Freight audit services that catch carrier billing errors
Before You Pay Them.
TLI’s auditing checks every carrier invoice against your contracted rates and shipment records across LTL, truckload, parcel, and intermodal freight. When we find rate misapplications, duplicate invoices, or unauthorized accessorial charges, we flag them and dispute them with the carrier before you pay.
33+
Years auditing invoices
3-8%
Typical billing error rate
$634,608
Audit Savings Recovered in 2023
What does freight audit mean?
Freight audit is the process of comparing carrier invoices against contracted rates, shipment records, and service agreements to identify billing errors, duplicate charges, and accessorial fees that were not agreed to before payment is made.
Industry data puts freight billing error rates between 3% and 8% of total invoices. Common errors include rate misapplication, duplicate billing, incorrect fuel surcharge percentages, and accessorial charges applied without a contractual basis. For a company spending $2 million per year on freight, that range represents $60,000 to $160,000 in potential overcharges annually.
TLI’s audit service runs as part of your managed freight program. Every invoice is reviewed before it reaches your accounts payable team. Your rate contracts are loaded into ViewPoint TMS, which flags discrepancies automatically. TLI’s team then disputes any errors directly with the carrier.
tLI’s Freight Audit Process, step by Step
TLI audits every shipment before payment goes out. Your rate contracts, carrier invoices, and shipment records all live in ViewPoint TMS, so there is no separate vendor to manage and no manual file uploads.
Rate Contract Loading
Your carrier contracts, tariffs, and negotiated rates are loaded into ViewPoint TMS. This is the baseline every invoice is checked against.
Invoice Receipt and Matching
Carrier invoices are received electronically and matched against the corresponding bill of lading, shipment record, and rate agreement.
Discrepancy flagging
ViewPoint identifies rate mismatches, duplicate invoices, unauthorized accessorials, and incorrect fuel surcharges before any invoice is approved for payment.
Carrier dispute and resolution
TLI disputes flagged charges directly with carriers, tracks the resolution, and releases payment only on verified invoices.
Recovery reporting
Your carrier contracts, tariffs, and negotiated rates are loaded into ViewPoint TMS. This is the baseline every invoice is checked against.
freight billing errors TLI Audits
Shippers auditing in-house without dedicated software miss these errors most often.
Duplicate Invoice Submitted
Same shipment billed twice under different invoice numbers or dates.
Incorrect Rate Applied
General tariff rate applied instead of your negotiated contract rate.
Fuel Surcharge Errors
Wrong FSC percentage applied, or applied to the wrong base rate.
Unauthorized Accessorials
Lift gate, residential, or detention fees billed without a contractual basis.
Weight and Class Disputes
LTL freight reclassified or reweighed by the carrier without proper documentation.
Freight Process Audits
A review of your freight bills to find where gaps in your operation are costing you money
See what a freight bill audit would recover for your operations
TLI will review your current freight spend, carrier invoice volume, and rate contracts. We will help identify where billing errors are most likely occurring and show you what recovery looks like under each service program. No cost, no obligation.
Review your freight invoices and carrier contracts
Identify common accessorials billed
Match you to the right TLI service program
30-minute freight consultation, no commitment
Request your free freight services review
Tell us about your freight program and we’ll get back to you within one business day.
Other services from TLI
Freight claims is one part of TLI’s managed freight program. See all TLI freight services to understand how our services work alongside each other.
Freight Claims
TLI files and disputes freight claims with carriers on your behalf.
TLI Advantage+
Standard carrier liability pays per pound, not per value. TLI Advantage+ simplifies finding freight insurance coverage
ViewPoint TMS
Freight bill data flows directly into ViewPoint so all your teams work from the same data.
Common Questions About Freight Audit
A freight bill audit and payment service combines invoice verification with payment processing. TLI audits carrier invoices before you approve them, disputes any errors directly with the carrier, and coordinates payment on your behalf. Your accounts payable team receives clean, reconciled invoice data.
Most shippers recover 3% to 8% of annual freight spend through consistent pre-payment auditing. The actual recovery depends on the number of carriers you use, invoice volume, and how many rates are under contract. For advanced services, TLI includes a recovery summary in every periodic business review.
Pre-payment freight audit catches billing errors before you pay the invoice. Post-payment audit finds errors after you have already paid, which means filing for refunds or credits from carriers.
Yes. Freight audit, freight bill audit, and freight invoice audit all refer to the same process: reviewing carrier invoices for accuracy before or after payment. The terms are used interchangeably across the industry.