Comparison
Manual spreadsheet and email disputes vs ATAHSKIA
Many import teams dispute D&D the way they always have: an analyst keeps a spreadsheet of containers, checks invoices against it when there is time, and emails the carrier's billing desk with screenshots. Done by an experienced person, this works, and that person often knows the carriers' billing quirks better than any system.
The limits are volume and deadlines. Part 541 gives the billed party at least 30 calendar days from invoice issuance to request relief (§ 541.8), and every invoice has 20 elements that need checking. A spreadsheet process tends to dispute the largest invoices and let the rest go. This comparison looks at where each approach holds up.
| Dimension | Manual spreadsheet disputes | ATAHSKIA |
|---|---|---|
| Audit depth | ||
| Coverage | Usually the largest invoices or known problem carriers. | Every D&D, per diem and storage invoice, checked on arrival. |
| Element checks | Depends on the analyst's checklist and time available. | All 20 § 541.6 elements and the § 541.7 issuance rule on every invoice. |
| Consistency | Varies by person, week and workload. | Same rule set applied to every invoice, with each finding cited. |
| Evidence | ||
| Milestone data | Copied by hand from carrier and terminal portals, often after the fact. | Captured automatically with time stamps as events happen. |
| Point-in-time records | Screenshots if someone remembered to take them. | Every status change stored, including LFD and availability as published. |
| Disputes | ||
| Dispute writing | Free-form emails, quality depends on the writer. | Packets citing exact CFR subsections with evidence attached. |
| Deadline control | Tracked in a column, easy to miss during peak weeks. | Every dispute sent inside the § 541.8 window (100% on platform, ATAHSKIA data) and carrier deadlines tracked. |
| Escalation | Rare; charge complaints take too long to compile by hand. | § 41310 charge complaint dossiers compiled from the dispute file for the billed party to submit. |
| Operations | ||
| Staff time | Hours per invoice for the ones that get disputed. | Review and approve; most of the packet is assembled automatically. |
| Key-person risk | Knowledge sits with one or two people. | Rules, history and evidence stay in the system. |
| Commercials | ||
| Cost | Salary cost of the analysts; no software fee. | Platform fee plus success fee, with a break-even guarantee. |
| Reporting | Built manually for month-end. | Billed, disputed and recovered by carrier, port and month, plus carrier scorecards. |
The invoices nobody gets to
A spreadsheet process rationally prioritizes the big invoices. But Part 541 failures are not concentrated in large invoices: a $300 per diem bill missing the earliest return date fails § 541.6 the same way a $30,000 demurrage bill does. Across hundreds of containers a year, the small ones add up.
ATAHSKIA customers disputing under Part 541 recover 45% to 75% of billed D&D (ATAHSKIA customer cohort), largely because every invoice is checked rather than a sample.
Evidence decays
Terminal portals show current status. By the time an invoice arrives weeks later, the hold that delayed availability or the LFD shown on discharge day may no longer be visible anywhere.
Capturing status continuously, with time stamps, means the evidence exists when the invoice does.
What your analysts do instead
The analysts who ran the spreadsheet become the reviewers. They approve packets, handle carrier conversations that need judgment, and decide which disputes to escalate. Their knowledge of each carrier's habits is still the most valuable part of the process; it just no longer depends on their typing speed.
When manual spreadsheet disputes is enough
If you import a few hundred containers a year, mostly through one or two terminals that rarely congest, and an experienced analyst can check every invoice within the 30-day window, a well-kept spreadsheet and a disciplined email process may be enough. The free 12-month retrospective audit is a low-risk way to test whether it is catching what it should.
FAQ
Can we keep our spreadsheet?
Yes. ATAHSKIA exports container timelines, findings and dispute status to CSV, so your existing reports keep working during the transition.
Who sends the disputes?
Your team, from your own mailbox if you connect it. ATAHSKIA prepares the packet; you approve and send.
How long does it take to start?
You can send your first disputes during the 14-day trial, starting from the retrospective audit report delivered in 48 hours.
Don't let your 30-day dispute window expire.
Send your recent D&D invoices for a free audit. We report what is recoverable within 48 hours.