Every parcel and pallet invoice on file,
re-read line by line. What was spent, what was billed in error, and what the
shipping profile itself is costing.
$1.97M
Parcel spend reviewed 5.4 months of invoices
103,434
Packages re-rated line by line
$590K
Identified savings annualized
PeriodNov 2025 – Apr 2026
CarriersUPS, FedEx
PreparedSeptember 21, 2026
BasisYour invoices only
01 Executive summary
$590K a year, priced from your own shipments.
Over 5.4 months Northwind Lighting spent $1,966,944 moving
103,434 packages and 525 pallet shipments.
Nothing below is a rate quote or a benchmark against other shippers. Each item is
priced by comparing your packages against your own comparable packages, so the saving
is available without renegotiating anything.
$1,966,944
Parcel spend, 5.4 months
$4.38M annualized
$19.02
Average cost per package
$1.21 per billed lb
25.3%
Of spend is surcharges
$498,426 measured
$590K
Identified annual savings
8 priced actions
Where the savings are, annualized
Four different numbers, kept apart on purpose
Number
Amount
What it is
Spend reviewed
$1,966,944
Every invoice line your carriers issued in the window.
Billing findings
$1,967.98
Charges the carrier owes back, filed as claims. Money returning to you.
Savings identified
$590,179
Annualized. Money not spent next time, once the actions below are taken.
Above your own norm
$75,682
Packages billed far above your median for the same lane. Mostly correct, but this is where a large bill hides.
Reading the annual figures. The invoices on file cover 5.4 months, from November 17, 2025 to April 29, 2026, not a full year. Every figure marked annualized is the measured amount scaled by 2.23× to a twelve-month equivalent. Measured amounts are stated separately and are never scaled.
What the carriers billed against what they agreed to.
Every shipment is re-rated against the signed agreement each week:
service level, weight, zone, every surcharge, fuel, and the guarantee where one
applies. A finding is a line the carrier owes back, filed and tracked to credit.
104,187
Shipments audited
279
Billing findings raised
$1,967.98
Claimed back from carriers
September 17, 2026
Last audit run
Carrier
Invoices covered
Shipments
Findings
Recovered
UPS
2025-08-18 → 2026-04-29
97,402
254
$1,553.07
FedEx
2025-09-09 → 2026-04-24
6,785
25
$414.91
Charges far above your own norm
Separately from contract findings, every package is
compared against the median you pay for the same carrier, service, zone and weight.
2,738 packages billed more than two standard deviations above that
norm, $75,682 above it in total. Most are correct but expensive:
they are where a large bill is usually hiding.
Tracking
Date
To
Billed
Paid
Typical
Above norm
Largest charges
1Z••••••4784
2025-11-27
TX
90 lb
$3,008.50
$254.10
$2,754.40
Shipping Charge Correction Over Maximum Size $1,775, Shipping Charge Correction Demand Surcharge - Over Max $540
1Z••••••9600
2026-02-20
TX
54 lb
$2,416.18
$81.41
$2,334.77
Shipping Charge Correction Over Maximum Size $1,875, Shipping Charge Correction Large Package Surcharge - Length + Girth $123
1Z••••••9539
2026-02-20
TX
54 lb
$2,416.18
$81.41
$2,334.77
Shipping Charge Correction Over Maximum Size $1,875, Shipping Charge Correction Large Package Surcharge - Length + Girth $123
1Z••••••9619
2026-02-20
AL
54 lb
$2,387.29
$52.88
$2,334.41
Shipping Charge Correction Over Maximum Size $1,875, Shipping Charge Correction Large Package Surcharge - Length + Girth $108
1Z••••••9735
2026-02-20
LA
54 lb
$2,409.09
$81.22
$2,327.87
Shipping Charge Correction Over Maximum Size $1,875, Shipping Charge Correction Large Package Surcharge - Length + Girth $123
1Z••••••9468
2026-02-20
MN
54 lb
$2,409.09
$81.22
$2,327.87
Shipping Charge Correction Over Maximum Size $1,875, Shipping Charge Correction Large Package Surcharge - Length + Girth $123
Ranked by annualized value. Every figure is the difference between
what you paid and what you paid for your own comparable packages, never a
published rate or a market benchmark.
