Billing setup and configuration

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The TruckMate Billing module is used to create Freight Bills and then enter and manage all the charge information associated with them.

Bills which have been processed through the operations side of the TruckMate system are audited, approved, and then printed for customer billing.

There are additional functions in the module to process bills which represent carriage contract work, consolidating contract bills, and consolidating regular billing into a single master bill which is then approved and printed for customer billing.

Bills which have been printed can then be posted into the TruckMate Accounts Receivable and General Ledger Modules by the Billing Register. Bills can also be exported to the TruckMate Legacy system or a 3rd party accounting system like ACCPAC.

Associated expense records like Interline pro-bills, COD (on product) charges, and Driver Pay are also processed by the Billing Register and are made available for processing to I/P Inquiry, COD Inquiry, or Driver Pay Audit.

There are a few over-arching setup requirements for the Billing functionality in TruckMate. Ensure that you follow the system configuration steps outlined in this section before creating Invoices and/or any other Billing functions.

Client/Customer Setup

For effective Billing, you must ensure that the Clients that use your services are properly configured in the TruckMate system. Client/Customer Setup is accomplished using the Customer & Vendor Profiles program. In terms of Billing, ensure that the following sections of the Customer & Vendor Profiles program are fully configured :

  • Address Tab: Effective invoice delivery depends on having a Client’s address and contact information correctly entered and maintained.

  • Billing Tab: This is the most important section for the Client code you are maintaining. Ensure that all details are configured according to the Client’s needs.

  • Commodity Tab: (Optional) This section can be used to configure the default commodities for the selected Client Code.

  • Credit Info Tab: This section can be used to update the Credit Status of your Clients, and will allow other applications, such as the Customer Service program, to deny billing to a Client because of their Credit Status.

  • Freight Bill Check-List Tab: (Optional) Allows you to specify any number of check-list tasks that must be completed before a Freight Bill can be posted. In effect, this allows you to control what requirements need to be met before an Invoice can be processed.

  • Miscellaneous Tab: (Optional) Contains options regarding EDI Billing functionality and Detention Billing/Rating.

  • Rating Tab: Essential for each Client in your system, as it allows you to configure which Rate Sheets will be applied for a Customer when they using your Company’s services.

Taxation Setup

Effective Billing also requires that TruckMate understands which taxes to apply to your Clients, based on the Jurisdictions that your Company operates in. Taxation details are configured using the Tax Calculation Configuration program and then applied to your Clients on the Customer Profiles program > Misc Tab.

Application Configuration options

The Application Configurator program is a unique TruckMate application in that it contains configuration options that affect all the other TruckMate applications.

Procedural Outline

The Billing module represents more than just billing (processing invoices to customers) functions. It also includes order entry, order management, consolidation of orders for billing, non-freight service billing, claims processing, and more.

Billing is considered a core module and does not require additional module licensing.

Because TruckMate has been designed from the ground up to be a complete system solution, there are several tools available in the Billing module to suit any business need.

Accessorial Charge Billing

Also known as "Extra Charges", Accessorials are added to the Freight Bill for expenses or services in addition to the carrying of freight. Tarp, Tolls, Insurance, COD payment for freight, and Fuel Surcharges are all examples of Accessorial Charges, and are all added to an invoice using the Customer Service program > Accessorial Charges Tab.

Accessorial Charge codes and Rate schedules are defined in the Codes Maintenance program > Accessorial Charges Tab:

Codes that are configured in the Codes Maintenance program to 'Auto-Assign by Default' will be created automatically.

To manually assign an Accessorial Charge, select the desired code from the drop down list, then click on the red arrow to add it to the grid.

The available Accessorial Charge codes in the drop down list box depend on whether the code is configured as 'Custom Code Only' in the Codes Maintenance program. If it is, it will not be displayed in the drop down list unless the code has specifically been assigned to the 'Bill-To' Customer in the Rates Maintenance program.

Collect On Delivery (COD) Billing

If your company allows for Drivers to collect payment for Freight upon delivery, then you can used TruckMate to create COD invoices as well as audit COD transactions in order to ensure Billing accuracy.

