Canadian LTL carriers have a 3–7% average billing error rate. Most shippers never recover it because they have no audit process. Here's what that costs at your freight spend level.
3–7%
Average carrier billing error rate — industry documented range across Canadian LTL
4.5%
Effective recovery rate used in estimates (5% errors × 90% recovery success)
30–60d
Typical timeframe to be cashflow-positive on the Freight Pulse service
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Based on 4.5% effective recovery rate (5% billing errors × 90% recovery success). Actual results vary by carrier mix and contract complexity.
Freight invoice auditing is the process of checking every carrier invoice against your negotiated rate agreements to identify billing errors — wrong rates, unauthorized charges, duplicate invoices, and mismatches between what was shipped and what was billed. Carriers make billing errors regularly. Auditing catches those errors before you pay them, or recovers money after the fact.
How common are carrier billing errors in Canada?
The industry-documented billing error rate for Canadian LTL is 3–7%. That means for every $100 in carrier invoices, $3–$7 is likely billed incorrectly. At $200,000/month in freight spend, that's $6,000–$14,000 per month in potential overcharges — most of which goes unrecovered without a formal audit process.
What types of errors do you catch?
The most common errors we catch: wrong weight break applied (carrier bills at a higher rate when a lower break applies), dimensional billing on no-cube agreements, unauthorized accessorial charges (residential delivery, liftgate, inside delivery), duplicate invoices billed under different numbers, fuel surcharge applied at the wrong tier, and BOL vs. invoice mismatches on weight, pieces, or origin/destination.
Why don't most shippers catch these errors themselves?
Because catching billing errors requires comparing every invoice line against the specific rate card, zone structure, fuel surcharge table, and accessorial schedule for that carrier and agreement — and doing it consistently across every invoice, every month. Without a dedicated system and process, it simply doesn't happen at any meaningful scale. Most finance teams approve invoices based on a spot-check at best.
Is freight auditing only for large shippers?
No — the ROI math works at $50K+/month in freight spend. Below that level, the platform fee may not be covered by recoveries. Above $50K/month, the service typically pays for itself within the first 1–2 recovered disputes, and everything after that is net savings. We'll tell you on a discovery call if your volume makes sense for Freight Pulse.
How is Pulse IQ different from other freight audit firms?
Most freight audit firms come from the shipper side. Our founder spent 18 years inside the carrier world — building billing systems, managing rate maintenance, and handling carrier disputes. We know exactly how carrier invoices are built, where errors originate, and what arguments carriers respond to in a dispute. That inside knowledge makes our audits sharper and our dispute success rate higher. We also do the work ourselves — we don't push disputes back onto the client or make the carrier do the legwork.
How does Freight Pulse work as a billing intermediary?
Your carriers send their invoices directly to Freight Pulse — not to you. We audit every charge, dispute any errors, and then issue you a single consolidated invoice covering your audited carrier spend plus our fees. You pay us, we pay your carriers. You never manage individual carrier invoices again.
What does the audit engine actually check?
21+ checks per invoice including: duplicate detection (invoice number, PO number, shipment-based), rate card validation (zone resolution, weight break selection, minimum charge), weight billing (actual vs. dimensional, no-cube agreement enforcement), BOL vs. invoice comparison (weight, pieces, origin, destination, freight class), fuel surcharge tier validation, and accessorial audit (deny-by-default — only pre-approved charges pass). Every flagged invoice is then reviewed by a freight expert before it becomes a dispute.
How do you get our carrier rate agreements?
During onboarding we ask you to provide your current carrier rate schedules — typically PDFs or spreadsheets from your carrier reps. We upload them into the audit system and configure zone mappings, weight break columns, fuel surcharge tables, and billing rules for each carrier. This is included at no cost and takes 5–10 business days.
What is the human review step?
After the automated audit engine flags an invoice, a Pulse IQ freight specialist manually reviews every flag before it proceeds to dispute. We verify the finding against your specific agreement, confirm the dollar variance, and make sure the dispute is fully documented and defensible. Nothing goes to a carrier until a human expert has confirmed it. This eliminates false positives and makes every dispute we send credible.
