When to use: Run by the back office on every settlement or payment received, load by load.
Compare to the invoice
- Payment amount equals the invoice total.
- If short, identify every deduction and its stated reason code.
- Linehaul paid matches the rate confirmation.
- Every billed accessorial was paid (detention, layover, stops, tarp, lumper).
- Fuel surcharge paid matches the contracted or agreed mechanism.
Investigate deductions
- Claim or OS&D deduction: pull the POD and photos; was an exception actually recorded at delivery?
- Late-delivery fine: does the rate confirmation window and the timestamped arrival support or dispute it?
- Advance repayment: matches an advance you actually took.
- Unexplained deduction: request the backup before accepting it.
Act
- Disputable deductions: open a dispute with the evidence, before the window to do so closes.
- Valid deductions: record the reason so the pattern is visible (which lanes, receivers, or brokers).
- Recurring short-pays from one payer: escalate or re-price the freight.
A chargeback is money already gone — you are arguing to be paid, not refusing to pay. Catching it depends on comparing every settlement to the expected amount.
Guides: From documents to billing: getting paid faster, Understanding cost per mile
Questions: What causes chargebacks and how do I prevent them?
Terms: Chargeback, Settlement, Accessorial Charge, Proof of Delivery (POD)
In Trailflow: settlement reconciliation.