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Freight cost optimization · Lever 10 of 10

Freight audit and savings verification

Freight savings you can measure. Every dollar verified. We check freight invoices against your contracts, recover what carriers overcharged, and prove every saving on your paid invoices.

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Independent freight savings advisorNot a broker or carrierNo upfront feePaid only from savings verified on your invoices
Lever 10 of 10

Signs this lever could lower your freight spend

  • Invoices are paid without being checked against contract rates
  • The same shipment has been billed more than once
  • Fuel surcharges don't match your contract table
  • Reclass and reweigh charges are paid without question
  • Guaranteed-service shipments arrived late, but no credit came back
  • You can't show finance what freight savings actually reached the bottom line

What freight audit & savings verification means

A freight audit checks each carrier invoice against what you agreed to pay: the right rate, the right fuel surcharge, the right accessorials and no duplicates. Savings verification is how we prove our own results. Every month we compare paid invoices with the baseline your finance team approved.

This lever closes the loop on the other nine. A saving only counts once it shows up on a paid invoice.

Industry data

What LTL invoice audits find

Third-party figures from the sources linked under each number. They are not Maximizer Team results and do not predict your savings.

What we review

Lever 10 of 10. From your 12 months of invoices and rate files, we look at:

  • Rates and discountsBilled rates and discounts checked against your contracts
  • Errors and duplicatesMath and mileage errors, and the same shipment billed twice
  • Fuel surchargeFuel billed against your contract table
  • AccessorialsAccessorial charges that weren't authorized or don't match terms
  • Reclass and reweighLTL reclass and reweigh charges that can be disputed
  • Service creditsCredits owed when guaranteed service arrives late
  • Monthly verificationRealized savings against your finance-approved baseline, reported every month

Loss and damage claims and retailer deduction disputes are handled under trade and deductions optimization.

Public research

What the EPA found

EPA's SmartWay® route and network bulletin describes using shipping data to "check invoiced miles against the route/mileage software, compare invoice payload against product weight in the ERP, and compare actual payload data from the carrier against product weight recorded in the ERP" (EPA-420-F-19-016, 2019, p.1).

Source: U.S. EPA SmartWay publications (2019). The examples and figures are EPA's, not Maximizer Team results. Maximizer Team is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. EPA.

How we measure the savings

We report savings in clear stages: identified (found), implemented (put in place), realized (on paid invoices) and annualized (the yearly run rate). One-time recoveries are shown separately from recurring savings, and savings from different levers are never added together if they overlap.

You can hand the report straight to your finance team. If we also recover retailer deductions for you, those are reported separately and never added to your freight savings.

Why us

Why Maximizer Team

  • IndependentNot a broker or a carrier. We don't sell capacity or take carrier commissions, so our only interest is lowering your cost.
  • ExperiencedBased in Las Vegas and working with shippers nationwide, led by Michael Holvoet: 20+ years in logistics and $1B+ in freight managed across dry van, reefer, LTL, parcel and intermodal.
  • Paid on resultsNo upfront fees. We're paid only from savings verified on your invoices, measured against a baseline your finance team approves.
  • Built for mid-size and larger shippersMost clients spend $1M or more a year on freight.

Benchmark · Implement · Verify

How it works

  1. BenchmarkAfter a short intro call, you send 12 months of freight invoices and your rate files (we sign an NDA where appropriate). We build a baseline your finance team approves and compare your costs with the market.
  2. ImplementWe rank the opportunities by size and effort, then work with your team, carriers and warehouses to put the changes in place.
  3. VerifyEvery month we check paid invoices against the baseline and report realized savings, so you see what actually changed, not just what was promised.
See how it works in detail →

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

More answers on our FAQ page

What is a freight audit?

It's checking each freight invoice against your contract rates, fuel table and accessorial terms to catch overcharges, errors and duplicates, then recovering what you were overbilled.

How do you verify savings?

Every month we compare paid invoices with the baseline your finance team approved, and report identified, implemented, realized and annualized savings. Freight cost savings and recovered deductions are reported as separate categories.

Do you file freight claims?

Yes. Loss and damage claims are part of our trade and deductions optimization service. We file them with carriers on your behalf and track them until they're paid or closed.

Can you recover past overcharges?

Yes, where carrier contracts and claim windows allow. We review your 12 months of invoices for overcharges and duplicate billing as part of the review.

How much does it cost?

The 14-day freight savings review is free. There's no upfront fee. If you go ahead, we're paid only from savings verified on your invoices. Recovered deductions are tracked and reported as their own category of verified savings.

Are you a freight broker?

No. Maximizer Team is an independent freight savings advisor. We don't haul freight, sell capacity or take carrier commissions, so our advice isn't tied to any carrier.

What happens when you find an invoice error?

We document the error, show the contract term or shipment record it conflicts with, and send it to the carrier for correction or credit. You see each finding and its status, so you know what was recovered and why.

What does an LTL invoice audit check?

Freight class, weight and dimensions, origin and destination ZIP codes, the base rate and discount, fuel surcharge, minimum charges and every accessorial. Each is compared with your contract and the shipment record, because an error in any one of them changes the bill.

Find out what your invoices are hiding

Start with a short intro call. Then send us 12 months of freight invoices. In 14 days you'll get a free written review of your biggest freight savings opportunities across all 10 levers, including this one.

Get my free freight reviewNo upfront fees. Paid only from savings verified on your invoices. NDA available.