Mode choice
Packages over the parcel size limit
$130K
a year
31 packages were billed an over-maximum charge, $58,615 in total (about $1,891 each). They exceeded the carrier's parcel limits and should have moved as LTL freight.
Why it happens
Above 150 lb or 165 inches of length plus girth a carrier still delivers the package but bills a flat over-maximum charge, roughly ten times a large-package surcharge, often as a later correction that never shows on the shipping label.
What to do
Add a hard stop in the shipping system: anything over the parcel limit routes to the LTL carrier. One pallet shipment costs a fraction of the fee.
$58,615 measured over 5.4 months, $130,454 annualized.
Examples from your invoices
Tracking
Date
Service
Zone
To
Billed
Actual
Dims in
Paid
Fee
1Z••••••9081
2025-12-23
Ground Residential
7
AZ
220
58
44 × 43 × 29
$3,212.26
$2,415.00
1Z••••••0588
2026-01-01
WW Saver
462
OH
260
216
43 × 42 × 20
$5,930.34
$2,360.00
1Z••••••7535
2026-01-06
Ground Commercial
2
PA
93
32
48 × 48 × 11
$3,002.98
$2,360.00
1Z••••••8083
2026-01-09
Adjustments
4
IL
232
204
50 × 49 × 12
$2,769.04
$2,360.00
1Z••••••4784
2025-11-27
Ground Commercial
6
TX
90
52
50 × 50 × 12
$3,008.50
$2,315.00
How this is priced The over-maximum charges billed on these packages. Counted in full: the fee is avoided entirely when the shipment moves as freight, and the freight cost is typically well under the fee itself.
1,525 address-correction fees were billed ($20,759). 1,259 of them went to just 202 ZIP codes that were corrected more than once.
Why it happens
A correction fee is charged every time the carrier has to fix a ship-to address. The same wrong address in your order system pays the fee on every shipment.
What to do
Correct the repeat addresses at the source and add address validation at order entry. The top ZIP alone accounts for a large share of the fees.
$16,281 measured over 5.4 months, $36,235 annualized.
Examples from your invoices
Tracking
Date
Service
Zone
To
Billed
Actual
Dims in
Paid
1Z••••••7278
2026-03-09
Ground Hundredweight
5
SC
6
5
—
$96.43
1Z••••••3896
2026-01-21
Ground Hundredweight
4
IL
90
38
—
$273.12
1Z••••••1148
2026-02-25
Ground Hundredweight
8
CA
15
9
—
$109.08
1Z••••••3398
2026-02-09
Ground Hundredweight
6
CO
22
6
—
$92.27
1Z••••••4018
2026-02-05
Ground Hundredweight
4
TN
15
10
—
$104.12
Where it concentrates
ZIP
State
Times charged
Fees
731••
OK
86
$968.27
310••
GA
69
$774.87
917••
CA
39
$510.54
299••
SC
35
$457.99
341••
FL
36
$405.80
024••
MA
27
$303.56
How this is priced Correction fees billed to ZIP codes that were corrected two or more times in the window; a repeated correction points to a stored address rather than a one-off typo.
66,173 of 91,994 packages (72%) were billed on dimensional weight: 497,762 lb of billed weight above the actual 921,945 lb shipped.
Why it happens
Carriers bill the larger of actual weight and box volume. Air inside a box is billed at the same rate as product.
What to do
Right-size the box profiles below. A smaller carton on the top profiles moves the billed weight back toward the actual weight on every shipment.
$6,065 measured over 5.4 months, $13,498 annualized.
