ClearLane launches pre-billing audit to recover missed freight charges

ClearLane has introduced an accessorial charge recovery audit that scans each load before shipper invoicing to catch missed detention, layover, TONU, lumper and other billable fees. The company says the service can help freight brokers and 3PLs recover earned revenue without renegotiating shipper rates.

Why it matters: - Freight brokers and 3PLs can lose earned revenue when accessorial charges never make it onto the final invoice. - ClearLane is pitching the audit as a way to recover that revenue before billing closes, when the money is still easiest to capture. - The service is designed to turn documentation gaps into billable charges without asking shippers for a rate change.

What happened: - ClearLane, a freight back-office operations provider, announced an accessorial charge recovery audit on July 7, 2026. - The audit reviews every load before the shipper invoice is finalized. - The service looks for missed detention, layover, TONU, lumper and other accessorial charges that were earned during the load but never entered as billable line items.

The details: - The audit cross-references dispatch notes, driver communications, carrier settlements and rate confirmations against the draft shipper invoice. - Charges that were earned but not billed are flagged, documented with supporting evidence and added before invoicing goes out. - ClearLane said it has published a breakdown of how lumper fees and layover charges go missing before invoicing and the documentation gaps that cause those misses. - The company said freight firms can assess their own processes with a free pre-billing audit checklist. - ClearLane said a missed detention charge can be $75 to $150. - ClearLane said a missed lumper reimbursement can be $50 to $300. - ClearLane said a brokerage moving 1,000 or more loads per month could miss tens of thousands of dollars in earned revenue per year at a 3% miss rate.

Between the lines: - The problem is structural, not just operational, because dispatch and billing teams often work from different records. - Dispatch teams move quickly to keep trucks rolling, while billing teams depend on what was entered in the TMS. - If a charge never becomes a line item, the invoice will not capture it. - ClearLane is framing the audit as a bridge between what happened on the load and what gets billed.

What's next: - ClearLane is inviting freight companies to use the pre-billing audit as part of their revenue recovery workflow. - The company says interested customers can request a consultation through ClearLane's website or contact media@getclearlane.com. - ClearLane also said the service sits alongside document retrieval, carrier invoice verification, compliance monitoring, shipper billing, accounts receivable management and outsourced bookkeeping.

The bottom line: - ClearLane is betting that catching accessorials before invoice finalization is faster, cleaner and more profitable than chasing them after the fact.