Truckload invoice audit: rate confirmation vs the carrier invoice
The Warp truckload invoice audit takes your truckload invoices, or one load, and checks every charge against the signed rate confirmation: linehaul, fuel, detention, layover, TONU, and lumper.
How it works:Drop the carrier's CSV or PDF, paste rows from Excel, or type one line. Check the column mapping, then read the findings in three tiers: dispute, review, note. Copy the letter.
What this audit catches
Truckload invoices drift from the rate confirmation in a handful of predictable places: a linehaul or fuel line that quietly moved after the load was booked, detention billed past the documented dwell time, a layover or TONU charge that never appeared on the signed paperwork, and a lumper fee billed above the receipt. This tool runs nine checks against every load and shows the dollar difference and what to do about each one.
Detention is the check most audits skip because it takes timestamps to verify. When you have pickup and delivery arrival and departure times, the tool computes the documented dwell at each stop, subtracts free time, and compares the result to what was billed. Without timestamps, any detention charge is flagged for review rather than accepted at face value.
How to run a truckload invoice audit
Pull the rate confirmation and the invoice for each load side by side. For a single load, the manual form below takes ten fields and gives you a result in seconds. For a batch, export the rate con and invoice fields from your TMS or accounting system into a CSV, upload it, and the tool matches columns by common header names automatically.
Every finding lists a reference, what was billed, what the rate con supports, the dollar difference, and a plain language next step. Use the filter to isolate one check type, export the findings as a CSV for your records, or copy a dispute summary straight into an email to the carrier or broker.
How Warp bills truckload instead
Warp truckload is one all inclusive rate with ELD tracking on every load. There is no separate detention line to reconstruct from timestamps after the fact, no layover addendum to chase down, and no lumper receipt to reconcile against a billed amount. Every Warp invoice is audited against its quote before it reaches you, so the rate confirmation and the invoice are always the same number. See how Warp audits every invoice automatically.
Truckload invoice audit FAQ
What is a truckload invoice audit?
A truckload invoice audit compares every line on the carrier or broker invoice against the signed rate confirmation for that load: linehaul, fuel, detention, layover, TONU, and lumper. Any charge that does not match the rate con, or that is not itemized on it at all, gets flagged as a dispute candidate before the invoice is paid.
How do I know if detention was billed correctly?
Compare the hours billed against the documented dwell time: departure time minus arrival time at each stop, minus the free time hours in the rate confirmation, which is typically about 2 hours per stop but varies by contract. If the carrier cannot supply check in and check out timestamps, detention should not be paid without supporting documentation.
What is a TONU charge and when is it valid?
TONU stands for truck order not used: a fee a carrier bills when a driver arrives for a pickup that gets cancelled or the freight is not ready. A TONU charge on a load that later shows a linehaul or lumper charge is a contradiction: freight that never moved should not also carry linehaul charges, so that combination should be disputed.
Why would a lumper charge be disputed?
Lumper fees are third party loading and unloading charges, and carriers are expected to pass through the receipt amount. A lumper line billed above the receipt on file, or with no receipt at all, is a common overbilling point worth disputing before payment.
What counts as a rate confirmation in this audit?
The rate confirmation, sometimes called a rate con or confirmation sheet, is the document both the shipper or broker and the carrier sign before the load moves. It states the agreed linehaul, fuel, and any pre approved accessorials. The invoice that arrives after delivery should match it line for line; anything extra needs a signed addendum.
Does Warp truckload freight need this kind of audit?
No. Warp truckload pricing is one all inclusive rate with ELD tracking on every load, and every Warp invoice is audited against its quote before it reaches you, so there is no separate detention, layover, or fuel line to reconcile after delivery.
Stop reconstructing detention from memory
Warp truckload is one all inclusive rate with ELD tracking. The invoice matches the rate con, every time.
Performance figures are computed from Warp network data. See our methodology.