Examples from your invoices
Tracking
Date
Service
Zone
To
Billed
Actual
Dims in
Paid
1Z••••••9081
2025-12-23
Ground Residential
7
AZ
220
58
44 × 43 × 29
$3,212.26
1Z••••••0890
2026-02-02
Ground Commercial
8
CA
143
9
35 × 35 × 29
$244.27
1Z••••••1744
2026-02-19
Ground Commercial
8
CA
187
58
47 × 45 × 22
$2,444.94
1Z••••••7372
2025-12-26
WW Expedited
692
TX
163
35
57 × 36 × 11
$1,837.20
1Z••••••9628
2026-02-20
Ground Commercial
3
OH
177
54
51 × 51 × 17
$2,385.94
Your most-used box profiles
Box (in)
Packages
Actual
Billed
Air billed
Avg paid
To stop paying for air
22 × 22 × 8
95
7.8 lb
16.0 lb
+8.2 lb
$15.27
—
25 × 11 × 11
46
8.4 lb
13.0 lb
+4.6 lb
$13.18
3.6" shorter
20 × 19 × 19
44
11.8 lb
29.0 lb
+17.2 lb
$21.43
—
19 × 17 × 17
43
9.8 lb
22.0 lb
+12.2 lb
$17.31
—
12 × 12 × 4
43
1.5 lb
3.0 lb
+1.5 lb
$15.19
1.4" shorter
20 × 8 × 8
42
3.1 lb
6.0 lb
+2.9 lb
$14.64
3.3" shorter
How this is priced For each package with dimensions on the invoice that was billed above its actual weight: transportation plus fuel paid, minus the median you paid for a package of the same carrier, service, zone and actual weight that was billed at its real weight. Packages without dimensions, or with no such comparable, are counted but not priced.
963 packages carried an oversize charge totalling $159,113 (about $165 each). 29 of them exceeded the 130-inch length-plus-girth limit by 6 inches or less.
Why it happens
Once a carton passes 130 inches of length plus girth it is priced as an oversize package, a flat fee many times larger than the additional-handling fee that applies just below the line.
What to do
Re-spec the cartons that land between 130 and 136 inches. Reducing one dimension by an inch or two keeps the package under the oversize threshold.
$4,466 measured over 5.4 months, $9,939 annualized.
Examples from your invoices
Tracking
Date
Service
Zone
To
Billed
Actual
Dims in
Paid
1Z••••••0539
2026-03-03
Ground Commercial
5
AR
90
66
31 × 30 × 20
$179.58
1Z••••••2671
2026-03-24
Ground Residential
2
OH
90
56
27 × 27 × 25
$170.47
1Z••••••0983
2026-03-19
Ground Commercial
5
LA
49
25
27 × 27 × 25
$184.48
••••••1900
2026-04-06
Home Delivery
4
GA
90
16
29 × 29 × 22
$217.63
••••••7494
2026-04-09
Home Delivery
4
GA
90
39
27 × 27 × 25
$217.63
How this is priced Oversize fees billed on packages within 6 inches of the 130-inch limit, less the typical additional-handling fee you paid on other packages ($17.32), which would still apply.
29 express packages ($1,795) went to zones where your own ground shipments typically arrived within the express service's delivery window.
Why it happens
Short-zone ground delivers in one to two business days. Paying for overnight or two-day service on those lanes buys no extra speed.
What to do
Route short-zone shipments to ground unless a specific order needs a guaranteed morning delivery.
$1,154 measured over 5.4 months, $2,568 annualized.
