What does a freight broker reconciliation report contain?
Last reviewed 2026-08-19
A line for every load where the two sides did not agree, grouped by finding type, with a count and subtotal for each. Every figure carries the source document and line it came from, so any line can be checked without redoing the work, and the total is annualised so a month reads as a run rate.
- One line per load, with both amounts and the document each figure came from.
- Grouped by finding type with a count and subtotal, because a recurring type matters more than any single line.
- Three finding types: costs never rebilled, the same load paid twice, and customer charges with no carrier cost behind them.
- Findings are annualised, because a quarter number invites a thank-you and a run rate invites a decision.
- A month with nothing to report still produces a record of what was checked, against how many rules.
The structure
The report is a list, not a narrative. Each row is one load where the carrier settlement and the customer invoice did not agree, showing the date, the load number, both amounts, and which document each figure came from. Rows are grouped by finding type rather than by date, because three instances of the same type in one month says something a single instance does not: whatever let it through is still running.
The three finding types
First, costs you paid a carrier and never billed back to the customer, which is the largest category and the reason the work exists. Second, the same load paid to a carrier twice, which becomes more common once a factoring company is in the chain. Third, charges on a customer invoice with no carrier cost behind them, which protects you rather than pays you: it is the finding that surfaces in a customer dispute, and it is better to find it first.
Why every figure carries its source
A finding you cannot trace is an assertion, and an assertion is not something you can take to a customer or a carrier. Each figure in the report names the document and line it came from, so anyone on your team can pull that document and confirm it independently. This also means the report survives the question that kills most recovery work, which is a CFO asking how a number was arrived at.
What a clean month looks like
Sometimes there is nothing to find. In that case the report states what was checked: how many records, from which files, against how many rules. That is not a failed month. Reconciliation is a control you run every period rather than a hunt you win or lose, and the record that a period was checked and came back clean is worth having on file.
Common questions
How long does the first report take?
About a week from receiving the two exports, and roughly ten minutes of work on your end to produce them.
What format does it come in?
A spreadsheet you can sort and filter, or a printable summary. Both carry the same source references, so either can be handed to a customer or a carrier as-is.
Do you need access to our systems?
No. Exports only. On a monthly plan the exports can be pushed automatically, but no logins are required at any point.
See your own number, free
A free three-month review reconciles your real data and shows you exactly what is recoverable. You keep the findings.