Comparison
Traditional freight audit vs ATAHSKIA
Freight audit and payment providers do valuable work. They check ocean, truckload, LTL and parcel invoices against contracted rates, catch duplicates, code costs to the right GL accounts and run the payment file. For a shipper with thousands of freight invoices a month, that discipline pays for itself.
Detention and demurrage is a different problem. Since May 28, 2024, D&D invoices from ocean carriers and marine terminal operators must carry the 20 minimum elements of 46 CFR § 541.6 and issue within 30 days of the charge last being incurred under § 541.7. Whether a charge is owed depends on those rules and on what happened at the terminal, not only on whether the rate matches the contract. This page compares the two approaches as fairly as we can.
| Dimension | Traditional freight audit | ATAHSKIA |
|---|---|---|
| Audit depth | ||
| What is checked | Rate against contract or tariff, duplicates, math, GL coding. | All 20 § 541.6 elements, the § 541.7 issuance deadline, rate against the cited rule, and billed days against the container timeline. |
| Regulatory basis | Contract compliance. Part 541 checks vary by provider and are often not itemized. | Each finding cites the exact CFR subsection the invoice fails. |
| Late invoice detection | Usually flags aged invoices for payment terms, not the 30-day issuance rule. | Tests issue date against the date the charge was last incurred, and NVOCC timing under § 541.7(b) and (c). |
| Evidence | ||
| Container timeline | Rarely rebuilt. Audit works from the invoice and the rate file. | Discharge, availability, holds, appointments, outgate and empty return from carrier EDI, terminals and tracking APIs. |
| Incentive principle | Not usually assessed. | Flags days billed while gates were closed, appointments unavailable or empties refused, with reference to 46 CFR § 545.5. |
| Disputes | ||
| Dispute output | Short-pays or exceptions routed back to the shipper or carrier, format varies. | Relief request packets citing CFR subsections with evidence attached, sent inside the § 541.8 window. |
| Resolution tracking | Exception queue until paid or written off. | Tracks the billing party's 30-day resolution deadline and escalation to a § 41310 charge complaint compiled for the billed party to submit. |
| Operations | ||
| Scope of spend | All freight modes and accessorials in one program. | Ocean D&D, per diem and terminal storage only. |
| Payment processing | Often pays carriers on your behalf. | Does not pay invoices. Can set a payment hold in your ERP for disputed charges. |
| Turnaround | Typically batch cycles aligned to payment runs. | Each invoice audited on arrival; 12-month retrospective report in 48 hours. |
| Commercials | ||
| Pricing model | Per-invoice fees, a percentage of spend, or a share of savings, depending on the provider. | Platform fee plus a success fee on validated disputes (0% on High-Volume Fleet), with a break-even guarantee. |
| Fit with existing program | Your system of record for freight payment. | Runs beside your freight audit provider and feeds dispute results back to it. |
Why rate audit misses most D&D errors
A demurrage invoice can carry the right rate, the right tariff rule and correct math, and still not be owed. If it omits the container availability date, the free time start and end, or the URL describing how to request relief, § 541.5 says the billed party has no obligation to pay it. If it issued 45 days after the empty went back, § 541.7 says the same.
Across invoices audited on our platform, 68.4% failed at least one Part 541 check (ATAHSKIA platform data). Most of those failures are missing or inconsistent elements and timing, which a rate audit is not designed to catch.
Evidence lives outside the invoice
The second category of recoverable charges is days billed when the container could not move: freight or customs holds, no available appointments, terminals refusing empties. Proving that takes milestone and appointment data from the days in question.
ATAHSKIA pulls that data from carrier EDI 315 messages, terminal and appointment systems, tracking APIs and your trucker's dispatch records, and lines it up day by day against the specific dates charged.
- Availability and hold history per container
- Appointment attempts and refusals
- Gate-out and empty return time stamps
- Invoice received date for timing tests
Running both together
Most of our enterprise customers keep their freight audit and payment provider. D&D invoices are routed to ATAHSKIA first; clean charges flow on to payment, and disputed ones are held until the billing party resolves the relief request.
Recovered credits are reported back so your freight audit provider and finance team see one consistent number.
When traditional freight audit is enough
If your D&D spend is small relative to total freight, invoices arrive with all required elements, and your terminals rarely have holds or appointment problems, a general freight audit program with basic exception handling may be enough. It is also the right tool for everything ATAHSKIA does not cover: truckload, LTL, parcel, air and ocean base freight.
FAQ
Do we have to leave our freight audit provider?
No. ATAHSKIA covers ocean D&D, per diem and storage only, and sits alongside your existing provider.
Our provider says it checks D&D. What is the difference?
Ask whether each D&D finding cites the specific § 541.6 element or § 541.7 timing failure, and whether billed days are tested against a container timeline. Those are the two areas where most recoverable D&D sits.
Does ATAHSKIA pay carriers?
No. Payment stays with your AP team or payment provider. We can set a hold on disputed invoices in your ERP.
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.