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Step 1.6 — EZ Loader Shipper Invoice Settings and Requirements

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Step 1.6 — EZ Loader Shipper Invoice Settings and Requirements

Phase: Phase 1 — New Shipper Onboarding Owner: Accounting Trigger: Billing configuration complete in EZ-Loader (Step 1.5 complete).

This is the single highest-leverage configuration in the entire Phase 1 onboarding process. Properly configured, it prevents the majority of documentation issues that cause chargebacks, rejections, and delayed payments.

🎯 Ideal State

Accounting configures invoice settings and requirements in the EZ-Loader Shipper profile. EZ Loader allows per-Shipper rules for what must be included in an invoice packet and what reference numbers must appear on the invoice — and EZ Loader enforces these automatically at batch invoicing time.

Required invoice document types: Select which document types must be uploaded to the load’s documents section before the load can enter the invoicing queue. EZ Loader blocks invoicing for loads missing required documents.

Common required document types:

  • Bill of Lading (BOL)
  • Proof of Delivery (POD)
  • Rate confirmation
  • Weight ticket
  • Lumper receipt
  • Temperature log (required for reefer/produce Shippers)
  • Inspection reports (for Produce-Blue-Book Shippers)

Required reference numbers: PO numbers, PRO numbers, delivery numbers, or any references the Shipper’s AP system needs. Configured as required fields per Shipper — EZ Loader blocks invoicing if missing. This eliminates the most common cause of invoice rejections and short-pays.

Invoice frequency / batch schedule: How often invoices are generated for this Shipper — daily, twice a week, weekly. EZ-Loader’s automated batch invoicing creates and sends invoices on this schedule without manual intervention, as long as loads pass the completeness check.

Forza-specific nuance — reefer/produce Shippers: For temperature-controlled freight, temperature logs should typically be a required document type. For produce Shippers, Produce-Blue-Book customs around delivery acceptance and claim documentation may warrant additional requirements (inspection reports, load temperature reports).

🤖 SYSTEM AUTOMATION

Configuration is human, one time per Shipper. Enforcement is fully automated by EZ-Loader at invoicing time — no memory required, no manual checking.

🛑 HARD GATE

No load should be invoiceable unless it passes the Shipper’s configured document and reference requirements. This gate, properly configured, prevents the majority of documentation issues that cause chargebacks, rejections, and delayed payments downstream.

📍 Current State

  • Invoice document requirements are NOT configured per Shipper in EZ-Loader or the legacy TMS.
  • Reference number requirements are NOT enforced per Shipper.
  • Batch invoicing scheduling is not configured — invoicing happens in QuickBooks-Online until EZ Loader → HaulPay integration exists.
  • Accounting manually verifies document completeness before submitting invoices to HaulPay, which introduces inconsistency and dependency on memory.
  • Shippers with specialized document requirements (original BOLs, portal submission, PO# required) are tracked in Accounting’s institutional knowledge but not in the system.

Who does this today: Accounting (manual checks instead of system enforcement).

🚧 Gap

  • The highest-leverage automation control in the entire workflow is not configured.
  • Invoice document requirements live in Accounting’s memory, not the system — at risk of being missed, and they do not scale.
  • Shipper-specific reference number requirements are not enforced.
  • No defined batch invoicing schedule per Shipper.

🛠️ Gap Closure Actions

  • Action 1 — Build Shipper-specific invoice requirements inventory: pull from intake forms (future) and institutional knowledge (current). List required document types and reference numbers per active Shipper. (Owner: Casey + Accounting | Effort: Medium)
  • Action 2 — Configure invoice document requirements and reference number requirements per Shipper in EZ-Loader (Owner: Accounting | Dependency: Inventory built + EZ Loader live | Effort: Medium)
  • Action 3 — Set batch invoicing schedule per Shipper in EZ-Loader (based on Shipper preference and volume) (Owner: Accounting | Dependency: EZ Loader → HaulPay integration live OR QBO bridge in use | Effort: Medium)
  • Action 4 — Document SOP: for every new Shipper, invoice requirements must be configured as part of Step 1.6 before reaching greenlight (Owner: Casey + Accounting | Effort: Low)
  • Action 5 — Add invoice requirements configuration check to greenlight checklist in Step-1.11-Greenlight-Declaration (Owner: Casey + Accounting | Dependency: SOP documented | Effort: Low)

Previous: Step-1.5-EZ-Loader-Shipper-Billing-Configuration | Next: Step-1.7-EZ-Loader-Shipper-Credit-Limit

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