| Cause | What it looks like | How to prevent it |
|---|---|---|
| Late delivery | RC has a late penalty; POD shows a later time | Notify the broker before being late and get a new appointment in writing |
| Unapproved accessorials | Detention, layover, lumper with no written approval | Written confirmation before billing |
| Shortage | Receiver got less than the BOL says | Driver counts at pickup or notes "shipper load and count" |
| Damage | Damage note on the POD | Photos at pickup and delivery; safety notified at once |
| Lumper without receipt | Lumper amount deducted | Attach the original receipt |
| Rate difference | Broker pays from the old RC | Always bill from the latest RC |
| No tracking | RC penalty for missing tracking | Keep tracking active for the whole load |
$300 short for "detention not approved": the dispatcher had no approval email, so nothing could be recovered. $250 chargeback for incomplete freight: no note on the BOL and no photos, so the chargeback stood. An invoice sent for $5,500 instead of $5,000 was paid, then the broker took back $500 at audit and held other payments until it was settled.
Track short pays by cause and by broker. If three out of five are "late delivery", the problem is in planning, not in accounting.
When the broker or shipper pays less than the invoiced amount, usually with a reason on the remittance.
Yes, if you have proof. Ask for the broker's evidence (the receiver's claim, photos) and answer with yours: signed POD, photos, approval emails.
Notify the broker in writing and refund it, or offset it against the next invoice with their written agreement. Brokers find overpayments at audit.
We catch short pays on the remittance, dispute them with the right documents and follow up until the money is recovered.
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This guide is one piece of the Billing, Factoring & Payroll course (58 lessons, English, Romanian and Russian, with real anonymized documents, examples, a final test and an AI assistant in every lesson). Theoretical course, $230, 12 months of access.
Not sure which back-office path fits you? Find Your Fit in Trucking ($50) compares dispatching, safety and accounting, and the $50 becomes credit toward a full course.