Your carriers overbilled you.
We get it back.
You pay nothing unless we do. Free audit of your last 12 months of ocean, demurrage, detention, chassis, surcharge and drayage invoices. You keep 65% of every dollar recovered.
FreightAudit Pilot is a contingency-fee freight invoice audit for the companies nobody audits.
We read every line of every ocean, demurrage, detention, chassis, surcharge and drayage invoice against your contracts, the carrier’s tariff and the FMC billing rules. We dispute what fails, in your name, and invoice 35% only after the refund lands with you. Not a forwarder, not a customs broker, not a law firm; we never hold your funds.
How it worksThree steps. Under two hours of your time.
- 1
Send us your invoices
Forward the last 12 months of ocean, drayage, D&D and chassis invoices as PDFs or a carrier portal export. No system integration, no IT project.
- 2
We audit in 5 business days
Our AI-powered engine checks every line against your contracts, carrier tariffs, free-time clocks, FMC billing rules and duplicate-billing patterns. A human reviews every finding.
- 3
We dispute & recover. You keep 65%.
We submit the disputes in your name with your written authorization, follow them through the carrier's process and escalate to the FMC where warranted. Our 35% fee is invoiced only after the refund or credit lands with you.
Every charge on every invoice, not just the big ones.
Enterprise auditors sample. We check every line, because for a company shipping 200 containers a year one bad demurrage bill is real money.
Ocean freight invoices
Rate vs. contract or quote, wrong container size/type, wrong lane, currency and rounding errors.
Demurrage & detention
Free-time miscounts, clock started before availability, charges during terminal closures or when no return appointment existed.
Per diem & chassis
Days billed after empty return, pool vs. carrier chassis confusion, split-billing double counts.
Surcharges
BAF, PSS, congestion, emergency and GRI applied outside their effective dates or to contracted cargo.
Duplicate billing
The same container, B/L or accessorial billed twice across carrier, NVOCC and trucker invoices.
Drayage & LTL accessorials
Wait time, chassis splits, pre-pull, yard storage, fuel surcharges and re-weighs that were never authorized.
Non-compliant D&D invoices
Invoices missing the elements required by 46 CFR Part 541 or issued after the 30-day deadline: not payable.
Overcharge claims (trucking)
Motor carrier overcharges under 49 CFR Part 378, filed with the documentation the rule requires.
What is sitting in your paid invoices?
Move the slider to your annual freight spend. Estimates use industry figures: 3–12% of ocean invoices contain errors and recoveries typically run 1–5% of freight spend. You keep 65% of every dollar recovered; our 35% fee is invoiced only after the refund lands.
- Likely billing errors (at 3%)
- $45,000
- Industry estimates: 3–12% of ocean invoices contain errors
- Typical recovery range (1–5%)
- $15,000 – $75,000
- Industry estimates for recoveries as a share of freight spend
- Net to you at 3% (you keep 65%)
- $29,250
- Our 35% fee is invoiced only after the refund lands
Illustrative only. Actual results depend on your carriers, contracts, lanes and how invoices were issued. Nothing is owed unless money is recovered.
Since 2024, a non-compliant D&D invoice is not payable.
The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 and the FMC’s billing rule changed who carries the burden. Most shippers never use these tools. We use them on every file.
- 1
D&D billing rules
FMC · 46 CFR Part 541, §§ 541.5–541.8 · invoices issued on or after May 28, 2024
Carriers and terminals must issue demurrage and detention invoices within 30 calendar days of when charges stop accruing, and the invoice must contain specific required elements (container number, dates, free time, rate basis, dispute contact, compliance certifications and more). An invoice that fails these requirements is not payable, and you have at least 30 days to dispute.
- 2
Charge complaint process
OSRA 2022 · 46 U.S.C. § 41104(d)–(f)
Shippers can file a charge complaint with the FMC. The carrier then has to prove its charge was reasonable and compliant. The FMC can order refunds and impose penalties. This is a fast, low-cost path for D&D and surcharge disputes that carriers ignore.
- 3
Motor carrier overcharge claims
49 CFR Part 378 · 18-month limitation, 49 U.S.C. § 14705
Truck and drayage overcharges (wrong rate, unauthorized accessorials, duplicate billing) are claimable under a defined federal process with an 18-month look-back. We prepare and file the claims with the required documentation.
Summary for general information only; not legal advice. We are not a law firm and can refer you to maritime counsel when a matter requires it.
Companies shipping 20–2,000 containers a year that nobody audits.
Cass, Trax and Shapiro are built for enterprise shippers with $5M+ in freight spend. If you are not on their list, you are our client. Same rules, same recoveries, built for your size.
Importers
Consumer goods, food, textiles, building materials, machinery. Anyone bringing 20–2,000 containers a year through NY/NJ or any US gateway.
Exporters
Detention on export equipment, earliest-return-date changes, rolled cargo fees and export D&D that should never have been billed.
Drayage carriers
Per diem and chassis bills you absorbed because disputing them cost more time than paying. We do the disputing.
Forwarders & brokers (partners)
Offer audits to your customers under your brand. We do the work; you deepen the relationship.
“I have spent 30 years in cross-border trade, logistics and freight across the United States, Europe and Asia. I have sat on both sides of the invoice. I know exactly where the errors hide and how carriers respond when someone actually reads the tariff. We built an AI audit engine to read every line, and we back it with people who have negotiated these charges for decades. Small and mid-size shippers deserve the same recoveries the big ones get.”
Founder, FreightAudit Pilot · HDC Brands LLC · New Jersey, USA
Straight answers.
Is it really free?
Yes. There is no setup fee, no hourly rate and no minimum. We are paid 35% of the money we actually recover for you, invoiced only after the refund or credit is in your account. If we recover nothing, you owe nothing. If you would rather pay monthly for a lower rate, Guard tiers run 20–30%; see Pricing. In a hurry? There is also a paid fast lane: the $750 Invoice Health Check — up to 25 invoices, scored report in 48 business hours, credited in full against our fee if you proceed to recovery within 30 days.
What do you need from us?
Your freight invoices for the last 12 months (PDFs, a carrier portal export or an email forward), any rate contracts or quotes, and a contact who can confirm container availability and return dates when needed. Typically under two hours of your time in total.
How long does it take?
The audit report comes back within 5 business days of a complete invoice folder. Disputes and recoveries then run 30–120 days depending on the carrier and whether an FMC charge complaint is required.
Do we have to switch forwarders or carriers?
No. We work alongside your existing forwarder, broker and carriers. We are not a forwarder or OTI and we do not sell freight. Our only job is to get overcharges back.
Can you audit invoices we already paid?
Yes. Paid invoices are where overcharges usually sit; industry estimates put errors at 3–12% of ocean freight invoices. We look back up to 3 years on ocean charges (the FMC statute of limitations) and up to 18 months on trucking charges (the limitation period in 49 U.S.C. §14705; claims are filed under 49 CFR Part 378).
What if you find nothing?
Then you owe nothing, and you get a written confirmation that your invoices were clean for the period reviewed. That is useful information too.
Get your free 12-month audit.
- No upfront fee, no minimum, no exclusivity beyond the claims we identify
- Audit report in 5 business days
- You keep 65% of every dollar recovered
- Keep your forwarder, broker and carriers
- Port NY/NJ specialists, serving all US gateways
Prefer email? Write to hello@carbongreylabs.com.