Scaling Freight Operations With Confidence

A 4-Year Growth Story

Overview

Achieving Cost Reduction and Operational Excellence

Since 2009, ITS Traffic Systems, Inc. has served as a trusted freight audit and payment partner to a leading U.S. manufacturer of composite building materials. Between 2021 and 2025, the relationship evolved into a strategic alliance that supported rapid expansion, carrier diversification, and measurable cost savings, all while improving freight billing accuracy and operational efficiency.

Growth Snapshot: 2021 - 2025

Scaling Distribution, Expanding Carrier Networks, and Automating Freight Audits

Distribution Sites: Expanded from 3 to 8 locations
Carrier Network: Grew from 3 to 17 active freight partners
ITS’s Role: Scaled freight audit systems, billing workflows, and visibility tools to match growth

Some major pain points for expanding logistics operations include establishing relationships with carriers operating in the desired expansion locations, updating systems and checks to account for the new locations ensuring continued accuracy and proper GL application, and making sure the increased workflow does not exceed resource capacities that would create bottlenecks and burnout. Working in parallel with our customer, we outlined and game planned each step of the process. The goal is for the process to be as smooth as possible and having a partner like ITS working in unison with the teams’ efforts adds another layer of support and accountability.

Addressing these, along with other, pain points during the brainstorming and planning process allows everyone to be on the same page. Through our own internal and external industry research, ITS provides expert consultation regarding high-performing carriers. Our onboarding and IT teams work diligently to ensure complete accuracy in GL and business unit applications for all new locations. They also provide seamless reporting metrics for the freight originating from each site.

Volume is also completely mitigated by ITS’s dedicated teams that can handle the increased volume of shipments and documentation without burning a hole in the customer’s budget.

As the manufacturer scaled operations, ITS ensured freight billing remained accurate, transparent, and efficient, even during periods of rapid change. This long-term partnership exemplifies how freight audit automation and centralized billing systems can support sustainable growth.

Return On Investment

Control Freight Spend And Build Stronger Carrier Network Relationships

Over the past five years, the customer has consistently achieved a positive ROI on ITS services. On average, for every $1 spent with ITS, the customer has saved or protected approximately $22 in freight overspend. This reflects the long-term value of proactive freight audits, streamlined billing, and scalable support that ITS continues to provide.

To recap, ITS provided our partner with:

Positive ROI, savings the customer on average $22 per dollar spent with ITS
Custom portal access for each carrier and business unit
Automated invoice intake via EDI (99% coverage)
Rule-based freight audits tailored to customer-specific terms and tariffs
Real-time visibility into invoice status, payment timelines, and exceptions
Seamless onboarding for new carriers and distribution sites

This allowed the manufacturer to scale without disruption, maintain control over freight spend, and build stronger relationships with their carrier network. We work hand and hand with their team to get the process to the highest possible standards of accuracy and efficiency.

Results: Operational Efficiency And Financial Impact

Accuracy, Optimization And Performance

Freight Audit Accuracy, Freight Overspend Prevention And Freight Risk Reduction

Through the expansion, ITS’s audit engine flagged on average 14% of invoices for manual review. Our experienced audit team reviews bills not just to confirm discrepancies or catch duplicate charges, but to uncover and correct systemic invoicing issues from carriers. These included misapplied accessorial fees, incorrect rate applications, and inconsistent billing information from the carriers that previously led to delays and disputes.

By integrating directly into the customer’s freight billing workflow, ITS has:

Corrected poor invoicing practices across a growing network of 17 carriers, reducing invoices flagged for manual audit from 16% in 2021 to 12% in 2025.
Standardized invoice intake, reducing exceptions and manual intervention
Improved data quality, enabling faster approvals and cleaner remittance
Reduced the margin of financial risk, ensuring that no invoice is paid without proper validation

This proactive approach doesn’t just prevent overspend, it strengthens the customer’s entire freight finance process. ITS acts as a safeguard, ensuring that every dollar spent on transportation is accurate, justified, and aligned with contractual terms.

Billing Cycle Optimization

Despite the customer’s growth, ITS helped improve the invoice-to-payment cycle:

2022: Average carrier payment cycle was 27 days
2025: Reduced to 20 days, a 26% improvement

This acceleration improved carrier satisfaction and cash flow alignment — a key achievement during a period of operational expansion.

On-Time Invoicing Performance

ITS maintained 100% on-time invoicing to the customer in both 2024 and 2025, ensuring predictable financial workflows and eliminating delays in internal processing.

“We’ve seen companies scale quickly, only to run into trouble because their systems couldn’t keep up. Freight billing is one of those areas that can quietly erode margins if it’s not tightly managed. What starts as a small issue before growth can become a major financial drain as volume increases.”

-Evan Baschko, President & CEO of ITS Traffic Systems, Inc.

Why It Matters

This case isn’t just about freight billing, it’s about partnership. ITS helped a growing manufacturer scale confidently, reduce transportation cost overspend, and build a freight network that works for their business, not against it.