NMFTA Debuts Freight Charges API Standard
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The ’s Digital LTL Council has to give shippers, carriers and third-party logistics providers real-time visibility into freight bill changes.
The Preliminary Freight Charges API Standard is designed to provide proactive notifications and real-time visibility into freight bill charges throughout the shipment process. Announced Aug. 14, the standard alerts stakeholders to potential billing discrepancies — including reweighs, reclassifications and accessorial fees — before final invoicing to help reduce disputes, improve payment accuracy and streamline billing operations.
The Digital LTL Council is a division of NMFTA’s Digital Standards Development Council focused on digitizing the less-than-truckload shipment life cycle from quote to cash. The road map includes seven operational APIs, covering functions from rate quotes to cargo claims, and two administrative APIs for document retrieval and carrier route guides.
“Our newest API Standard empowers shippers, carriers and third-party logistics providers to address billing issues proactively,” said Keith Peterson, staff liaison for the Digital Standards Development Council and vice president of operations for NMFTA. “By providing early visibility into potential charge adjustments, we can minimize surprises and foster trust among all parties involved.”
ICYMI: The Scheduling Standards Consortium (SSC) is now part of the Digital Standards Development Council ()™ Full Truckload Council. The Scheduling Standards API remains active—and is now part of a broader roadmap.
Explore what this means: — National Motor Freight Traffic Association (@NMFTA)
The PFC API addresses the need for timely communication of billing changes. Stakeholders that integrate the standard can receive immediate alerts about new or updated freight bills, track changes to charges and maintain accurate records for accounting purposes.
The council said this approach mirrors the rollout of the electronic bill of lading (eBOL) API Standard in 2022, which it says is now seeing rapid, industrywide adoption across the LTL sector.
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“API standards allow industry participants to build integrations once and use them across all partners, reducing redundancy and accelerating digital adoption,” said Kelly Koller, team lead for the PFC API Standard Development Workshop and product owner for Estes Express Lines.
Estes ranks No. 8 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America and No. 3 among LTL carriers.
“Real-time APIs enable carriers to communicate shipment and invoice exceptions as they happen, reducing costs and improving service for all parties,” said Brian Thompson, chairman of the Digital LTL Council and chief commercial officer for SMC3.
The Digital LTL Council will hold workshops and solicit feedback on implementation strategies. To learn more, visit www.nmfta.org.
Generative AI assisted in the creation of this article. At least two staff editors reviewed the copy before publication.
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