- Created by Romina Blaser, last modified on May 17, 2024
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Electronic Transport Order File (hereinafter referred to as “ETOF”) - an electronic shipment record in FRED. Uploaded LC file is split by the system into single shipment records (ETOFs) according to the pre-defined rules, which are then pre-calculated according to Rate Agreements (hereinafter referred to as “RA”) in Freight Rate Exchange Database (hereinafter referred to as “FRED”).
Each ETOF has 5 tabs:
Overview - here you can find information about which carrier the ETOF belongs to, the LC number, whether the ETOF was marked as a duplicate, and other information.
The Order contains one or several order (LC) item(s), consolidated to this ETOF. In order to check shipment details – click on the number of order item #. In the open table, you can see all the available information for the particular shipment.
On the Pre-calculation, you can find shipment details, used for pre-calculation, calculated cost, extra costs and costs details, corresponding RA number.
On the Invoice Statement, you can find corresponding Invoice Statement Document (hereinafter referred to as “ISD”) items but only in case ETOF is mapped to ISD.
On the Match, users can see the comparison of the calculation based on the rates provided by shipper with the carrier prices, but only in case ETOF is mapped to ISD.
Main statuses are listed below:
Data status: | Comments |
Valid | All data provided for shipment is correct |
Not valid | Data provided for the shipment is incorrect, inconsistent, or missing. |
Unprocessed | Changes are made on ETOF and will be checked by TP FA |
ETOF status: | Comments |
Approved | An ETOF is included in Invoice Statement Document result (hereinafter referred to as “ISDR”) and waiting for further actions with the respective invoice: Final Invoice (hereinafter referred to as “FI”) approval, received Credit Note (hereinafter referred to as “CN”) approval (if it was requested), additional clarifications related to FI (including FI denial and further correction) |
Not approved | An ETOF is still under clarification or waiting for receptive ISD data |
Closed | An ETOF is closed in system (due to different reasons) and will not be included in any ISD |
Match status: | Comments |
Matched | Costs indicated on ETOF (pre-calculated by TP FA based on provided RA) comply with the costs provided by carrier in ISD. It will be approved within an agreed timeframe. |
Not matched | There is a discrepancy between pre-calculated by TP FA based on provided RA and cost provided by carrier. It can be overbilled on underbilled. In both cases it is checked by TP FA and clarified via Issue Resolution (hereinafter referred to as “IR”) tool |
Adjusted | Pre-calculated cost by TP FA or carrier`s cost is accepted |
Find the required shipment in FRED
Search ETOF - allows users to search for ETOFs in the FRED based on ETOF's number or available filters, including exact order tags. Each ETOF has its own unique number within one customer environment which always has the following structure. Letter E – comes as a first letter in ETOF. Then goes the year, month, and a day – this is the date when the record has been created on the FRED. Then we have 5 numeric digits, which are the serial number of the record on this date.
Respective ETOF can be found by the main reference number of the shipment. Please log into FRED, navigate to Orders located in the menu bar and follow Search ETOF in the dropdown list. Search for the required shipment using the order fields (for e.g DELIVERY_NUMBER, SHIPMENT_ID). Please mind adjusting the ETOF # field with the required period (e.g by leaving E2023 if you are looking for the ETOF created in 2023).
Users can also search shipments by data status, transport status, or search for ETOFs by a specific value. To do this, select the required parameter in the order fields drop-down list. For example, we can search for ETOFs by delivery number or shipment ID, by airports, countries of origin and destination, date, etc.
In order to find ETOF by delivery number, select the delivery number option and enter the necessary value in the corresponding field on the right.
Most frequently used filters during the ETOF search.
In order to find
NOT valid shipments in the FRED:
Select Search ETOF
Add Not valid mark in the block Data status:
Add Not approved mark in the block ETOF status: (to exclude closed data)
In order to find shipments in
Carrier Agreement Not Found (hereinafter referred to as CANF) status in the system:
Select Search ETOF
Add Valid mark in the block Data status:
Add CA not found mark in the block Calculation status:
Add Not approved mark in the block ETOF status: (to exclude closed data).
In order to find shipments in
Not matched status in the system:
Select Search ETOF
Add Valid mark in the block Data status:
Add Not matched mark in the block Match status:
Add Not approved mark in the block ETOF status: (to exclude closed data).
After the necessary filters are selected - click Search. In order to review ETOF click on its number, it is a hyperlink.
This function is available for shippers & carriers.
Invoice Statement Document (hereinafter referred to as “ISD”) – pre-invoice data file from carrier converted in Freight Rate Exchange Database (hereinafter referred to as “FRED”) system format or created internally by Transporeon Freight Audit (hereinafter referred to as “TP FA”) based on shipment/final invoice data which contains shipment data plus costs and charges requested by carrier for a particular shipment.