Examples from your invoices
Tracking
Date
Service
Zone
To
Billed
Actual
Dims in
Paid
••••••8727
2026-04-21
FedEx 2Day AM
5
TX
24
24
20 × 14 × 9
$119.41
••••••8738
2026-04-21
FedEx 2Day AM
5
TX
24
24
20 × 15 × 9
$119.41
••••••7827
2026-01-30
FedEx 2Day AM
5
FL
17
14
25 × 13 × 13
$94.83
••••••8680
2026-04-21
FedEx 2Day AM
5
TX
14
14
18 × 10 × 8
$100.74
••••••8716
2026-04-21
FedEx 2Day AM
5
TX
12
12
20 × 14 × 9
$73.32
How this is priced An express package is flagged when the median transit of your ground packages to the same zone is within the express service's promised days (FedEx from delivery dates on the invoice; UPS from published ground transit by zone). Savings = express transportation and fuel minus the median you paid for a ground package of the same zone and billed weight.
These are real patterns in the data with no honest way to price them
from your invoices alone. They are listed so the total above stays conservative
rather than padded, and each becomes priceable with one more input.
Pattern
Category
Packages
What the data shows
Residential surcharges
Delivery type
26,734
26,734 packages (26%) carried a residential surcharge, $77,136 in total.
Several packages to one address on the same day
Consolidation
57,086
74,438 packages shipped as 17,352 same-day groups to a single ZIP code; 57,086 were second or later packages to an address already receiving one that day.
Delivery-area surcharges
Destinations
18,370
18,370 packages went to extended or remote delivery areas, adding $42,180 in delivery-area fees.
Why these are excluded from the total.
A residential delivery has no commercial twin in your own file to compare against,
and a consolidation saving depends on order timing we cannot see from an invoice.
Pricing them would require a rate card or your order data. We would rather show a
smaller number you can defend.
525 LTL shipments between
June 1, 2026 and June 30, 2026,
$209,664 of spend across 8 carriers and
42 states. Priced the same way as parcel: against your own
shipments on the same lanes.
An LTL bill is a computed number, not an itemized one. Class, billed
weight, the minimum charge and the accessorial list each move it independently of
the others.
Density against the class you were billed
Density band
Shipments
Spend
Class density supports
Classes billed
<2 lb/ft³
70
$24,407
not set by density
300 (65), 250 (3), 400 (1)
2-3 lb/ft³
153
$52,203
not set by density
250 (152), 125 (1)
3-4 lb/ft³
174
$63,720
not set by density
250 (167), 400 (4), 125 (2)
4-6 lb/ft³
100
$48,806
not set by density
175 (95), 250 (5)
6-8 lb/ft³
13
$7,869
175
125 (11), 400 (1), 250 (1)
8+ lb/ft³
10
$5,979
125
100 (6), 92 (2), 65 (1)
Under the classification standard in
force since July 2025, density sets the class only at 6 lb per cubic foot and
above. Below that the commodity's own classification governs, so a band marked
not set by density is not an error, it is decided another way.
Minimum charge: where the rate stops mattering
Carrier
Lowest charge seen
Shipments
At the floor
Share
Spend at floor
R+L Carriers
$212.87
157
13
8.3%
$2,772
Ward
$138.04
153
17
11.1%
$2,362
Estes
$218.01
65
8
12.3%
$1,756
Pitt Ohio
$169.71
50
27
54.0%
$4,610
Dayton Freight
$191.82
7
1
14.3%
$192
66 of 432 shipments
(15.3%) paid at or near the carrier's floor,
$11,693 in total. On those shipments the discount does
nothing: the floor is the rate.
153 shipments went to states where another carrier you already use charged less per hundredweight; at that carrier's rate they would have cost $27,557 less.
Why it happens
LTL pricing differs sharply by carrier and lane. Two carriers you already route to the same state can be 50% apart per hundredweight.
What to do
Set the lower-cost carrier as the default for these states in your routing guide, keeping the other for service exceptions.
$27,557 measured over 5.4 months, $335,274 annualized.
