Without a Systematic Audit, Non-Compliant Charges Get Paid
FMC reasonable practice rules require carriers to demonstrate that containers were actually available for retrieval before billing D&D for the corresponding period. Container availability timestamps, port congestion events, and carrier-controlled delays all affect whether a charge is permissible. Auditing each invoice line against Project44 container event data to apply that test is time-consuming enough that most import operations teams don't do it systematically — which means non-compliant charges typically get paid.
Invoice-Line Audit Against FMC Reasonable Practice Criteria, at Scale
An FMC compliance audit agent reads container availability event timestamps from Project44 for every shipment that generates a D&D invoice. It applies FMC Shipping Act 2022 reasonable practice criteria to each invoice line, identifies charges assessed during periods when container availability was not reasonably achieved by the carrier, and generates a formal dispute package. The VP of Import Operations reviews each flagged invoice and approves dispute submissions before they go to the carrier — maintaining full control over which disputes are filed and on what grounds.
Targeting $800K+ in Annual D&D Charge Recovery
This is a direct cost recovery and regulatory protection story. The agent targets recovery of $800,000 or more annually in impermissible D&D charges — charges that currently get paid because no one has time to audit 35% of invoices against container event logs manually. Manual audit effort drops 65–85%. The agent is live and auditing invoices in approximately 4 weeks. At the TEU volumes a Fortune 500 BCO runs, a systematic FMC compliance program also creates audit trail documentation that supports regulatory compliance and carrier contract enforcement.
How does the agent determine whether a D&D charge is non-compliant under FMC reasonable practice rules?
The agent reads container availability event timestamps from Project44 and applies FMC Shipping Act 2022 reasonable practice criteria: if container availability was not achieved during the period being billed — due to carrier-controlled delays, port congestion within the carrier's responsibility, or missing availability notification — the charge is flagged as potentially non-compliant.
Does the agent file disputes directly with the carrier?
No. The agent generates a dispute package with the supporting Project44 event data and the applicable FMC criteria. The VP of Import Operations reviews the flagged invoices and approves dispute submissions before any communication goes to the carrier. Human sign-off is required for every dispute.
What if a carrier disputes the Project44 timestamps used in the audit?
The dispute package includes the raw Project44 event data as the evidentiary basis. Where carrier systems and Project44 diverge, the package flags the discrepancy so the import team can decide whether to proceed with or modify the dispute claim.