Each ISD has 4 tabs:
Overview - here you can find information about which carrier the ISD belongs to, invoice statement file details (file name, reference invoice number & amount, reception date transport period etc.), total cost description and currency, data status (valid or not valid), match status (matched or not matched), ISD status (in process, wait for invoice, invoice received, closed), approve status (not approved, approved, closed) and other information.
Invoice statement items contains all shipments provided in pre-invoice data file. In order to check separate shipment details – click on the number of invoice statement item #. In the open table, you can see all the available information for the particular shipment. Also, shipments can be split per defined search parameters: data status, match status, Electronic Transport Order File (hereinafter referred to as “ETOF”) mapping status, mapped to ETOF On hold, issue status.
On the Extra cost, you can find extra cost shipment(s) details (if applicable).
On the Invoice info allows to check the information about the invoice, related to this ISD: whether it was received and approved by TP FA or not and also information about Invoice Statement Document Result (hereinafter referred to as “ISDR”).
Find the required ISD in FRED
Search ISD - allows users to search for ISD in the FRED, based on ISD #, some dates, statuses, etc. Each ISD has its own unique number which always has the following structure. Letters ISD – defines the document. Then goes the year, month, and a day – this is the date when the document has been created on the FRED. Then we have 5 numeric digits, which are the serial number of the document on this date.
Respective ISD can be found by the main reference number of the shipment. Please log into FRED, navigate to the Invoices located in the menu bar and follow Search ISD in the dropdown list. Search for the required invoice statement document using the fields: ISD#, ISD comment, invoice#, reference invoice number, FID# (final invoice document - internal FRED identification of invoice), carrier etc. (can be selected separately). Please mind adjusting the ISD # field with the required period (e.g by leaving ISD2023 if you are looking for the ISD created in 2023 or ISD202301 if you are looking for the ISD created in January 2023).
Most useful filters during the ISD search
In order to filter out ISDs that is in processing, you need to select the boxes:
ISD status In process
approve status Not approved
In order to find ISDs for which an ISDR has already been created but an invoice has not yet been received, select the boxes:
ISD status Wait for invoice
approve status Approved
The same filters are used to find ISDs for which an invoice has been received but has not yet been approved.
To find ISDs for which an invoice has already been approved, select the boxes:
ISD status Invoice received
approve status Approved
After the necessary filters are selected - click Search. In order to review ISD, click on its number, it is a hyperlink.
This function is available for shippers and carriers.
This file contains all the necessary information for issuing a valid, errorless freight invoice. An ISDR includes invoice entity name, invoice entity address, Value Added Tax (hereinafter referred to as “VAT”) number of the invoice entity, total amount to invoice, currency, reference numbers, etc.
The ultimate purpose of an ISDR is to ensure that the carrier submits a 100% correct invoice.
Other goals of the ISDR are as follows:
● providing easy tracking of closed/non-closed billing periods;
● speeding up the payment process;
● decreasing the amount of incorrect final invoices and as a result the time spent for making corrections.
There are three ISDR statuses available in the Freight Rate Exchange Database (hereinafter referred to as “FRED”) system. Below you will find a detailed overview of each ISDR status:
In process status - an ISDR was created in the system, but not yet sent to the carrier/shipper due to open issues, additional clarifications, etc.
Wait for invoice status - an ISDR was sent to the carrier/shipper. A carrier must submit and provide an invoice according to the agreed procedure and requirements..
Invoice received status - an invoice for this particular ISDR was received, approved and sent to the shipper for payment. End of the audit process
If a carrier agrees with the ISDR data, an invoice should be issued immediately. If a carrier disagrees with the ISDR data (e.g. discrepancies were found), an Issue Resolution (hereinafter referred to as “IR”) process has to be initiated in the FRED system. Clarifications regarding incorrect, missing or excess costs, incorrect shipment data should all be settled via IR tool.
For more information on how to search for an ISDR please log in to FRED and navigate to the Documentation section located in the FRED top menu bar. Appendix_B_ISDR is available under User guides folder.
This function is available for shippers and carriers.
FID# (final invoice document number indicated in the “Search final invoice” tab in FRED) - a unique number applied for an internal FRED ID of invoice.
Status of invoice(-s) can be checked directly in the FRED system.
