load? It’s time to take control of your cash flow and eliminate whatever else is holding you back.
See How Eleos Can Help Your Fleet Bill Faster and Improve Document Scanning Workflows
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