Freight and parcel
Shipping invoices are full of small charges. Each one looks reasonable alone. Together they can drift away from the rates you agreed. A freight and parcel review checks the invoices line by line.
Fairview Audit connects you with a partner firm that does the checking. Fairview does not perform the review.
What the review looks at
A partner firm compares what carriers billed with what your agreements allow. Typical questions include:
- Were the billed rates the agreed rates?
- Were contract discounts applied?
- Were extra fees, known as accessorial charges, added correctly? Inside delivery and liftgate service are examples.
- Was any shipment billed or paid twice?
- Do weights, zones and service levels on the invoice match the shipment? Parcel carriers can bill by dimensional weight, which prices a package by the space it takes up. In less-than-truckload freight, a class based on factors such as density and handling can set the rate, and goods described wrongly can be reclassified.
- Were late deliveries credited where the carrier's terms provide for it?
Freight means larger shipments, often by truck. Small parcel means packages moved by parcel carriers. The two have different billing rules, and firms may cover one or both. [CONFIRM: a partner firm supplies and approves which freight and parcel services it covers]
A glossary entry on accessorial charges explains one common source of confusion.
What you provide
The partner firm will give you its list. Typical items include:
- Carrier agreements, rate tables and amendments.
- Freight and parcel invoices for the period under review.
- Shipping records that show what was sent and when.
- Payment history by carrier.
- Notes on past disputes or credits.
- Contact details for your logistics and finance staff.
Shipping data often lives in a warehouse system, not in finance. Ask your logistics team whether they can export it.
Keep the carrier's own invoice files as well as any summary reports. Summaries can hide the line items that matter most. If you have already noticed a charge that looks wrong, such as a fee that appears on every shipment, write it down and pass it to the firm. Your team's observations often point the review to the right place on day one.
What happens after you submit a request
You submit a request through the form that fits your business. A partner firm contacts you directly. You discuss scope and terms, share your data and receive the firm's findings.
If the findings show billing errors, you and the firm agree how to raise them with the carrier. You stay involved, because you know your carrier relationships. Fees are between you and the partner firm. Some partner firms work on a contingency basis.
Who this suits
This review may suit businesses that:
- Ship often, in freight, parcel or both.
- Pay carrier invoices without checking each line.
- Use several carriers with different contracts.
- Have a negotiated discount they cannot easily confirm.
- Added a warehouse or changed shipping systems recently.
Business size decides which type of firm fits, and matching handles that for you. Manufacturers and transport operators face their own patterns. See freight and parcel for technology and manufacturing and freight and parcel for transportation and freight.
How Fairview matches you
Choose a request path: larger business, smaller business, or not sure or another need. Each has its own form. There is no fixed cut-off between the two types of firm. Requests go to the matched partner. On the not sure path, Fairview matches by hand.
An independent partner firm that specializes in freight and parcel handles this work. Fairview Audit makes the match. We do not perform the review ourselves.Who does the work
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to stop using my carrier?
No. A review checks the bills you receive. Any change of carrier is your decision.
Can a review include past invoices?
Often yes, if you can supply them. The firm tells you how far back it can look.
Is this the same as a payment review?
They overlap on duplicates. See accounts payable audit for the wider view.
Does Fairview talk to my carrier?
No. Your partner firm and your team handle any carrier contact.
Related pages
Tell us what you need reviewed. We match you by hand with an independent partner firm. You keep your existing vendors.Find out what you are overpaying.