How do you audit freight invoices for overcharges?
Last reviewed 2026-07-01
Auditing freight invoices means re-rating each carrier invoice against your contracted rates and the shipment details, then flagging duplicates, wrong accessorials, missed discounts, and late-delivery refunds you are owed. You compare two sources: the carrier invoice, and your rate agreement plus shipment record.
- The two sources are the carrier invoice and your contract or shipment record.
- The biggest leaks are accessorial errors, duplicate bills, and unclaimed late-delivery refunds.
- Guaranteed-service refunds for late parcels often go unclaimed.
- Freight bill audits typically recover 1% to 5% of transportation spend (SupplyChainBrain, Transportation Insight).
What a freight bill audit checks
It re-rates each invoice against your contract and checks for duplicate bills, incorrect accessorials (detention, fuel, reweigh), guaranteed-service refunds on late deliveries, and negotiated discounts that were never applied.
The two-way match
Pull the invoices for the period, match each to the contracted rate and the shipment record, flag every variance, and document it for dispute. The carrier's own data is what makes the claim.
Where the money hides
Accessorials applied incorrectly, weight and dimension reweighs, the same shipment invoiced twice, and late deliveries that qualified for a refund but were never claimed. These recur across almost every shipper.
Flat fee versus contingency
Most freight auditors take a percentage of what they recover, so the more they find the more you pay. A flat fee is fixed, which means you keep 100% of the recovery.
Common questions
What is a freight bill audit?
A line-by-line check of carrier invoices against your contracted rates and shipment data to find and document overcharges and refunds you are owed.
How much can I recover?
Commonly 1% to 5% of transportation spend, per SupplyChainBrain and Transportation Insight, though it depends on carrier mix and how tightly your invoices are currently checked. A free review gives you your specific number.
Which carriers can you audit?
LTL, FTL, and parcel across all your carriers. Read-only invoice and contract exports are enough to start.
See your own number, free
A free three-month review reconciles your real data and shows you exactly what is recoverable. You keep the findings.
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