Rail Freight Audit & Recovery Services

What we audit

Demurrage and private car storage invoices — checked against the railroad’s tariff and your own placement, release and order records: bunched cars, railroad-caused delays, wrong timestamps, cars you never ordered. Background: rail demurrage fees guide.
Railcar repair invoices — every billing repair card checked against the car, the industry price list and owner vs handling-line responsibility. How it works: railcar repair billing explained.
Freight bills — line-haul against your price authority or tariff, fuel surcharge against the published program for the right month, accessorials, switching and duplicate billing. See your rail freight invoice, explained.
Railcar property tax — state assessments checked against actual in-state mileage, valuations and idle time. See the railcar property tax guide.
Lease charges and credits — return-condition charges, re-billed repairs and mileage allowance you are owed. See railcar mileage allowance.

Why deadlines decide the outcome

Every one of these bills has a clock. Miss it and the money is gone even when the charge was wrong.

Railcar repair invoices: 60 days to return an unpaid invoice; 7 months to challenge a paid one, or 10 months for leased equipment, under the current industry billing manual.
Demurrage: dispute rules and windows are set in each railroad’s demurrage tariff, and some are short. The record you keep at the plant is what wins the dispute.
Property tax: some states give days, not months, to object to a tentative assessment.

That is why this works best as a monthly routine, not a once-a-year cleanup.

How it works

Send us a few months of invoices and the documents behind them: price authorities, tariffs, leases, your placement and release records.
We review every line and tell you what looks wrong, what is still inside the dispute window, and what is worth pursuing.
We file the disputes with the railroad, lessor or state, on time and with the evidence attached.
We track every dispute to a credit and report what was recovered.
We fix the cause. Repeated demurrage, overloads or repair patterns usually point to something operational that costs more than any single bill.

Who this is for

Shippers paying demurrage or storage every month without anyone reviewing it
Lessees on net railcar leases receiving repair invoices and tax bills
Companies whose rail invoices are approved by accounts payable, not someone who knows rail
Shippers who want an outside check before renegotiating rates or leases

Audit and recovery is also part of our outsourced rail department for shippers who want the whole rail function handled.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a rail freight audit?

A line-by-line check of what railroads, lessors and states bill you: freight bills against your price authority or tariff, demurrage and storage against the tariff and your records, railcar repair invoices against industry billing rules, and tax assessments against actual mileage. Errors are disputed before the deadline passes.

How long do I have to dispute a railcar repair invoice?

Under the current industry billing manual, an unpaid repair invoice has to be returned within 60 days, and a paid one can be challenged within 7 months, or 10 months for leased equipment. Your lease may set a shorter clock for charges re-billed to you.

Can you dispute demurrage charges?

Yes, when the charge does not match the tariff or the facts: bunched cars, railroad-caused delays, wrong placement or release times, or cars that were never ordered. Dispute windows and rules are set in each railroad's demurrage tariff, so timing matters.

Do you need to change railroads or contracts to use this?

No. We review what you are already being billed under your current railroads, leases and tariffs, and dispute what does not hold up.

What does a rail freight audit cost?

It depends on your volume and which invoices you want reviewed. Tell us what you are billed each month and we will scope it.

Rail Freight Audit & Recovery