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Company
Frequently Asked Questions
General
1. How long have you been in business?
Data2Logistics was created through a series of mergers and acquisitions over a number of years. We have more than 38 years of experience in the freight bill, audit payment and information business. In 2002, Platinum Equity acquired the logistics division of CorPay Solutions and merged it with Wescara Freight Technologies to create Data2Logistics.
Platinum
Equity (www.platinumequity.com) is a global M&A&O® firm specializing in
the merger, acquisition and operation of companies that provide services and
solutions to customers in a broad range of business markets, including
information technology, telecommunications, logistics, metals services,
manufacturing and distribution. Since its founding in 1995 by Tom Gores,
Platinum Equity has completed more than 80 acquisitions with more than $24
billion in aggregate annual revenue at the time of acquisition.
2. Do you process bills for all modes of transportation?
Yes. This includes motor carriers, parcel carriers, overnight couriers, rail, ocean, and heavyweight air carriers. We process bills for both domestic and international shipments on a global basis.
3. Do you have operations in Europe?
We have a full-service operation in The Netherlands to support both our multinational customers as well as European companies. We have many years of experience in auditing bills and handling VAT. Our multi-lingual staff is familiar with local customers and we can produce reports in virtually any language and make payments in any currency. Contact our European Headquarters.
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Funding and Payment
4. How do I know the funds I provide are safe?
We want our clients to be assured that their funds are secure. See our Code of Ethics. We can make payment, or you can make payment. If we make payment, we:
- Separate client funds from our company’s operating cash
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Hold client funds with major financial institutions
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Maintain a $50 million Employee Dishonesty Bond
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Pay carriers on time, in accordance with our service agreement
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Prepare checks and mail them on the cycle we agree upon with our clients
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Return voluntary carrier refunds to our clients
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Encourage clients to audit our processes
Data2Logistics undergoes an annual SAS 70 Type II Review and we are audited on an annual basis by Ernst & Young.
5. How often are bills paid?
Regular payments to carriers are made on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. In addition, for those carriers where it’s necessary (i.e. customhouse brokers, etc.) arrangements can be made for expedited processing. Payments also can be made in virtually any foreign currency via wire transfer.
6. How and when do we fund you?
Most companies fund Data2Logistics via wire transfer. Automated Clearing House (ACH) drafts can also be used for funding. We notify clients prior to the scheduled payment cycle of the dollar amount to be processed.
7. How am I notified of funding requests?
Most companies are notified by fax or email on a schedule established between the user and Data2Logistics. We provide the required information, in your preferred format, for you to fund your carrier payments.
8. How do you support carrier inquiries?
Data2Logistics responds to carrier inquiries from our Web site, or by telephone. We provide your carriers with the check number, date issued, the address that the check was mailed to, and can also advise if the check was cashed. We also identify the reason why a bill is adjusted or if payment is denied due to duplicate billing. If a freight bill is in process our system indicates the work station the bill is in. We provide the name, telephone number and email address of the Account Coordinator assigned to our customers’ accounts for easy reference should a carrier have a question about a bill. We allow carriers to forecast their cash flow from our site. Carriers can also submit an Excel spreadsheet of pro- or air-bill numbers and receive an email with details concerning the status of bills listed.
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Freight Bill Auditing
9. Are all freight bills pre-audited or is the audit done on a sample basis?
Data2Logistics performs an audit on ALL freight bills prior to payment. In fact, we encourage our clients to have a periodic post audit performed on their freight bills by another firm to confirm the quality of Data2Logistics’ audit. Our goal is to pay each freight bill right the first time a bill is presented.
10. Are the freight bills pre-audited by an automated program or on a manual basis?
To perform the quality audit our clients expect and deserve, we rely primarily on an automated rating system. When rate errors are identified they are passed to an audit professional to make the final determination of the amount to be paid.
11. Do you have the ability to accept and pre-rate shipping data (bills of lading)? Using this data, can you create accrual information?
Yes. If you have automated shipping data available, Data2Logistics can electronically match the bill of lading transaction to the carrier’s freight bill. This procedure also allows Data2Logistics to supply your company with an accurate accrual of transportation expense.
12. Do you audit parcel and air courier shipments for service failures?
Yes. We identify shipments where money-back guarantees should be claimed for our clients. FedEx, Express service failures are paid net of the late deliveries. For DHL, UPS and FedEx Ground, we file a claim and refunds appear as a credit on your next bill.
13. How will your system prevent duplicate payments?
In addition to screening against a carrier’s pro number for 18 months, the Data2Logistics system establishes a profile or expected format for each carrier’s pro number. This process identifies check digits, prefixes and suffixes that can hide duplicate billings. For example, if a carrier’s pro number is three alphas and six numeric characters, any variation from that normal sequence is flagged for clarification. In addition, wherever possible, Data2Logistics will use another unique number (i.e. bill of lading number or shipper’s receiving reference number) to prevent a duplicate item from being processed.
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Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
14. Can you handle EDI transactions?
Yes. Virtually all of our air courier transactions and parcel transactions are processed via EDI. Approximately 93 percent of all other bills processed by Data2Logistics are handled via EDI.
15. Will using EDI save me money?
Quite a bit. EDI processing fees are at least 50 percent lower than manual processing.
16. Does it require a lot of work on our part to implement EDI?
No. Data2Logistics handles the set up and implementation of EDI with your carriers. This includes:
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Carrier notifications and test data exchange(s)
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Automating account coding
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Integrating EDI data into your process flow
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Providing carriers with ANSI standard 997 functional acknowledgements
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Web-Based Systems
17. Can I interface with Data2Logistics via the Internet?
Yes, our clients just Log on at our client gateway.
