3–10%
Illustrative invoice-error benchmark
Verify against your own data
Verify against your own data
Freight bill audit
You already paid it.
Some of it wasn't owed.
We review paid airfreight invoices from airlines and forwarders against the applicable rate, surcharge, accessorial and service terms. Where a documented discrepancy is recoverable, we prepare the claim and manage the follow-up. No recovery, no fee.
Recovery examples on this page are illustrative benchmarks, not a projection of your result. Actual recovery depends on the invoice, contract, documentation, dispute window and carrier response.
Recovery scenario calculatorIllustrative only
3% conservative4.0%5% high case
Illustrative 3–5% scenario range only.
Illustrative recovery$80,000
Massif fee — 40% of recovery$32,000
Illustrative client net$48,000
The calculator is a scenario tool, not a quote or guarantee. Actual results depend on carrier mix, contract terms, invoice age, documentation and recoverability.
3–5%
Illustrative recovery scenario
Not a client projection
Not a client projection
60%
Of an actual recovery remains with you
Massif takes 40% on success
Massif takes 40% on success
The arrangement
Contingency. Nothing up front.
No retainer, no per-invoice fee and no software licence. The proposed fee is tied to money actually recovered, subject to the engagement terms.
Our fee is 40% of amounts actually recovered and received by you — not of discrepancies identified and not of claims merely submitted. If an eligible claim produces no recovery, there is no recovery fee on that claim.
60%
Illustrative share retained by you
40%
Massif 348, on recovery only
The engagement agreement controls the definition of recovery, payment timing, excluded items and any treatment of credits or offsets.
What we audit
Scheduled airfreight invoices
This service is designed for paid scheduled airfreight invoices where there is sufficient contractual, tariff or billing documentation to compare what was charged with what should have been charged.
Common
Dimensional weight
Volumetric weight, dim factors and chargeable-weight calculations checked against the applicable rules and records.
High value
Surcharge misapplication
Fuel, security and other published or contracted surcharges checked against the applicable index, date and shipment terms.
Often missed
Service credits
Where a service-level credit or similar remedy is actually available under the carrier's applicable terms, we identify and document it.
Straightforward
Duplicate billing
Duplicate invoices or repeated air waybills identified through statement and shipment-level matching.
Contract drift
Rate discrepancies
Negotiated rates, weight breaks, lane exceptions and applicable contract terms compared with the billed amount.
Review
Accessorial charges
Handling, storage and special-service charges checked against the shipment record and the applicable contractual terms.
The Massif method
Six checks before a claim
Every proposed recovery needs a documented basis. We do not treat a billing difference as a claim simply because the number looks wrong.
01 / RATE
Contract match
Compare billed rate to the applicable agreement, tariff or pricing schedule.
02 / WEIGHT
Chargeable weight
Check actual, dimensional and billable weight calculations.
03 / SURCHARGE
Index & date
Check fuel, security and other variable charges against the applicable rule.
04 / ACCESSORIAL
Was it incurred?
Match additional charges to shipment records and contractual eligibility.
05 / DUPLICATE
Bill once
Cross-check invoice, shipment and statement references for repeats.
06 / SERVICE
Was the remedy earned?
Document service failures only where the applicable terms provide a remedy.
The clock
Check the applicable dispute window.
Billing disputes are not one-size-fits-all
Carrier and forwarder billing-dispute periods can vary by contract, tariff, invoice terms, claim type and governing law. Cargo loss, damage and delay claims are separate from ordinary invoice disputes and can carry their own notice and limitation requirements.
For example, Article 31 of the Montreal Convention contains specific written-complaint periods for certain cargo damage and delay claims, while Article 35 addresses the limitation period for an action. Those rules should not be treated as a universal deadline for disputing an ordinary freight invoice.
Practical rule: start with recent invoices. Before pursuing any recovery, we check the documentation and applicable dispute window rather than assuming an old invoice is still recoverable.
How it runs
Four steps
01 / SAMPLE
Send a representative month
A sample of paid airfreight invoices plus the applicable rate agreement or tariff documentation.
02 / REVIEW
Line by line
We compare billing, rates, surcharges, accessorials and service records where documentation allows.
03 / CLAIM
We prepare the claim
Where a documented discrepancy appears recoverable, we prepare the claim package and manage the carrier correspondence.
04 / RECOVERY
Paid on actual recovery
Recovered amounts are tracked and the contingency fee is calculated according to the engagement terms.
Scope
Where this fits, and where it doesn't
What this covers
- Scheduled airfreight invoices from airlines and forwarders
- Invoices supported by a rate, tariff or other billing basis
- Post-payment review and claim preparation
- Written findings, whether or not you proceed
- Carrier correspondence through resolution
What it does not
- Charter invoices priced as bespoke one-off transactions
- Ocean, rail, parcel or ground freight unless separately agreed
- Claims that fall outside the applicable dispute or limitation period
- Rate renegotiation or procurement replacement
- Any guarantee that a carrier will accept a claim or pay a particular amount
Questions
Freight audit FAQ
Do we need to send all of our invoices?
No. The initial review can begin with a representative sample. The sample should be large enough to show the billing pattern but small enough to handle comfortably.
Do we pay anything upfront?
The proposed model is contingency-based, subject to the engagement terms. There is no recovery fee on a claim that produces no recovery.
What carriers can you review?
Airlines and freight forwarders where the available contract, tariff and shipment documentation is sufficient to establish what was billed and what should have applied.
What happens if you find nothing?
You receive the findings. No contingency recovery fee is charged for an audit that produces no recovery.
Can we sign an NDA first?
Yes. Massif 348 can execute an NDA before receiving confidential material, subject to the final agreement.
Do you renegotiate our freight rates?
No. The audit is intended to identify and pursue discrepancies against applicable existing terms. Rate negotiations can be handled separately.
Start here
Begin with a representative sample.
Use the intake below to tell us what you spend, what you are auditing and what documentation you have. Do not send highly sensitive or unnecessary personal information.
Secure intake architecture
The production intake accepts a controlled invoice sample directly through the Node API. Files are validated for type and size, held only in process memory, attached to the audit notification, and discarded after the request completes. Persistent document storage is not used by this intake path.
The audit endpoint returns a unique request reference so the desk can track the enquiry without creating a local document repository.
- Audit enquiries
- audit@massif348.com
- Phone
- (689) 388-4893