Collect on Delivery (COD) Billing is accomplished mainly through TruckMate’s two invoice creation programs:

  • Customer Service program > COD Tab

  • Quick Bill Entry program > COD Tab

Once your Drivers have delivered the freight and have collected payment, you’ll need a way of recording the payment received, as well as any other issues that may have occurred to affect payment. For these tasks, there are two COD-specific applications in TruckMate:

  • COD Payable Audit program

    The COD Payable Audit program is used to view and audit COD transactions, receive payments, and prepare the transactions for update via the COD Payable Register program. While you can enter payment details on the Customer Service program > COD Tab, you still must audit the transaction in the COD Payable Audit program to assign a bank account for the deposit.

    Note: Freight Bills must be updated using the Billing Register program before their COD transactions will appear in the COD Payable Audit program.

  • COD Payable Register program

    The COD Payable Register program is used to update COD transactions that have been audited in the COD Payable Inquiry program. The update process changes the status of the transaction from 'Audited' to 'Interfaced', and creates checks for the COD payments in the Accounts Payable module. Checks can be then be printed using either the Check Printing or the Instant Check program.

    The COD Payable Register program also creates postings in the General Ledger module to account for the payments. These entries can be viewed in the GL Journal Entries program, and must be updated by the GL Journal Entries Register program before they are reflected in the account balances in the GL Chart of Accounts program.

Chassis Billing

The Chassis Billing program is used to create Freight Bills that handle the Accessorial Charges accrued when using a Chassis through an Intermodal company. This program works in concert with the Customer Service program > Intermodal Tab to ensure that all Extra Charges applied to a Chassis are given a separate Freight Bill.

Claims Processing

If a shipment is damaged, incomplete, not delivered on time, or your Driver causes damage at either the Shipper or Consignee site, a Claim may be submitted against the Freight Bill charges.

For more information concerning Claims Billing, see the following:

  • Over, Short & Damaged program: used to enter the details regarding the Freight incongruity.

  • Claims program: once details have been entered into the OS&D program, the Claims program is used to produce a Claim invoice.

Contract Billing

Contract Billing allows you to setup hourly billing scenarios for your company’s services, as well as create consolidated Freight Bills.

The purpose of the Contract Billing program (CONBILL.EXE) is two-fold:

  • To allow you to charge hourly for your trucking services. Say, for example, you’re a trucking company and a local furniture company hires you now and again to deliver furniture. This way, you can set up bills for each delivery, and the program will calculate hourly charges as well as any overtime charges that may occur.

  • To allow users to enter Contract Billing information and create Consolidated Freight Bills. You enter the contract billing information by freight bill, and then create consolidated bills. You’ll notice new fields in the Customer Service program > Dispatch Tab, where you can enter an equipment rating class.

Before opening the Contract Billing program, you need to set up a rate sheet in the Rates Maintenance program > Rate Sheet Tab. Ensure you select the 'Contract' button in the sheet-type options.

Detention Billing

In trucking, a "Detention situation" occurs when a Driver is made to wait by the Shipper or Consignee when picking up or dropping off Freight. This is not a desired situation as it adversely affects the operational schedule of the Carrier, because the Driver- and potentially other resources needed to complete the Freight movement later on- are made to wait.

In order to minimize these Detention costs on your Company’s end, TruckMate offers several tools to allow you to pass these charges onto the parties rightly responsible for the delay.

Functional Requirements

Before beginning setup of Detention Billing, users should be aware of the following requirements:

  • Detention Billing requires real-time management tools on Driver or Equipment activity. This means that you must have Mobile Communications integration with your Drivers and/or Trailers for Detention Billing to work.

  • Detention Billing requires a real-time mechanism for generating warnings to the 'Bill-To' party, 'Shipper', and/or 'Consignee'. This is best done via the TMW Windows Service Host program > Scheduler Detention Service (with The DAWG(r) integration).

TruckMate Setup

Follow these steps to configure Detention Billing in TruckMate:

  1. Complete all the steps outlined in How Do I Setup Detention Rating?

  2. Use the Customer Profiles program to configure your Client information, and particularly the Misc Tab > Detention section to setup Detention Warnings for your Clients, which will notify them by Fax or Email in the event that a Trailer is entering into Detention time.

Once Detention Rating situations have occurred, your Database will populate with Detention Bills. You can use the Detention Billing program to audit, report and produce invoices based on those Detention Bills.