FAQ

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 50 years of experience in the freight invoice, 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 B2B service providers for information technology, telecommunications, logistics, metals services, manufacturing and distribution. Since its founding in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity has completed more than 150 acquisitions with more than 40 billion in aggregate annual revenue at the time of acquisition.

DO YOU PROCESS INVOICES FOR ALL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION?

Yes. This includes motor carriers, parcel carriers, overnight couriers, rail, ocean, and heavyweight air carriers. We process invoices for both domestic and international shipments on a global scale.

DO YOU HAVE OPERATIONS IN EUROPE?

We have a full-service operation in The Netherlands to support our international customers in Europe and APAC. We have many years of experience in auditing invoices and handling VAT. With multilingual staff familiar with local customs, we can produce reports in virtually any language and make payments in any currency. Contact our European Headquarters.

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. Either you or we can make payments. If we make the payment, we:

• Separate client funds from our company's operating cash
• Hold client funds with major financial institutions
• Maintain a $50 million Employee Dishonesty Bond
• Pay carriers on time, in accordance with our service agreement
• Provide payment via check or ACH in agreement with our client's scheduled cycle.
• Return voluntary carrier refunds to our clients
• Encourage clients to audit our processes

Data2Logistics undergoes annual SSAE 16 and ISAE 3402 reviews, which are audited on an annual basis by Ernst & Young.

HOW OFTEN ARE INVOICES PAID?

Regular payments to carriers are made on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. In addition, for those carriers, we can make arrangements where necessary (i.e. customhouse brokers, etc.) for expedited processing. Payments can also be made in virtually any foreign currency via wire transfer.

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 you prior to the scheduled payment cycle of the dollar amount to be processed.

HOW AM I NOTIFIED OF FUNDING REQUESTS?

Most companies are notified by email on a schedule the user and Data2Logistics have agreed on. We provide the information you need to fund your carrier payments in your preferred format.

HOW DO YOU SUPPORT CARRIER INQUIRIES?

Data2Logistics responds to carrier inquiries via phone, email or access to our website, where they can quickly look up the status of an invoice.  We provide your carriers with the check number, date issued, and the address that the check was mailed to, and can also advise if the check was cashed. We identify the reason an invoice was adjusted or if payment is denied due to duplicate invoices. If a freight invoice is in process, our system indicates the work station the invoice is in. We provide the name, telephone number and email address of your Account Coordinator, should a carrier need to get in touch with a question about an invoice. We allow carriers to forecast their cash flow from our site. Carriers can also submit an Excel spreadsheet of pro- or air-invoice numbers and receive an email indicating the status of invoices listed.

ARE ALL FREIGHT INVOICES PRE-AUDITED OR IS THE AUDIT DONE ON A SAMPLE BASIS?

Data2Logistics performs an audit on ALL freight invoices before payment. In fact, we encourage clients to have another firm perform a periodic post-audit to confirm the quality of Data2Logistics' audit. Our goal is to pay each freight invoice right the first time it is presented.

ARE THE FREIGHT INVOICES PRE-AUDITED BY AN AUTOMATED PROGRAM OR ON A MANUAL BASIS?

To perform the quality audit our clients deserve, we rely primarily on an automated rating system. When rate errors are identified, they are passed to an audit professional to determine the amount to be paid.

DO YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO ACCEPT AND PRE-RATE SHIPPING DATA (BILLS OF LADING)?

Yes. If you have automated shipping data available, we can electronically match the bills of lading transaction to the carrier's freight invoice. This procedure also allows us to supply you with an accurate accrual of transportation expenses.

DO YOU AUDIT PARCEL AND AIR COURIER SHIPMENTS FOR SERVICE FAILURES?

Yes, Data2Logistics can verify if service levels have been met based on each shipment’s delivery information.  If your contract allows it, Data2Logistics will submit a claim on all unmet service levels net of excusable delays. We will pay the carriers net using our round-trip process for clients whose contracts allow net payments.

HOW WILL YOUR SYSTEM PREVENT DUPLICATE PAYMENTS?

In addition to screening against a carrier's pro number for 24 months, our 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 invoices. For example, if a carrier's pro number is three alphas and six numeric characters, any variation is flagged for clarification. In addition, wherever possible, Data2Logistics will use another unique number (i.e. invoice of lading number or shipper's receiving reference number) to prevent a duplicate item from being processed.

CAN YOU HANDLE EDI TRANSACTIONS?

Yes, we handle EDI transactions and can accept them in multiple formats.

WILL USING EDI SAVE ME MONEY?

