LanePilot Blog
LTL freight, plainly explained.
Practical guides on LTL freight, carrier rates, invoice auditing, and building smarter shipping operations.
Old Dominion, Saia, XPO Q2 2026 Rate Comparison
Old Dominion, Saia, and XPO each reported Q2 2026 earnings in the same week, and each told a different story about rates. One carrier's per-hundredweight rate rose, another's fell, here is what each company's own numbers actually said.
OS&D Charges on a Freight Bill, Explained
OS&D means overage, shortage, and damage: the three ways a shipment can arrive not matching its bill of lading. Here is what it means for your freight bill and how to document it before you sign.
LTL Freight Payment Dispute: The 2026 Process
The LTL freight payment dispute process runs on five stages and three federal clocks. Here is what to expect at each stage in 2026, and why Q4 2026 is shaping up to be a heavier dispute quarter.
How to Evaluate LTL Carriers: 7 Key Criteria
Learn the seven criteria that actually predict whether an LTL carrier will perform: on-time rate, claims history, financial stability, coverage, and pricing transparency, not just the quoted rate.
How to Audit LTL Freight Bills Without a TMS
A step-by-step guide to auditing LTL freight bills by hand: what documents to gather, what to check on every invoice, and when the manual process stops scaling.
How Much Are LTL Freight Billing Errors Costing You?
Estimates of freight billing errors vary widely, but even on the conservative side, commonly cited figures put recoverable overcharges at 3% to 8% of freight spend. Here is how to size the number for your own freight, and why the only figure that matters is your own.
Duplicate Freight Invoice: How to Catch It
A duplicate freight invoice bills the same LTL shipment twice, usually under a new invoice number so the repeat is not obvious. Here is why it happens, how to catch it, and how the law treats getting the money back.
How to Determine Freight Class (Step by Step)
Freight class comes down to measuring your shipment, calculating its density, and matching that number to the current NMFC scale. Here is the exact process, plus why getting it wrong is what causes reclassification fees later.
Carrier Freight Claim Response Time: 60 Days
Federal regulation sets the clock on a freight claim, not the carrier's claims department. Here is the actual statutory timeline: the 60-day response deadline, the filing window that comes before it, and the escalation path if a carrier goes quiet.
Fuel Surcharge Errors on LTL Freight Bills
A fuel surcharge error means the carrier's surcharge line does not match its own published diesel-index table, whether from a stale index week, a miskeyed tier, or a surcharge wrongly applied to accessorials. Here is how to catch it and get it corrected.
FedEx Freight LTL Rates After the Spinoff: What to Know
FedEx Freight became an independent public company on June 1, 2026. Here is what its first quarter of standalone earnings, its bundled-contract changes, and its most recent rate increase actually tell shippers about pricing ahead.
How to Book an LTL Shipment: A Step-by-Step Guide for Shippers
Booking an LTL shipment comes down to five things: accurate shipment details, a real freight class, a compared quote, a matching bill of lading, and a check of the invoice once it lands. Here is each step in order.
What Is an LTL Billing Error? A Shipper's Complete Guide
An LTL billing error is any charge on a freight invoice that does not match your quote, weight, class, or the service the carrier actually performed. Here are the five types that show up most, and how to catch them.
How LTL Carrier Billing Error Detection Actually Works
LTL carrier billing error detection works by matching every invoice charge against the original quote and shipment record, field by field, then flagging anything that does not match. Here is the actual mechanics behind that matching, and why checking every invoice catches what a manual spot check misses.
Inbound Freight Audit: The Blind Spot Costing Small Manufacturers
Small manufacturers audit outbound freight closely but rarely check inbound freight, because suppliers control routing and the buyer never sees the original quote.
NMFC Density-Based Reclassification: What Changed in 2026
NMFTA has shifted NMFC freight classification toward density (weight per cubic foot) instead of commodity description. Here is what changed in the 2025-2026 dockets and what it means for your LTL bills.
