Method and system for auditing trucking invoices
A method and system for auditing trucking invoices uses information and data collected by the central computing systems employed by trucking companies to manage their freight transportation operations. Certain of the collected information and data can be accessed by or communicated to one or more lenders to establish the legitimacy of a particular invoice.
1. A method for auditing a trucking invoice of a trucking company employing a central computing system for managing freight transportation operations, including processing orders and dispatching trucks in response to such orders, comprising the steps of:
generating an invoice audit file associated with a selected order;
using said central computing system to collect predetermined information and data during transport of a freight load for the selected order;
appending the predetermined information and data collected by said central computing system to the invoice audit file; and
providing a lender with access to said invoice audit file, such that the lender can evaluate the predetermined information and data collected during transport of the freight load to verify that the trucking invoice is genuine.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 , in which software resident in said central computing system encrypts the invoice audit file, such that the trucking company can not readily alter the collected information and data.
3. The method as recited in claim 2 , in which the lender is provided with software to decrypt the invoice audit file.
4. The method as recited in claim 1 , in which the invoice audit file includes information and data collected from one or more third parties.
5. The method as recited in claim 4 , in which said third parties include fuel vendors.
6. A method for auditing a trucking invoice of a trucking company employing a central computing system for managing freight transportation operations, including processing orders and dispatching trucks in response to such orders, comprising the steps of:
providing a communications link between each dispatched truck and the central computing system, allowing information and data related to the movement of the truck to be collected and stored by the central computing system during movement of the truck;
providing a communications link between third-party vendors and the central computing system, allowing information and data related to commercial activities of dispatched trucks to be collected and stored by the central computing system; and
providing a lender with access to the central computing system, such that the lender can evaluate the information and data collected and stored by the central computing system during movement of the truck to verify that the trucking invoice for a particular order is genuine.
7. The method and system as recited in claim 6 , in which the collected information and data associated with a particular order is stored in an invoice audit file associated with that particular order.
8. The method as recited in claim 7 , in which software resident in said central computing system encrypts the invoice audit file, such that the trucking company can not readily alter the collected information and data.
9. The method as recited in claim 8 , in which the lender is provided with software to decrypt the invoice audit file.
10. A system for auditing a trucking invoice of a trucking company, comprising:
a central computing system for managing freight transportation operations, including processing orders and dispatching trucks in response to such orders;
a communications link between each dispatched truck and the central computing system, allowing information and data related to the movement of the truck to be collected and stored by the central computing system during movement of the truck; and
a communications link providing a lender with access to the central computing system, such that the lender can evaluate certain information and data stored by the central computing system to verify that the trucking invoice for a particular order is genuine.
11. The system of claim 10 , and further comprising a communications link between third-party vendors and the central computing system, allowing information and data related to commercial activities of dispatched trucks to be collected and stored by the central computing system for subsequent evaluation by the lender.
12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the collected information and data associated with a particular order is stored in an invoice audit file associated with that particular order.
13. The system as recited in claim 12 , wherein software resident in said central computing system encrypts the invoice audit file, such that the trucking company can not readily alter the collected information and data.
14. The method as recited in claim 13 , wherein the lender is provided with software to decrypt the invoice audit file.
15. A method for auditing a trucking invoice of a trucking company employing a central computing system for managing freight transportation operations, including processing orders and dispatching trucks in response to such orders, comprising the steps of:
generating an invoice audit file associated with a selected order;
using said central computing system to collect fuel purchase data from vendors during transport of a freight load for the selected order;
appending the fuel purchase data collected by said central computing system to the invoice audit file; and
providing a lender with access to the invoice audit file, such that the lender can evaluate the fuel purchase data to verify that the trucking invoice is genuine.
16. A method for auditing a trucking invoice of a trucking company employing a central computing system for managing freight transportation operations, including processing orders and dispatching trucks in response to such orders, comprising the steps of:
generating an invoice audit file associated with a selected order;
using said central computing system to collect data about elapsed times between events occurring during the movement of the truck;
appending the data collected by said central computing system to the invoice audit file; and
providing a lender with access to said invoice audit file, such that the lender can evaluate the data collected by said central computing system to verify that the trucking invoice is genuine.