Most mid-size distributors lose 2–4% of their freight spend to billing errors that standard AP review will never catch. That's $100K–$600K per year walking out the door.
Here's what happens at most distribution companies: carrier invoices come in, AP matches them to a PO, the total looks reasonable, and the invoice gets posted. Nobody has time to check whether the rate on line 47 matches your contracted tariff for that lane and weight break.
Carriers know this. Their systems aren't designed to give you the best rate — they're designed to maximize revenue. When your 480 lb shipment gets billed at the 501–1000 lb rate, when the fuel surcharge drifts 3% above your contracted formula, when a liftgate fee appears on a dock delivery — those aren't mistakes. That's how the system works.
The problem isn't your team. The problem is that freight invoice auditing requires comparing every line item against a rate card — across hundreds of shipments, multiple carriers, and dozens of accessorial categories. No AP department has the bandwidth or tools to do this consistently.
You don't need new software. You don't need an IT project. You need someone who knows what to look for in the data you already have.
Export 90 days of freight invoices from your AP system and share your current carrier rate cards. Standard Excel or CSV. No system access required.
15 MIN FROM YOUR TEAMEvery invoice line is compared against your contracted rates — base charges, fuel surcharges, accessorials. Every discrepancy is flagged, categorized, and quantified.
RESULTS IN DAYS, NOT MONTHSA detailed report showing total variance by carrier, lane, and error type — plus specific recovery actions. You keep the findings regardless of what happens next.
FREE — NO STRINGS ATTACHEDMarin Advisory was founded by Patrick Marin after 15 years of watching the same freight billing problems repeat across every company he worked for.
As a logistics operations leader at a major 3PL, he managed carrier negotiations, rate card compliance, and invoice reconciliation for high-volume shippers. Later, leading international freight for a global manufacturer, he coordinated ocean, air, and domestic LTL across dozens of carriers and regulatory environments.
The pattern was always the same: invoices get posted, variances surface late, and finance ends up chasing credits that should have been caught before close. He built Marin Advisory to fix that — systematically, with data, before your month-end.
Carrier management, rate negotiations, and invoice auditing at scale
Ocean, air, and domestic freight across international supply chains
HVAC, electrical, food, building materials, industrial MRO
Proprietary diagnostic engine built to surface errors AP can't
A one-page reference for controllers and finance teams — the most common billing errors we find in distribution company freight audits, with real dollar ranges and what to look for.
Get the Free Guide →Send a note. We'll walk you through how the diagnostic works and what to expect. No pitch, no pressure — just freight data.
patrick@marinadvisory.coFree 90-day diagnostic · No contracts · You keep the findings