LTL Accessorial Charges You Can Actually Fight (or Skip)
Not every accessorial charge is worth disputing. Here is an honest, evidence-based read on liftgate, limited access, reweigh, redelivery, and reclassification charges, rated for how winnable each one really is.
4 LTL Invoice Overcharges Carriers Bury in the Fine Print
Reweighs, reclassifications, unauthorized accessorials, and rate mismatches are the four LTL overcharges that slip through most often. Here is how to catch each one with just your invoice and the original quote.
Freight Overcharge Recovery: How Shippers Get Money Back
Freight overcharge recovery is the process of finding billing errors on LTL invoices and getting the money back before the legal window closes. Here is how to build that process instead of catching errors one invoice at a time.
Unapplied Freight Discount Recovery: Getting Your Rate Honored
A negotiated carrier discount that never makes it onto the invoice is not a rounding error, it is money the carrier already agreed to give back. Here is how to catch an unapplied discount and recover it.
Disputing an LTL Overcharge Under 49 U.S.C. § 13710
The federal statute that governs LTL billing disputes gives shippers a real legal right to contest overcharges, on a specific timeline. Here is what 49 U.S.C. § 13710 actually says and how it applies to your claim.
Why Was I Charged an Accessorial Fee? A Shipper's Guide
An accessorial fee covers a service outside standard pickup and delivery, like a liftgate or residential stop, but carriers also bill them in error. Here is how to tell the difference and get the wrong ones refunded.
Freight Bill Audit: The Complete Guide for LTL Shippers
A freight bill audit compares every LTL invoice charge against your original quote and shipment paperwork to catch billing errors and recover money owed. Here is what it checks, why it matters, and how to run one step by step.
How to Audit an LTL Freight Invoice: A Step-by-Step Guide for Shippers
Learn how to audit LTL freight invoices step by step. Catch billing errors, file disputes within the 180-day window, and recover overcharges automatically.
How to Compare LTL Carriers Without a TMS: A Guide for Midwest Manufacturers
LanePilot is the LTL TMS for small shippers, not a freight broker. Midwest manufacturers can compare the carriers they ship with instantly, no TMS required.
How to Dispute an LTL Freight Invoice and Recover Overcharges
A step-by-step process for identifying LTL billing errors, gathering proof, and filing a dispute within your legal window, so you get overcharges refunded instead of writing them off.
Amazon Freight LTL Rates in 2026: What Changed and Why It Matters
Amazon Freight opened its LTL network to all US businesses in June 2026 while FedEx Freight spun off into an independent company. Here is what actually changed and what it means for your next carrier comparison.
Freight Bill Audit and Payment Automation: Why Spot-Checks Fail
Freight bill audit and payment automation replaces one-off invoice checks with a rule that runs on every bill. Learn why manual auditing breaks down as shipment volume grows, and what changes when the audit runs automatically.
LTL Carrier Performance Scorecard: Track Every Carrier Over Time
Learn how to build an LTL carrier performance scorecard that tracks on-time delivery, damage claims, invoice accuracy, and dispute resolution time, so you catch a slipping carrier before it costs real money.
LTL Freight Dispute Letter Template: How to Recover Overcharges
A free LTL freight dispute letter template plus the step-by-step process for disputing weight, accessorial, fuel surcharge, and duplicate billing errors before your 180-day window closes.
How to Read an LTL Freight Invoice Line by Line
LTL billing errors turn up more often than most shippers realize. Learn how to read an LTL freight invoice line by line, spot the five most common billing errors, and recover them within the 180-day dispute window.
LTL Freight Reclassification in 2026: What Midwest Shippers Need to Know (and How to Dispute It)
LTL freight reclassification charges are hitting 2026 invoices. Learn what triggers a reclass, how to spot it, and how to dispute it within the 180-day window. Free dispute letter template included.
What Is LTL Freight? A Plain-English Guide for Shippers
LTL (Less-Than-Truckload) freight lets you ship smaller loads without paying for a full truck. Here's how it works, when to use it, and how to avoid the most common mistakes.
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