Detail
State
Carrier used
Cheapest carrier you use
Its cost per cwt
Shipments
Spend
At that rate, saves
TX
Estes
Ward
$124
18
$6,775
$3,616
FL
Estes
R+L Carriers
$205
11
$5,109
$2,180
PA
Pitt Ohio
Ward
$100
8
$3,121
$2,002
CA
Estes
R+L Carriers
$243
5
$3,363
$1,907
OH
Pitt Ohio
Ward
$65
5
$1,847
$1,509
NY
Estes
Ward
$122
5
$2,185
$1,456
How this is priced For each destination state, the carrier with the lowest median cost per hundredweight among carriers you used there 3+ times. Each shipment on another carrier is re-priced at that median times its weight; only positive differences count. Assumes the cheaper carrier serves the same points with comparable transit.
Class-250 pallets one packing change from class 175
$59K
a year
167 shipments ($59,680) at 3-4 lb per cubic foot are billed class 250. Your own shipments at 4-6 lb per cubic foot are billed class 175.
Why it happens
Freight class follows density for most palletized commodities, and the class on the bill sets the base rate. Your carriers already price your denser pallets at a cheaper class.
What to do
Review pallet build on this cohort: shorter stacks, double-stacked cases or a tighter carton raise density into the 4-6 lb band your carriers already bill at class 175.
$4,857 measured over 5.4 months, $59,089 annualized.
Detail
Carrier
Shipments
Spend
Priced
Est. saving
R+L Carriers
61
$25,042
18
$2,142
Ward
62
$19,753
40
$2,092
Estes
18
$8,351
2
$301
Pitt Ohio
23
$5,581
15
$321
Dayton Freight
3
$952
0
$0
How this is priced Each cohort shipment is repriced at your own median cost per hundredweight for class-175 freight on the same carrier (and destination state where three or more shipments exist). Where your class-175 rate is not lower, no saving is counted. The target class is what your carriers actually bill at that density, not the published NMFC density scale, which since July 2025 only determines class from 6 lb per cubic foot up and leaves lighter freight to the item's own classification.
Every invoice line your carriers issued between November 17, 2025
and April 29, 2026: 103,434 packages across
UPS, FedEx, plus 525 LTL shipments.
Not a sample. Not a summary invoice. The line detail.
How savings are priced
Every saving in this report is the difference between what you paid for a package
and what you paid for your own comparable packages: same carrier, same service, same
zone, same weight. No published rate table, no market benchmark and no assumed
discount enters the calculation.
The consequence is that the figures are conservative by design. Where a package has
no comparable in your own file it is counted in the volume but contributes nothing to
the saving, and each opportunity states how many of its packages were priced.
Annualization
The invoices on file cover 5.4 months. Figures labeled annualized are the
measured amount multiplied by 2.23. That assumes the next twelve months look
like the months measured. Where your volume is seasonal, read the measured figure and
treat the annual one as a run rate rather than a forecast.
What limits the analysis
UPS invoices do not carry delivery dates, so transit and delivery-speed figures cover FedEx packages only.
Most UPS packages arrive without dimensions on the invoice; box-size analysis uses FedEx packages and UPS billed-vs-entered weight.
Savings and audit findings are counted separately and never added together.
A finding is money a carrier owes back; a saving is money not spent next time.
Nothing in this report depends on changing carriers or renegotiating an
agreement. Those are separate conversations with separate numbers.
Independence. ebb Logistics is paid by you and never by a
carrier. No carrier sees this report, and no findings here are shared with one except
as a claim filed on your behalf.
Stop the over-limit packages. A hard stop in the shipping system for
anything past the carrier's parcel limit is a configuration change, not a project,
and it is the largest single line in this report.
Fix the addresses at capture. Address correction fees are charged per
package and are almost entirely avoidable with validation at order entry.
Re-cut the top box profiles. The profiles listed in the packaging section
are ranked by what each costs you a year, so the first three are worth doing alone.
Keep the audit running. Findings expire. Carrier agreements give a limited
window to dispute a charge, which is why this runs weekly rather than quarterly.
Talk it through
Half an hour on the findings, with the
invoice lines open. No contract needed to have the conversation.
ebb Logistics Wilmington, North Carolina info@ebblogic.com ebblogistics.com
ebb Logistics