Main statuses are listed below:
FI status: | Comments |
Approved | An invoice has been approved and sent for payment; the audit process is over. |
Denied | An invoice was denied as it does not match some of the shipper’s requirements and a denial letter has been sent. Note: You can open the denial letter and check details, if available, by clicking respective icon |
In processing | An invoice has not been audited yet or invoice processing is blocked for some reason. Note: An invoice can remain in this status unless all pending issues to be resolved. |
Matched | An invoice has already been processed by Transporeon Freight Audit (hereinafter referred to as “TP FA”) and will be approved within an agreed timeframe. |
Mismatched | There are discrepancies in the Invoice Statement Document result (hereinafter referred to as “ISDR”) and a linked invoice. Note: A click on the “mismatched” icon will prompt FRED to show a comparative table item-by-item helping to find discrepancies in the ISDR and a respective invoice in the following categories: invoice entity, Value Added Tax (hereinafter referred to as “VAT”) number, total cost value, VAT value, currency, carrier name. |
Payment status: | Comments |
Funding requested | A notification about invoice approval is sent to shipper’s system. |
Funding confirmed | A confirmation from shipper’s side that invoice is booked for payment received by Transporeon Freight Audit. |
Funding Error | Shipper has rejected c Payable file (hereinafter referred to as “AP file”) for this invoice. Transporeon Freight Audit (hereinafter referred to as “TP FA”) is investigating the reason for it. |
Paid | Invoice is paid to carrier. |
A Credit Note (hereinafter referred to as “CN”) is an additional invoice with a negative amount issued by a carrier for a shipper in order to pay back the amount which was overbilled on the original invoice.
Credit Note request (hereinafter referred to as “CNR”) is a tool to request credit notes quickly and register them efficiently in FRED, thus providing a full visibility of the audited costs discrepancies.
Main statuses are listed below:
CN status: | Comments |
Credit note requested | A credit note request has been sent to a carrier due to an overbilled amount invoiced. |
Credit note received | A credit note has been received from a carrier and is subject to auditing by TP FA within an agreed timeframe. |
Credit note approved | A credit note has been approved and sent for payment to a shipper |
Note: Until all issues are resolved, the audit process cannot be finalized. Quick responses contribute to timely invoice approval and on-time payment.
Any inquiries regarding the status of payments made in accordance with the approved invoices should be sent directly to a shipper. Invoices in any other pending status, other than approved, are not sent for payment to a shipper.
Find the required FI in FRED
Search Final Invoice - allows to find invoices in the FRED in different audit and payment statuses.
Action filter allows users to select invoices that have been created, changed, approved, assigned, or a credit note for which has been requested by specific users of the FRED. Also, invoices can be filtered by fields carriers and invoice entity, payment status, and credit note status. Invoices can be found based on invoice #, receive date, invoice date, denial date, due date, approval date. To do this, set the period and click Search.
In the search result, users can see all invoices, registered in FRED. If an invoice was not found in FRED, it means that it was not received by TP FA for processing. Carrier should check if it was correctly sent to TP FA or re-sent it once more.
In this table, you can see all invoices and general information: invoice#, FID[1] # (final invoice document - internal FRED identification of invoice), invoice date, invoice amount, ISDR# (the number of the document in FRED which is used for checking invoice details), due date, and status.
Also, you can use the status of the invoice for the search. For more information on how to search for a FI please log in to FRED and navigate to the Documentation section located in the FRED top menu bar. “Appendix_C_Final Invoice” is available under User guides folder.
This function is available for shippers and carriers.
ECM purpose is to provide extra cost and/or spot price handling visibility and to speed up the process of charges settlement between a shipper and a carrier.
The ECM tool provides coverage of all costs which are treated as unpredictable and/or out of the rate-book (spot prices, if applicable) with full transparency, accessibility and proper visibility for both shipper and carrier.
There are two alternative, mutually exclusive approaches for ECR resolution:
Workflow | Comments |
Single-level workflow | Each ECR is reviewed and resolved by one authorized shipper user only. |
Multi-level workflow | Each ECR is reviewed and resolved by two authorized shipper users in order to facilitate delegation of authority and increase transparency. If such workflow is utilized shipper users are divided by approval levels, which may be defined based on ECR total amount (ECR approval limits): ● ECM operator (1st approval level) ● ECM manager (2nd approval level)
|
There are two types of ECRs available in FRED:
ECR type | Comments |
Regular ECR | A regular ECR is an extra cost and spot price (if applicable) request incorporated in the FRED’s ECM tool. A carrier requests an approval of any unforeseen extra costs and/or spot prices related to a particular shipment. |
Extended ECR (if applicable) | An extended ECR is an advanced extra cost and/or spot price request, which is usually used when the charges claimed appear after the original invoice has been issued/paid or in case of missing shipment data (the procedure may vary depending on the terms and conditions agreed with the shipper). This type of an ECR may require additional obligatory fields to be filled in (e.g. account number, service type, origin company name, destination company name and cities, etc.). The shipment data provided by carrier in the extended ECR is then used for auditing purposes. |
The main difference between regular and extended ECR is that a corresponding extra cost ISDR is automatically generated as soon as an extended ECR obtains Confirmed status.
