Methodology
How SurchargeCheck reviews an invoice
Every calculation runs locally from the CSV you open. The rules below are heuristics for human review, not a determination that a carrier billed incorrectly.
What we calculate
For each readable row we take base charge, surcharge line items, and total. If a total is missing, it is reconstructed as base plus surcharges. If surcharge is missing, it is reconstructed as total minus base when both exist. File-level metrics then include total shipments, total spend, total base charges, total surcharge spend, surcharge percentage, average shipment cost, average surcharge, highest shipment cost, and highest surcharge.
Review heuristics
1. High surcharge
Each shipment’s surcharge rate is surcharge ÷ total. We compare that rate to the median surcharge rate in the same file. A shipment is flagged only when its total is greater than zero and its surcharge is at least $8, and its rate is either at least 45% or at least the higher of 1.75× the median and 8 percentage points above the median. This catches stacked accessorials on otherwise ordinary shipments.
2. High total
Shipments in the top 5% of total cost in the file are flagged as unusually high. The threshold is the smallest total still inside that top band, so ties at the cutoff are included.
3. Potential duplicate
Rows that share the same non-empty tracking or invoice identifier and the same total (to the cent) are treated as a duplicate group. The first occurrence is left as the original; later rows are flagged as a potential duplicate.
4. Repeated surcharge
For each surcharge category except fuel — which is expected on most carrier invoices — we measure how often the fee appears. If a category appears on 45% or more of shipments, it is marked “unusually frequent” on the surcharge breakdown. This is a file-level finding, not a flag on every matching row. Fuel is reported in the breakdown but not treated as a repeated-surcharge issue.
5. High surcharge category
Categories are ranked by dollars spent. The largest category is labeled on the dashboard. This is a concentration view, not a per-shipment flag.
Estimated review opportunity
The dashboard figure labeled Estimated review opportunity is a heuristic, not recoverable savings. It adds:
- The billed total of potential duplicate rows after the first occurrence.
- For high-surcharge shipments that are not counted as duplicate extras, the surcharge dollars above this file’s median surcharge rate.
We never describe this number as guaranteed savings, fraud, an overcharge, or money you are owed. Language in the product stays at “potential issue,” “review recommended,” “unusually high,” and “potential duplicate.”
What this is not
SurchargeCheck does not read contracts, carrier invoices in PDF form, or account-specific rate cards. It cannot tell whether a residential surcharge was allowed under your agreement. A flagged row is a prompt to look, not a conclusion.