Manifest 2025, held in Las Vegas from February 10-12, is the world's largest supply chain and logistics technology event. During one notable session, Blake Tablak, CEO of Trax Technologies, and Jason Westigard, Chief Product Officer, discussed what they called "the death of freight audit." With refreshing honesty, they explained how their company is purposefully disrupting its own business model through artificial intelligence – a strategic decision to compete with themselves before others do.
The presentation opened with Tablak sharing a text exchange with his brother about speaking on freight invoices at a major tech conference. While his brother doubted anyone would stay awake for a talk about invoices, the engaged audience proved that in 2025, even the most routine aspects of logistics are changing through technology. This shift marks an important change in how businesses handle transportation spend management and data analytics.
Freight Audit: Stuck in Time
The freight audit industry's technology, as Tablak explained, has barely changed since the 1960s. When EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) appeared during the era of Jimi Hendrix, it set a standard that remains largely unchanged. The 1990s introduced PDFs, which became common but didn't improve efficiency. Even as APIs emerged as powerful integration tools, the industry kept using older systems and methods.
This resistance to change has created several ongoing problems in 2025:
- Market volatility that continues without pause
- Poor data quality from carriers, leading to processing errors
- Deep-rooted attachment to old technology
- Rising costs alongside stricter compliance rules
- Manual processing methods still dominating the field
- Overwhelming amounts of unused data that, as one customer put it, ends up "stored in a closet" because no one knows how to use it
- Competitive Landscape Analysis
The freight audit market in 2025 presents several challenges for businesses seeking solutions. Tablak pointed out three main types of providers, each with significant drawbacks.
- Banks offer payment processing but have an inherent conflict of interest – they profit from the float on payments.
- Traditional service providers still rely heavily on manual processes, limiting their ability to provide useful data for decision-making.
- Data providers send information, but often in formats that prove unusable for practical business decisions.
This fragmented market leaves many companies struggling to answer basic questions about their transportation spend. As Tablak noted, one customer admitted to receiving regular data reports that ended up forgotten in storage because they couldn't extract meaningful insights from them. The gap between having data and using it effectively remains a major hurdle for most businesses.
Trax's AI-Driven Solutions
Jason Westigard demonstrated how Trax is using artificial intelligence to solve these long-standing industry problems. Their system now processes various document types, including PDFs and handwritten invoices in multiple languages. Unlike the common "AI button" additions seen in many applications, Trax's implementation focuses on practical outcomes.
Key features of their AI system include:
- Immediate carrier onboarding without waiting for EDI setup
- Automatic extraction of data from any invoice format
- Built-in translation capabilities for international documents
- A human-in-the-loop process that continuously improves accuracy
- Pattern recognition for identifying common errors
- Real-time processing of hundreds of shipments within single documents
The system's ability to handle complex documents on day one marks a significant departure from traditional approaches that require weeks or months of setup time. As Westigard explained, "We don't have to create a model, we don't have to create a map. That carrier can be onboarded. If they want to do EDI in the future, they can do that. But we'll get them started with paper right away."
Machine Learning Patterns in Practice
Trax's machine learning algorithms find meaningful patterns in freight audit data, going beyond simple error detection. The system spots issues that affect multiple invoices and suggests solutions automatically. For example, during the demo, Westigard showed how the system identified a data quality problem affecting 22% of invoices from one carrier. Instead of just flagging the error, the AI provided specific actions to fix it and calculated the financial impact of these corrections.
This pattern recognition extends to:
- Common billing mistakes across carriers
- Repeated address or routing errors
- Systematic pricing discrepancies
- Duplicate charge patterns
- Missing or incorrect accessorial fees
- Compliance issues across different regions
Predictive Analytics and AI Simulations
One of the most advanced features Westigard demonstrated was the system's ability to run constant background analyses. Unlike traditional software that sits idle between user interactions, Trax's platform continuously processes data to create useful predictions and simulations.
The system offers three distinct views for spend analysis:
- Historical data trends
- AI-generated predictions
- User-adjusted scenarios
Users can modify variables, including:
- Volume forecasts
- Mode allocation changes
- Expected rate fluctuations
- Market condition impacts
- Carrier mix adjustments
- Regional distribution patterns
These simulations help companies plan for future costs and make informed decisions about carrier negotiations, mode selection, and network design. As Westigard explained, "Instead of sitting idle when someone's not using the software, we're constantly running data simulations that are available for the user to look at."
Business Impact and Benefits
Real changes come from Trax's approach to freight audit. Companies no longer wait weeks to start processing invoices from new carriers. The instant onboarding system means businesses can handle any invoice format from day one while keeping the option open for carriers to switch to EDI later.
The financial effects are clear:
- Faster carrier payments due to automated processing
- Fewer errors in invoice handling
- Better cash flow management
- Reduced manual processing costs
- More accurate accruals
- Clear visibility into spending patterns
As Tablak emphasized, this means logistics professionals can finally answer critical questions from their CFOs and Supply Chain leaders with confidence rather than asking for time to compile data manually.
The Future of Freight Audit with AI
Tablak closed the presentation by highlighting Trax's position as what he believes is the only truly digital freight audit company handling "all lanes, all modes, all currencies, all countries." With over two decades of experience, Trax continues to push industry changes by competing with itself before others do.
About Trax: Founded over 25 years ago, Trax has maintained its position as a leader in transportation spend management by consistently adopting new technology. Their platform now processes freight audit data for some of the world's largest companies. Unlike traditional providers that still rely on manual processes or banks that focus on payment processing, Trax combines technical capability with practical industry knowledge.
The Manifest 2025 presentation proved Tablak's brother wrong about freight invoices being boring. The audience stayed engaged throughout, showing how essential these changes are to modern supply chain management. As companies deal with increasing complexity in global logistics, Trax's AI-powered approach offers a clear path forward for managing transportation spend effectively.
The fact that no one fell asleep during a presentation about freight invoices at a major tech conference suggests that the industry is finally ready for significant change. As Tablak concluded, without needing to take that dreaded "sleeping audience selfie," even the most technical aspects of logistics can capture attention when they solve real business problems.