Freight audit
Freight: where the money leaks
Freight invoices leak through the lines after the linehaul: fuel surcharges that don’t match the carrier’s own table, accessorials for services nobody asked for, reweigh and re-class corrections, dimensional-weight charges caused by the box, and lines billed twice. A freight audit reads invoices against your pricing agreement, the carrier’s fuel table and your shipment records.
Freight is usually managed for service, not invoices. Once a carrier is performing, its bills get paid in batches, and the accessorial and fuel lines grow quietly.
Where does the money leak?
- 1
Fuel surcharge above the table
Most carrier fuel tables step up with the weekly U.S. average on-highway diesel price published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. A surcharge should be the table’s percentage at the right week’s price, applied to the right base.
Ask: Which week’s EIA price and which table produced this percentage?
- 2
Accessorials
Liftgate, residential, inside delivery, limited access, appointment and notify charges depend on what the shipment needed. Docks that don’t need a liftgate get billed for one; business addresses get flagged residential.
Ask: Was this service requested on the bill of lading?
- 3
Reweighs and re-class
LTL carriers inspect shipments and correct the weight or class you declared. Since NMFC Docket 2025-1 took effect on July 19, 2025, many items are classed by density, so the dimensions you record decide the class.
Ask: Send the inspection certificate, with photos and measured dimensions.
- 4
Dimensional weight
Parcel carriers bill the greater of actual and dimensional weight. An oversized box raises the billable weight of every parcel shipped in it. This is a packaging problem that shows up on the freight bill.
Ask: What dimensions did the carrier record for these packages?
- 5
Discounts not applied
A pricing agreement sets discounts, minimum charges and accessorial waivers. When a rate file isn’t updated, invoices fall back to standard pricing.
Ask: Which tariff and discount were applied to this shipment?
- 6
Duplicates and redeliveries
The same shipment billed twice, or a redelivery charged because appointment details were missing, are easy to pay in a batch.
Ask: Are these two charges for separate shipments?
What does the audit check?
- Fuel percentages against the carrier’s table and the EIA weekly price for the billing week
- Whether fuel is applied to accessorials as well as linehaul, and whether the agreement allows that
- Each accessorial against the bill of lading and your dock profile
- Reweigh and re-class corrections against your recorded weights and dimensions
- Dimensional-weight charges against the boxes you use
- Discounts and minimums against the pricing agreement
- Duplicate pro numbers or tracking numbers
What data is needed?
| Send | Why |
|---|---|
| 3 to 12 months of carrier invoices (parcel and LTL) | Patterns in accessorials and corrections only show across months. |
| Pricing agreements and the fuel table for each carrier | The basis every line is checked against. |
| Shipment data: weights, dimensions, bills of lading | Your record against the carrier’s correction. |
No system access is needed. PDFs or spreadsheet exports are fine. The site doesn’t take uploads; documents are arranged after the reply to your request.
Questions buyers ask
How is an LTL fuel surcharge calculated?
Usually from a table in the carrier’s tariff or your agreement: a percentage for each band of the weekly U.S. average diesel price published by the EIA. Find the week the table uses, read the band and compare it with the percentage billed.
What is a reweigh charge?
A correction after the carrier weighs or measures your shipment and finds a different weight or class than declared. Ask for the inspection certificate and photos; compare them with your own records before accepting it.
Does freight audit include parcel?
It can. Parcel invoices carry dimensional weight, address corrections, residential and delivery-area surcharges. The same method applies: each line against the agreement and your shipment data.