What is a freight bill audit and how much can you recover?
Last reviewed 2026-07-01
A freight bill audit is a review of your carrier invoices against your contracts and shipment records to find overcharges, duplicate bills, missed discounts, and late-delivery refunds. Shippers commonly recover 1% to 5% of transportation spend, per SupplyChainBrain and Transportation Insight, with the exact figure depending on carrier mix and how closely invoices are already checked.
- It compares the carrier invoice to your contracted rate and shipment record.
- Typical recovery is 1% to 5% of transportation spend (SupplyChainBrain, Transportation Insight).
- Accessorial overcharges and unclaimed refunds are the largest categories.
- Flat-fee auditing lets you keep 100% of what is found.
What gets checked
Contracted rates versus what was billed, duplicate invoices, accessorial charges like detention and fuel, guaranteed-service refunds on late deliveries, and discounts that should have applied.
How much is realistic
The 1% to 5% band is typical and is corroborated across multiple freight-audit sources. Where you land depends on how many carriers you use, how complex your accessorials are, and whether anyone is currently re-rating invoices against the contract.
Why it goes uncaught
Freight invoices are high in volume and tariffs are complex. Without someone re-rating every invoice against the contract, overcharges and unclaimed refunds pass through unnoticed.
Getting your number
A free review reconciles your last three months of invoices against your contracts and returns a documented figure you keep.
Common questions
How is a flat fee different from a contingency auditor?
Contingency auditors take a cut of every dollar recovered, so the more they find the more you pay. A flat fee is fixed, so you keep 100% of the recovery.
What do you need from me?
Read-only exports of your recent invoices and your carrier contracts. No system access required.
How long does a review take?
The free review covers your last three months and returns a documented number you keep.
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.
Get your free 3-month review