18. What Web based services do you offer?
- Access to bill processing status, including: date processed; check date; check number; billed amount, paid amount, ship date, freight bill status; reason for adjustment; or reason for non-payment on rejected bills
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Transportation database access for reporting and data mining
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Data transfers
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Review and repair of rejected bills electronically
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Access to document images for rejects via the Internet
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Vendor routing guides
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Carrier contracts images
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Implementations
19. How long does it take to get up and running on your program?
Typically 60 to 90 days are allowed for implementation.
20. What is the implementation procedure?
Most of the work is done by Data2Logistics. We prepare detailed operating procedures for all clients. Our goal is to not replicate your current process. We want to work with you to understand what works well and what does not. Then we draw on our 38 years of experience to design the best practice process that will meet your needs today as well as in the future.
After completion, the operating procedures are reviewed with the client for any final clarification. An end-to-end test is then performed, reviewed with client and then signed off.
21. What about confidentiality?
All aspects of our client relationships are handled on a confidential basis and we sign non-disclosure agreements with our clients.
Reports and Information Management
22. How flexible is your report creation system?
Data2Logistics’ database is capable of quickly and easily generating reports. This flexibility also enables us to create special reports for customers on an “as needed” basis.
23. Can different divisions and locations get reports designed to meet their needs?
Yes.
24. Can you supply reports containing summary data to both corporate and individual locations?
Yes we provide individual reports by business unit or location as well as the ability to mine data on a corporate wide basis.. These reports can include carrier utilization, miles, average cost, average shipment, size, service type, mode, costs centers, origin and destination information, etc.
25. Can you create special reports as requested?
Yes.
26. Do you offer report-writing software to enable us to run our own reports?
Our Business Intelligence (BI) Portal offers alternative solutions for standard reports, ad-hoc queries and report management.
BI Portal provides two levels of service for you to access your database:
Our BI Basic Web reporting tool allows you to select standard reports on the Web, then filter and drill down on these reports and create ad-hoc reports. Customers can print or download and format reports into Excel, PDF, CSV or XML format.
Our BI Author Web-based tool is for power users, is easy-to-use and intuitive. With our BI Author, you can report on virtually any data element for any market you serve and also roll up information for corporate-wide analysis. Functionality includes the ability to:
- Filter reports on any data element
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Establish grouping levels
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Drill down on data elements
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Sort results in ascending or descending order
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Perform all mathematical functions including: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, percentages, and sum, resulting in the creation of new fields
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Create charts and graphs
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Report in multiple languages
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Standardize currencies
This tool uses ReportNetTM developed by Cognos, a global leader in business intelligence and enterprise planning markets. It is designed to satisfy all reporting requirements from simple to sophisticated. Our BI Author is a multilingual, multi-currency, Unicode reporting solution to service the global enterprise. Reports can be emailed automatically from the BI Portal.
Our BI Author allows for multiple (concurrent) users. Customers have the ability to view or print reports online and reports can be automatically saved so the user can generate the same ad hoc format again without rebuilding the report. Ad-hoc reports can be scheduled to run on a predetermined frequency and can be automatically printed or emailed. Results can be delivered in an Excel, PDF, CSV or XML format.
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Account Coding
27. How do you account code my bills?
Account code information is captured from the bill of lading or the shipper’s reference field for parcel shipments. When this information is not available, we use our AutoCoding System to determine the appropriate account code. AutoCoding is a rule-based process that uses various data elements to appropriately account code the freight bill.
28. Can accounting information be sent to me electronically?
We can send you an electronic file transfer directly into your general ledger to meet your requirements for SAP, PeopleSoft, J.D. Edwards or any other system that our clients have in place. Our IT staff will map data to the format your system requires.
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Additional Services
Rail Services
29. Do you audit rail car mileages?
We provide the following special services for our rail clients:
- Mileage audit and recovery of under-allowed revenue
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Liability Risk Management for excess empty mileage and carrier overpayment
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Complete railcar property tax management service
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Mileage revenue analysis and consulting to support zero or mileage contract negotiations
30. Do you handle consignee detention?
Our services recover asset costs, reduce dwell time and increase fleet utilization. We audit car placement and release dates. We also calculate chargeable days and invoice consignee or send a notice to expedite the release of held cars.
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Document Imaging
31. Do you offer document imaging?
Data2Logistics provides clients with images of their freight bills and associated documents. All documents are indexed and are accessible from our Web site for 18 months and can also be delivered on a DVD or CD ROM.
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Routing Guide Access
32. Do you provide a tool for vendors to access preferred routing and carrier selection?
We provide a Web-based tool that allows your vendors to enter origin and destination information. We will identify the level of service and carrier to be used.
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Routing Guide Compliance
33. Do you identify maverick spending?
We have the ability to load our clients’ routing guide into our system. As transactions are processed we can identify when the prescribed carrier was not used. We also identify the cost of non-compliance. This information is reported back to our customer so that a misrouted inbound shipment is charged back to your vendor. This process is also used for outbound shipments to identify when your business units are not using authorized carriers.
34. Can you identify optimal carrier selection?
Clients enter basic shipment characteristics and our Web site will return the carriers cost, fuel, and accessorial charges and miles for carriers that have rates servicing the selected lane. Carriers are displayed in ascending order based on costs.
35. How do I know if my freight rates are competitive?
Our BI team provides a comprehensive outsource opportunity for our clients. We provide our clients with complete support for bid preparation and analysis. Our clients make the final selection of the carrier. Our BI staff also makes recommendations to help clients proactively identify opportunities for cost reduction by mode or individual lane. To further identify savings opportunities, we also, monitor best practices, deal with compliance issues, and interface with client locations for contract compliance.
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