Free-time duration
Whether the agreed duration was applied.
Rail wagons
Wagon demurrage audit: the clock that has to stop
Wagon demurrage is billed hourly, not daily, and the free-time clock stops on weekends, holidays, and during customs procedures. Each of these rules is a place where the calculation can go wrong. We check demurrage invoices against your own contract.
What we don't do. We don't file the claim with the carrier on your behalf. We detect discrepancies, recalculate the hours, and prepare a substantiation referencing the specific contract clause. You submit the claim yourself under your own carriage contract.
We don't check whether the demurrage rate is "correct" — that's set by the carrier's tariff or your contract. We check whether the rate you agreed on was applied, and whether the hours were counted according to the agreed rules.
Why wagon demurrage is more complex than container demurrage
Wagon demurrage statement · No. WD-2026-0442 · wagon 24 51 4567 890-1 · Kena
Demurrage 78 h × €1.20/h93.60 €
Shunting charge18.00 €
Total111.60 €
Contract clause 6.1 and the customs stop
free 24 h · customs stop 24 h with evidence
chargeable 30 h = €36.00
Difference 57.60 €
Container demurrage is calculated in days, from discharge to empty return. The calculation is simple.
Wagon demurrage is calculated in hours, and every hour begun is billed as a full hour. Free loading time starts with the wagon's placement or an agreed service window, and its duration ranges in contracts from seven to forty-eight hours.
Most importantly — the clock stops. On weekends and public holidays, demurrage is typically not counted. It also stops during customs, tax, or police inspections, as long as the inspection isn't delayed by the shipper itself.
For certain high-demand wagon types, the rate doubles from a certain day. That means an error at the tier boundary costs double.
What we check
Weekends and holidays
Whether they were deducted per the contract and the correct country (in Germany, federal state) calendar.
Customs procedures
Whether the clock was suspended during the inspection.
Placement time
Whether free time started counting from the correct moment.
Escalation tiers
Whether the doubled rate was applied from the correct hour.
Wagon category
Whether the rate matches the wagon type.
Double charging
Whether demurrage and track usage weren't charged together when the contract doesn't provide for it.
How it works
01Send us your demurrage invoices and contract
Invoices usually state the wagon's placement and release times. From the contract we take the free-time duration, rates, and suspension rules.
02We recalculate the hours
The clock starts at placement, is suspended per the rules set in the contract and the country's holiday calendar.
03You get the substantiation
Wagon, placement and release time, billed hours, correct hours, difference, and a reference to the specific contract clause. Not a general suspicion. All of it downloads as a PDF audit report — including what was checked and found correct. It is a report, not a claim: you submit that to the carrier under your own contract. This is not caution for its own sake: the claim arises from your contract, and asserting it on your behalf is a legal service — in Germany only registered providers may offer it (RDG).
What we can't check
If the demurrage invoice doesn't state the wagon's placement or release time, recalculation is impossible — the carrier needs to be asked.
If the contract doesn't establish whether demurrage is counted on weekends, we don't guess the rule. In that case no finding is generated.
Customs-procedure suspension is only checked when you have proof of the procedure's timing — a customs document or a terminal record.
For German stations, the correct holiday calendar depends on the federal state the station is in — a new station needs that state specified before checking can start, otherwise the check won't run.
Pricing
Historic audit — 25% of the amount actually recovered (capped at €5,000/case, minimum €100), or a fixed price of €1,490 for an archive audit. If nothing is recovered (with the success-fee option) — €0. For clients in Germany and Austria, only the fixed price is available. Minimum scope — 50 demurrage invoice lines.
Ongoing monitoring — €99/mo. Every new demurrage invoice is checked before payment, and if billing runs over a weekend you get an alert. Covers both demurrage AND track-usage (Gleismiete) invoice checking — no separate add-on for the latter.
Before you start: how long you have to bring a claim — the scope of a historic audit is limited by the limitation period, not by your archive.
Activated after a short call, not instant self-service.
Frequently asked questions
Do you also check wagon rental/track-usage (Gleismiete) fees, not just demurrage?
Yes. We check track-usage invoices exactly the same way as demurrage — whether the agreed daily rate was applied, whether the fee even applies to this wagon, and whether the same period wasn't double-charged together with demurrage.
What if the demurrage invoice doesn't state the wagon's placement and release times?
Without them, recalculation is impossible — we don't generate a finding, we don't guess. The first step in that case isn't a calculation, it's a request to the carrier for the times.
Do I need to switch carriers?
No. We work with any carrier's invoices under your own contract and never touch the carrier relationship.
How is the correct holiday calendar determined for German stations?
By station, not by your or the carrier's country of registration — in Germany, some holidays only apply in individual federal states. A new station needs its federal state specified before checking can start.
How long are uploaded documents kept?
Original documents are kept for 24 months from upload, road toll documents for 48 months, customs documents for 40 months. After the period expires the original file is deleted automatically, the data extracted from it remains. If you want a specific document removed earlier (GDPR Art. 17), contact us by email — there's no self-service deletion button in the portal at the moment.
What is needed
- Demurrage invoices with the placement and release times (required)
If you do not have it: Without the invoices the audit cannot be carried out. - Carriage contract with the rate schedule (without it some of the checks will not work)
If you do not have it: Without the contract we cannot check whether the agreed free time and rate were applied — and that is where the largest amounts sit. - Evidence of customs or police procedures (preferred)
If you do not have it: Without them we cannot prove that demurrage was counted during the procedures.
Related articles
Rail
Wagon demurrage: how the hours are calculated and where errors arise
Demurrage is calculated hourly from the wagon's placement. Every hour begun is billed in full, and the rate can double.
Rail
When the demurrage clock stops: weekends, holidays, and customs procedures
Wagon demurrage is typically not counted on weekends and holidays, and the clock stops during customs inspections.
Rail
Surcharge codes in the CIM consignment note: how to identify what you're paying for
In the CIM consignment note, surcharges are marked with international codes. How they help separate demurrage from other charges.
Cross-reference
The rail module extracts SMGS and CIM consignment note data — wagon numbers, stations, and dates. The same data lets you cross-check a demurrage invoice against the actual carriage. Rail module
Other audit services
Excise refund
Excise refund reconciliation
Your intermediary only sees its own card transactions. We compare your fuel receipts against their refund report and show the unclaimed litres.
D&D audit
Terminal invoice audit
In terminal storage invoices the costliest error is the tier boundary and the interchange day.
Container demurrage
D&D audit
Demurrage and detention invoices, checked against your carrier contract.
Freight invoices
Freight invoice audit
Rate, fuel surcharge, accessorial charges and duplicates, checked against your carrier contract.
German Lkw-Maut
German toll audit
CO2 emissions class, axle and Euro class eligibility — checked against your vehicle documents. For the carrier with its own fleet.