How long does onboarding take?
Typically 5–10 business days from when we receive your carrier rate schedules. Your contract doesn't start billing until onboarding is complete and your first invoice batch has been successfully processed. There is no upfront fee for onboarding — it's included in your platform tier.
What does the client portal show?
Your portal gives you real-time visibility into audit status by invoice batch, flagged invoices with full detail on each error found, dispute status and carrier responses, recovery tracking by carrier and error type, and your monthly savings history. Every audit decision is logged and traceable — you can drill into any invoice and see exactly what was checked and why it was flagged.
Do you work with all Canadian LTL carriers?
Yes — Freight Pulse is carrier-agnostic. We configure the audit engine per carrier based on their specific zone structure, rate card format, fuel surcharge tables, and accessorial schedule. As long as you can provide your carrier rate agreements, we can audit those invoices.
How does the two-part pricing model work?
Your monthly invoice from Freight Pulse covers two items: a platform fee based on your invoice volume (starting at $599/month), and a 25% recovery share on verified savings we successfully collect from carriers. If we don't find recoverable errors, you only pay the platform fee. If we recover $20,000 in overcharges, you keep $15,000 and we earn $5,000. Our incentives are fully aligned with yours.
What counts as one invoice?
One invoice equals one freight bill from one carrier for one shipment. Your tier is determined by your monthly invoice count. Not sure of your volume? We'll estimate it on a free discovery call using your freight spend and carrier mix.
Is the recovery share charged on everything you flag, or only what you collect?
Only on verified savings we successfully collect. If we flag an error but the carrier disputes it and doesn't pay, you owe nothing on that item. The 25% recovery share is charged only on confirmed, collected recoveries — credited on your next invoice.
Are there multi-year discounts?
Yes. A 2-year contract gets 5% off the platform fee. A 3-year contract gets 10% off the platform fee plus a 1-point reduction in the recovery share. Your platform fee is also locked for the full term of your contract — no mid-term increases. Contact us to discuss multi-year terms.
How does carrier payment work?
Freight Pulse acts as your billing intermediary. We negotiate 60-day payment terms with your carriers on your behalf, giving you time to receive and review your consolidated invoice before carrier payment is due. You pay Freight Pulse within 10 business days of invoice date. We then pay your carriers on your behalf. You never manage carrier payments directly.
Do I need to use Freight Pulse to hire Pulse IQ for consulting?
No — consulting is completely standalone. You don't need to be on the Freight Pulse platform. That said, many clients find the combination powerful: consulting to negotiate better contracted rates, then Freight Pulse to make sure those rates are actually being honoured on every invoice.
What consulting services do you offer?
We offer four services, all built on carrier-insider knowledge: carrier contract negotiation support (helping you negotiate from a position of real data), rate benchmarking (is what you're paying competitive?), carrier selection and lane strategy (which carriers to use for which lanes), and freight cost reduction assessment (a top-to-bottom review of your freight spend with a prioritized action plan).
How is your consulting different from a freight broker?
We don't move freight. We don't take carrier commissions. We don't have a carrier network we're trying to push you toward. We're a pure advisory practice — we analyse your situation, give you expert recommendations, and support you through negotiation and implementation. Our founder spent 18 years inside the carrier world, which means we bring insider knowledge to every engagement that a traditional freight broker or consultant typically doesn't have.
What's your consulting rate?
We bill hourly and provide a written scope and estimate after a free 30-minute discovery call. You approve the scope before any billable work begins. Our rate depends on engagement type and complexity — we'll give you an honest estimate upfront with no surprises.
How long does a consulting engagement take?
It depends on scope. Rate benchmarking for 2–3 carriers typically takes 1–2 weeks. A full freight cost reduction assessment is 2–4 weeks. Contract negotiation support runs in parallel with your renewal timeline — typically 4–8 weeks. We'll give you a realistic timeline during scoping and you'll have full visibility throughout.
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Written by freight professionals who've spent years inside carrier billing operations. Practical, specific, and useful — no generic logistics content.
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