Guide

What is freight audit and payment?

Freight audit and payment means checking every carrier invoice against the rates you agreed in your tender or contract, then paying only what is actually owed. The audit finds overcharges, and the payment step makes sure only the corrected amount gets paid.

Try a sample audit Audit your own invoice

How it works

Collect the carrier invoice and the agreed rates (tender, rate card or contract).
Match each invoice line against its agreed rate: base freight, fuel, accessorials and totals.
Flag anything billed above the agreement, with the exact difference.
Dispute the flagged amounts with the carrier, with the evidence attached.
Pay or recover: pay the corrected amount, or get a credit note for invoices you've already paid.

Common freight billing errors

Base rate above tender
The linehaul or base freight is billed higher than the rate in your contract.
Unauthorised accessorials
Fees like detention, liftgate, tarp or chassis appear even though your agreement doesn't allow them.
Surcharges over their cap
Approved extras such as fuel or detention are billed above the agreed limit.
Duplicate charges
The same fee or the same shipment is billed twice, for example a delivery order fee charged on two lines.
Weight discrepancies
A reweigh fee or higher weight is billed without a calibrated scale certificate to back it up.
Wrong freight terms
Ocean freight is billed to you even though the bill of lading is marked 'Freight Prepaid'.

In-house, software or a gain-share service?

Checking invoices by hand works at low volumes. Once you have many carriers and surcharges, software or an audit service can check every line. SwiftLogiAudit works on gain share: we take 15% of the hard carrier credits actually recovered. If nothing is recovered, there's no fee. See pricing.

See it on a real-format invoice

The sample audit runs our engine on a road freight invoice and its tender, then shows every flagged line. The sample takes seconds and you don't need to upload anything.

Run the sample audit

Questions

What is freight audit and payment?

Freight audit and payment (often shortened to FAP) means checking each carrier invoice against the rates you agreed, then paying only the correct amount. The audit catches overcharges. The payment step makes sure the corrected amount is what leaves your account.

What is the difference between freight audit and freight payment?

The freight audit checks whether an invoice is right: rates, surcharges, weights and duplicates. Freight payment is the approval and settlement process that follows. Many companies already pay carriers through their own accounts payable team and only need the audit.

Is it worth auditing freight invoices?

Carrier invoices are usually long and arrive in high volumes, so small errors tend to get paid without anyone noticing. A line-by-line check against the tender is the only way to know. Running one or two recent invoices is a low-effort way to find out whether it's worth doing regularly.

Can freight invoices be audited after they are paid?

Yes. A post-payment audit reviews invoices that have already been settled and asks the carrier for a credit note for any proven overcharge. Pre-payment audit stops the error before money leaves.