Encounter Logistics cuts invoice time by 91% and scales without new hires
Broker Factoring from Truckstop Financial turned hours of paperwork into a five-minute process.
“Automation has completely changed how we work. Instead of just keeping the heart pumping, our team can focus on growing the business.”
– Justin Sowa, Chief Information Officer, Encounter Logistics
A racecar engine in a Pinto
Encounter Logistics started in 2009 brokering overflow freight for an asset carrier. By 2016, principal partners Donald Browning and Paul Burton took the business independent, building it around strong carrier relationships. Justin Sowa joined to modernize the company’s systems and workflows, and by 2024 the Hamilton, Ohio company had grown into a full 3PL, still built on close, personal relationships with the carriers it calls its lifeblood.
Growth exposed the limits of Encounter’s back-office. Every load meant scanning documents, combining files into PDFs, and re-entering data into their factoring provider’s system by hand, a process that ate up 2 to 3 hours per load and left plenty of room for error. Freight billing mistakes led to rejected invoices and rebilling, and carriers were paid by check, so lost or late payments were a common source of frustration.
We had a racecar engine in a Pinto.”
The business had the drive and the freight volume to grow fast, but the back-office running it was built for a much smaller operation. Encounter ran on Tai Software, but their previous factoring provider would not integrate with it. Looking for a recommendation, the team reached out to Tai Software and was introduced to Broker Factoring from Truckstop Financial. Within 10 days of signing, Encounter Logistics was fully up and running, a sharp contrast to the slow communication they had experienced before.
Lean operations without new hires
Broker Factoring integrates with Tai Software, and that combination has made a real difference in how Encounter runs its back-office. Factoring a load now takes less than five minutes, down from 2 to 3 hours, a 91% cut in the time it takes to get a load billed.
After reviewing invoice details in Tai, the team clicks factor, and the rest, including document checks, invoicing, and carrier payments, gets handled from there. That has cut down on errors and freed the team to spend more time on the work that matters.
By automating repetitive back-office tasks, Encounter avoided a 75% increase in staffing. Under their old system, they estimate they would have needed 20 employees to manage the same workload. Today, they run with five, and put the savings toward specialized roles like business development instead.
A QuickPay program that pays for itself
Broker Factoring also gave Encounter more flexibility in how its carriers get paid. When carriers onboard, they can choose from several QuickPay options that get them paid faster for a small fee. The fee covers the cost of factoring that load, so the arrangement pays for itself.
We set up our fee structure so when a carrier selects QuickPay, the fees cover our factoring cost. Anytime a carrier selects QuickPay, that load is essentially factored for free, plus we earn a little extra to cover other costs.”
Switching also modernized how carriers get paid at all. “Previously, all carriers were paid by check because our old factor could not send ACH payments. Now, almost all our carriers are set up for ACH payments, and they no longer have to worry about checks getting lost in the mail,” said Justin.
Financial stability and insights
Cash flow used to spike because their old factor only uploaded jobs once a week, which made it hard to plan for bills. With Broker Factoring, uploads happen daily, so cash flow stays consistent enough to put bills on autopay and build up a reserve fund.
Credit approvals sped up too. New customer requests now get approved within hours instead of the two-day wait they were used to under their previous provider. The platform also gives the team a clearer view of the business, with insights into DSO, customer payment trends, profitability, and monthly projections.
We don’t have cash flow spikes anymore, and we can see growth trends without running a bunch of math.”
The dashboard itself has become part of how the team plans ahead, not just a place to check numbers after the fact. “The benchmarking tools help us assess performance and guide decision-making,” said Justin.
A partnership built for growth
Broker Factoring turned a slow, manual process into one that runs in minutes. Encounter Logistics cut invoice time by 91%, avoided hiring 15 additional roles while scaling, and built a more consistent, predictable cash flow along the way. The company is now positioned to keep growing without adding the overhead that used to hold it back.
“Truckstop Financial is constantly adding new things, and we’re excited to continue our partnership,” said Justin.
Carriers and brokers looking to speed up back-office work and get paid faster can learn more about Broker Factoring from Truckstop Financial.
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