Pay special attention to prepaid freight charges on vendor invoices. While this isn't illegal, it is not a good business practice. Earning a nominal amount for their processing the bill and assuming the credit risk is okay, but some charge double what they pay. If excessive damage is occurring, the causes must be checked out. It may be the vendor's packaging or the carrier's handling.
Claims hurt everyone involved but especially hurt customer service by delays.
It may be necessary to change carriers or vendors if damage cannot be eliminated. Review all freight charges prior to payment. In addition to spotting opportunities for routing improvement, review will catch many rate errors. Challenge all bills that seem out of line before payment. In many cases, a lower cost was available and not billed.