RR-13 RR-13-02-02 — Freight Billing and Collections
This process involves the billing and collection of freight revenue for a US Class I freight railroad, focusing on ensuring accurate and timely financial transactions while adhering to regulatory requirements.
🗺 BPMN Process Flow
Click diagram to zoom & pan • Scroll to zoom • Drag to pan • Download SVG
📋 Process Attributes
| Process ID | RR-13-02-02 |
|---|---|
| Domain Family | COMMERCIAL |
| L1 Domain | Finance, Revenue Accounting & Procurement |
| L2 Process Group | Freight Billing and Collections |
| Trigger | Completion of a train's journey and unloading at a destination terminal |
| Outcome | Successful completion produces accurate freight bills, collections, and updated accounting records. |
| Systems | NetControl Umler TRAIN II Fuel surcharge program up.com portal |
| Regulatory Hooks | 49 CFR Part 232 GCOR |
📋 L4 Process Steps
| Step | Name | Role | System | Input | Output | KPI | Pain Point / Risk | Decision? | Exception? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Train Arrival Notification | Train Dispatcher | NetControl | Train arrival data from NetControl | Arrival confirmation to terminal staff | Train arrival notification within 5 minutes of actual arrival | Delayed train arrivals affecting billing timelines | N | N |
| 1.2 | Freight Car Inventory Update | Yardmaster | Umler | Train arrival data from NetControl | Updated freight car inventory in Umler | Inventory update completed within 10 minutes of train arrival | Missing or incorrect car data leading to billing errors | N | Y |
| 1.3 | Freight Bill Generation | Revenue Accountant | TRAIN II | Updated freight car inventory from Umler | Generated freight bill | Freight bills generated within 24 hours of train arrival | Incorrect rate or quantity data causing billing discrepancies | Y | Y |
| 1.4 | Fuel Surcharge Calculation | Cost Analyst (regulatory costing) | Fuel surcharge program | Freight bill from TRAIN II | Updated freight bill with fuel surcharge | Fuel surcharge calculation accuracy rate above 95% | Inaccurate fuel data affecting revenue | Y | N |
| 1.5 | Freight Bill Review | Revenue Accountant | TRAIN II | Updated freight bill with fuel surcharge | Reviewed and approved freight bill | Bill review completion within 48 hours of generation | Missed deadlines leading to late payments | Y | Y |
| 1.6 | Freight Bill Dispatch | Revenue Accountant | NetControl | Approved freight bill from TRAIN II | Dispatched freight bill to customer via up.com portal | Bill dispatch accuracy rate above 98% | Incorrect customer information causing delivery delays | N | Y |
| 1.7 | Payment Collection | Revenue Accountant | up.com portal | Freight bill dispatched to customer | Received payment from customer | Payment collection rate above 90% within 30 days of dispatch | High delinquency rates affecting cash flow | Y | Y |
| 1.8 | Revenue Accounting Update | Revenue Accountant | TRAIN II | Received payment from customer | Updated revenue accounting records in TRAIN II | Accounting update accuracy rate above 95% | Inaccurate data entry causing financial discrepancies | N | Y |
| 1.9 | Interline Settlement | Revenue Accountant | Interline Settlement System (ISS) | Freight bill and payment data from TRAIN II | Completed interline settlement with partner railroad | Interline settlement accuracy rate above 98% | Settlement disputes affecting revenue sharing | Y | N |
| 1.10 | Audit and Compliance Review | Cost Analyst (regulatory costing) | TRAIN II | All billing and payment data from TRAIN II | Compliance report to regulatory authorities | Compliance review accuracy rate above 95% | Non-compliance leading to fines or penalties | Y | N |
| 1.11 | Exception Handling | Revenue Accountant | TRAIN II | Identified exceptions from previous steps | Resolved exception and updated records in TRAIN II | Exception resolution rate above 90% | Unresolved exceptions causing financial loss | Y | Y |
| 1.12 | Reporting and Analysis | Revenue Accountant | TRAIN II | All billing, payment, and exception data from TRAIN II | Financial report for management review | Report generation accuracy rate above 95% | Inaccurate reporting leading to poor decision-making | N | Y |
📊 KPIs & Risk Register
KPIs
Train arrival notification within 5 minutes of actual arrival Inventory update completed within 10 minutes of train arrival Freight bills generated within 24 hours of train arrival Fuel surcharge calculation accuracy rate above 95% Bill review completion within 48 hours of generation Bill dispatch accuracy rate above 98% Payment collection rate above 90% within 30 days of dispatch Accounting update accuracy rate above 95% Interline settlement accuracy rate above 98% Compliance review accuracy rate above 95% Exception resolution rate above 90% Report generation accuracy rate above 95%
Key Risks
Delayed train arrivals affecting billing timelines Missing or incorrect car data leading to billing errors Incorrect rate or quantity data causing billing discrepancies Inaccurate fuel data affecting revenue Missed deadlines leading to late payments Incorrect customer information causing delivery delays High delinquency rates affecting cash flow Inaccurate data entry causing financial discrepancies Settlement disputes affecting revenue sharing Non-compliance leading to fines or penalties Unresolved exceptions causing financial loss Inaccurate reporting leading to poor decision-making
Swim Lanes
Train Dispatcher · 1.1 Yardmaster · 1.2 Revenue Accountant · 1.3, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12 Cost Analyst (regulatory costing) · 1.4, 1.9