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Freight invoice audit checklist

A load-by-load checklist for auditing carrier invoices before payment, with the universal checks plus LTL, reefer and cold chain, and heavy freight variants. Everything is on this page, free to use.

Prefer it done for you?

ClearLane runs every one of these checks on every load before payment, as a managed service with a 99%+ accuracy target.

See the carrier invoice verification service or request a demo.

What's included:

  • Universal 12-point carrier invoice audit checklist
  • LTL variant: class, reweighs, and accessorials
  • Reefer and cold chain variant: temp charges and layover
  • Heavy freight variant: permits, escorts, and multi-axle rates

The full checklist is on this page, free. Download a printable PDF for your desk:

Universal  •  LTL  •  Reefer & Cold Chain  •  Heavy Freight

What to check before paying a carrier invoice

Run these checks on every carrier invoice before payment approval. In order, because the early ones catch the most money.

The universal 12-point checklist

  • Match line-haul to the rate confirmation, not to the invoice.
  • Verify the fuel surcharge: correct base, correct percentage, correct week.
  • Detention: arrival and departure times documented, free time correct, rate per the rate con.
  • Layover: authorized in writing and billed at the agreed rate.
  • Lumper: receipt attached, amount matches, not also billed to the shipper.
  • TONU: only where the rate con allows it, at the stated amount.
  • Duplicate check: invoice number and load number against payment history.
  • Extra stops: count and rate match the rate confirmation.
  • Math: line items sum to the total. Watch hand-keyed invoices.
  • Remit-to: matches the carrier packet or a verified factoring NOA.
  • Quick pay: discount actually applied when quick-pay terms are taken.
  • Signed POD attached before approval. It protects you on rebills.

LTL freight invoice audit checklist

  • Freight class and NMFC match the BOL and the quote.
  • Reweigh and reclass fees: certificate attached, weight plausible for the commodity.
  • Discount percentage matches the pricing agreement.
  • Accessorials priced from the carrier rules tariff: liftgate, residential, limited access.
  • Minimum charge floors applied correctly.

Reefer and cold chain invoice audit checklist

  • Temperature-related charges tie back to the temp log, not just an invoice line.
  • Reefer fuel and idle claims documented for layover and detention.
  • Pre-cool and washout charges authorized on the rate confirmation.
  • Product cut or rejection deductions reconciled before payment, not after.

Heavy freight invoice audit checklist

  • Permit costs passed through at cost, receipts attached.
  • Escort and pilot car charges match quoted rates and actual miles.
  • Multi-axle or specialized equipment rates match the quoted configuration.
  • Tarping and securement charges per the rate confirmation.

A checklist audits one invoice at a time. Past roughly 1,000 loads a month, invoices start getting approved under deadline pressure, and the 1-3% overpayment the checklist exists to catch slips through. That is the point where a dedicated audit desk pays for itself. ClearLane runs these checks on every load before payment as a managed carrier invoice audit service, or request a demo to see the process. Not sure the money is real? Estimate your exposure with the AP overpayment calculator.

Frequently asked questions

What should a freight invoice audit checklist include?

The core checks: match the invoice to the rate confirmation, verify the fuel surcharge math, confirm every accessorial has documentation (detention with in and out times, lumper receipts, TONU per the rate con), check for duplicates, and confirm remit-to details against the carrier packet. The full list above adds mode-specific items for LTL, reefer, and heavy freight.

Volume decides. At a few hundred loads a month, a disciplined AP clerk can run every check. Past 1,000 loads a month, deadline pressure wins and errors get approved. That is when a dedicated audit desk, in-house or managed, starts paying for itself.