The following ECR statuses are applicable:
Approval status
Approval status | Comments |
Waiting for approval | An ECR was submitted by a carrier and has not been reviewed by an authorized shipper user yet. |
Cancelled | An ECR was cancelled by carrier. Cancelled ECRs will not participate in further approval process. |
Approved | Shipper user responsible for ECR resolution (or, in case of multi-level workflow, for the 1st level of approval) agrees with all the charges and the shipment data provided in the ECR. |
Not approved | An ECR was not accepted by an authorized shipper user. carrier should carefully review the reason for negative response and create a new ECR if necessary. No additional actions from the shipper are required. |
Note: Additional status (Waiting for confirmation) was designed in order to facilitate ECR search for shipper users utilizing multi-level workflow. It allows finding the ECRs which are pending action from the second shipper responsible person.
Confirmation status
Confirmation status | Comments |
Not confirmed | An ECR has not been reviewed by a shipper user responsible for ECR resolution (or, in case of multi-level workflow, for the 2nd level of approval). |
Cancelled | An ECR was cancelled by carrier. Cancelled ECRs will not participate in further approval process. |
Confirmed | An ECR has not been reviewed by a shipper user responsible for ECR resolution (or, in case of multi-level workflow, for the 2nd level of approval). |
Rejected | An ECR was not accepted by an authorized shipper user. Carrier should carefully review the reason for negative response and create a new ECR if necessary. |
Expired | An ECR was accepted by shipper but not mapped to any particular shipment record for a certain period of time agreed with the shipper. An “Expired” ECR can no longer be included in the cost pre-calculation and must be resubmitted by the carrier according to the standard procedure. |
Note: In case of a single-level workflow an Approved ECR is assigned Confirmed status automatically and doesn’t require any additional actions from the shipper.
Note: In case shipper user responsible for ECR resolution (or, in case of multi-level workflow, for the 1st level of approval) decides not to accept the ECR (either not approves or rejects it), an ECR will be automatically assigned with Not approved approval status and Rejected confirmation status. While in case second approver in multi-level workflow decides to reject the ECR, it will have Approved approval status and Rejected confirmation status simultaneously. In both cases ECR will not be applied for calculation.
Mapping status
Mapping status | Comments |
Not mapped | An ECR is not linked to a particular shipment record (Electronic Transport Order File (hereinafter referred to as “ETOF”)) and not included into the shipment cost calculation. An ECR might be assigned such status in the following cases: ● if there is no ETOF for this particular shipment in FRED; ● the ECR was filled in incorrectly and cannot be linked to a corresponding ETOF in the database because of the shipment data inconsistency; ● late ECR submission |
Mapped | An ECR is linked to a corresponding ETOF and included into shipment cost calculation. |
Note: An ECR can also be mapped to an Extra cost Invoice Statement Document (hereinafter referred to as “ISD”) instead of ETOF if so agreed with the shipper.
There is instructional video on how to search for an ECR, how to accept/reject an ECR available in the Tutorials menu located in the FRED top menu bar and User Manual located in Documentation section in the FRED top menu bar. Appendix_F._ECM.pdf is available under User guides folder.
This function is available for shippers and carriers.
As an eligible party in IR you could be requested to answer issues. In case your input is needed to an issue, you will be notified by e-mail that there is an issue for you to respond to. Or you can log in FRED and If there are issues requiring your reply, you will see an issue notification in the upper right corner of the page. By clicking the issues hyperlink in the box, you will be redirected to the issue list containing the issues currently assigned to you.
To access the IR, view the question and eventually provide your response, click on the issue number in the issue list.
By default, the issue list contains the issues that require your response (filter: Assigned to me). To search for other issues, use the Quick search functionality or the filters that are available.
The IR status provides information on the progress of a particular issue. The following issue statuses are available:
Issue status: | Comments |
Open | The issue has been opened and is not resolved yet. The case has been resolved and TP FA can proceed with the audit process. |
Closed | The case has been resolved and TP FA can proceed with the audit process. |
Important: Closed issue status does not guarantee invoice approval and payment, it only means that the question raised during the audit process has been resolved
There is instructional video on how to participate in IT, available in the Tutorials menu located in the FRED top menu bar and “User Manual” located in Documentation section in the FRED top menu bar. Appendix_D._Issue_Resolution is available under User guides folder.
This function is available for shippers and carriers.
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