Quite a bit. EDI processing fees are at least 50 percent lower than manual processing.

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:

• Carrier notifications and test data exchange(s)
• Automating account coding
• Integrating EDI data into your process flow
• Providing carriers with ANSI standard 997 functional acknowledgements

CAN I INTERFACE WITH DATA2LOGISTICS VIA THE INTERNET?

Yes, just Log On at our client gateway.

WHAT WEB-BASED SERVICES DO YOU OFFER?

• Access to invoice processing status, including date processed; check date; check number; invoiced amount, paid amount, ship date, freight invoice status; reason for adjustment; or reason for non-payment on rejected invoices.
• Transportation database access for reporting and data mining
• Data transfers
• Review and repair of rejected invoices electronically
• Access to document images for rejects via the Internet
• Vendor routing guides
• Carrier contract images

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET UP AND RUNNING ON YOUR PROGRAM?

Implementation typically takes 90 to 120 days.

WHAT IS THE IMPLEMENTATION PROCEDURE?

We absorb 87% of the implementation effort. Our goal is not to replicate your current process, but to create efficiency and process improvement with our best practices. After completing a current state assessment, we develop a SOW that defines the process and the deliverable's and obtain both parties approval.  After development is completed, we perform end-to-end tests.

WHAT ABOUT CONFIDENTIALITY?

All aspects of our relationship with you are handled on a confidential basis and we sign non-disclosure agreements with you.

HOW FLEXIBLE IS YOUR REPORT CREATION SYSTEM?

Our database is capable of quickly and easily generating reports. This flexibility also enables us to create special reports for you on an as-needed basis.

CAN DIFFERENT DIVISIONS AND LOCATIONS GET REPORTS DESIGNED TO MEET THEIR NEEDS?

Yes. We can provide data to meet the individual reporting and account allocation needs of all your business divisions and locations.

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 data-mining capabilities on a company-wide scope. These reports include carrier utilization, miles, average cost, average shipment, size, service type, mode, costs centers, origin and destination information, etc.

CAN YOU CREATE SPECIAL REPORTS AS REQUESTED?

Yes.

DO YOU OFFER REPORT-WRITING SOFTWARE TO ENABLE US TO RUN OUR OWN REPORTS?

Data2Inform℠ offers alternative solutions for standard reports, ad-hoc queries and report management. It provides two levels of database access. 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. Data2InformSM is a user-friendly and intuitive web-based tool that empowers you to report on virtually any data element for any market and gather information for corporate-wide analysis. Functionality includes the ability to:

• Filter reports on any data element
• Establish grouping levels
• Drill down on data elements
• Sort results in ascending or descending order
• Perform all mathematical functions including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, percentages, and sum, resulting in the creation of new fields
• Create charts and graphs
• Report in multiple languages
• Standardize currencies for global shipping

HOW DO YOU ACCOUNT-CODE MY INVOICES?

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 for freight invoices with a rules-based process using of multiple data elements.

CAN ACCOUNTING INFORMATION BE SENT TO ME ELECTRONICALLY?

We can transfer electronic files directly into your general ledger to meet requirements for SAP, PeopleSoft, J.D. Edwards or any other system that our clients have in place. Our IT staff will map data in the format your system requires.

DO YOU AUDIT RAIL CAR MILEAGES?

We provide the following services:

• Mileage audit and recovery of under-allowed revenue
• Liability Risk Management for excess empty mileage and carrier overpayment
• Complete railcar property tax management service
• Mileage revenue analysis and consulting to support zero or mileage contract negotiations

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.

DO YOU OFFER DOCUMENT IMAGING?

Data2Logistics provides you with images of their freight invoices and associated documents. All documents are indexed and are accessible on our Web site for 24 months. By clicking the Get Image Button on select Data2InformSM reports and uploading paper invoices for our On-Line exceptions tool, you can also access images of freight invoices and associated documents. They can also be delivered in electronic format for search and archival.

DO YOU IDENTIFY MAVERICK SPENDING?

We can load your 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. We use the same process for outbound shipments to identify when your business units are not using authorized carriers.

CAN YOU IDENTIFY OPTIMAL CARRIER SELECTION?

Clients enter basic shipment characteristics and our Web site will return the cost, fuel, and accessorial charges and miles for carriers that service the selected lane. Carriers are displayed in ascending order based on costs.

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY FREIGHT RATES ARE COMPETITIVE?

We provide you with a comprehensive outsourcing option, with complete support for bid preparation and analysis. You make the final selection of the carrier. We also make recommendations to help you 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 your locations for contract compliance.