20 required invoice fields
Every D&D invoice must contain all 20 data elements listed in the FMC Final Rule — omit any one and the billed party owes nothing. We check each field.
The most rigorous D&D dispute-recovery engine an importer can use.
Layline audits every ocean detention & demurrage invoice against the FMC's 20-field checklist, the contract's free-time terms, and the port/gate/vessel timeline — then files compliant waiver, mitigation, and refund requests. A maritime-admitted reviewer signs every release.
Every element of 46 CFR Part 54120 required invoice fields, gate-checkedDHSMV · USCG · UCC · judgment lien searchesSpecialist release on every pack5-business-day SLA
Why disputes fail
A single missing field can void the entire charge.
An importer's D&D recovery is only as strong as the audit behind it. Miss one of the 20 required invoice fields, skip a free-time term, mis-time the 30-day dispute window, or fail to document a port-congestion exception — and the carrier can refuse the waiver, and the charge stands.
Most importers run this by hand, from memory, once or twice a year. The FMC rule has not been read end-to-end since the last time it mattered. That is exactly where completeness gaps hide.
Layline exists to close that gap with a single, exhaustive standard applied identically to every file.
1 of 20
missing invoice fields is enough to void the obligation to pay
The benchmark
Measured against the letter of the FMC rule — subsection by subsection.
We do not summarize the law and hope. Every invoice is scored against a versioned rule pack tied to the exact text of 46 CFR Part 541. These are the provisions each audit is held to.
30-day issuance clock
The invoice must be issued within 30 calendar days of the container's return or availability. We verify the date deterministically.
Free-time terms
The invoice must reflect the free-time days actually contracted in the service contract or tariff. We match against the B/L and contract.
Force majeure & port holidays
Charges during port closures, holidays, or force majeure events are void. We cross-reference terminal schedules and customs holds.
Mitigation duty
Carriers must mitigate demurrage by offering extended free time or alternative gate appointments. We check for evidence of mitigation.
Dispute rights
The invoice must include a clear statement of the billed party's right to dispute and the process. We verify this disclosure.
How a recovery is built
Intake to specialist release, with deterministic gates the AI cannot overrule.
AI extracts and drafts. Deterministic rules — running as code, outside the model — decide what is complete. A human specialist signs every release. That order is never reversed.
01
Invoice Scan
Upload the D&D invoice and supporting documents (B/L, service contract, terminal timeline). We return a free completeness read: which required fields and terms are present, and which are missing.
02
Evidence & timeline assembly
As your authorized clerical agent, we order the port-availability, gate, chassis, and empty-return timeline from terminal systems and build the evidence log.
03
Grounded drafting
The waiver, mitigation, or refund request is drafted from your validated data and the Part 541 rule pack into field-locked templates — no legal opinions, no invented facts.
04
Deterministic completeness gates
The 20-field checklist is resolved; the 30-day clock is verified; free-time terms match the contract; force majeure exceptions are screened. Any failure blocks release.
05
Specialist release
A maritime-admitted reviewer reviews the exception queue and signs the release. High-value or complex disputes route to attorney review first.
06
Delivery
You receive the dispute packet: waiver/refund request, evidence log, timeline, and filing instructions — ready for the importer to send to the carrier.
The bar we hold
Rigor you can measure.
100%
Specialist-released
No dispute ships without a human signature.
5 days
Standard SLA
From complete intake to released dispute packet.
<1%
Critical-defect target
Tracked against a gold-standard audit library.
4
Evidence sources
Invoice · B/L · contract · terminal timeline, every applicable file.
Why Layline
Built to be the most thorough option an importer has.
Documentation-complete, by design
The deliverable is completeness itself — every required field and term accounted for or explicitly exception-coded. Nothing is left implicit.
Deterministic, not vibes
The gates that decide completeness are code, not a model's opinion. A drafting error cannot slip past a regulatory requirement.
In its lane, on purpose
We prepare documentation and run searches as your clerical agent. We never contact the carrier, give legal advice, or conduct the dispute.
Engagement
Flat fee, per released dispute packet. No contingency, ever.
Simple, predictable, and aligned with a documentation standard — not a cut of any recovery.
- A free Invoice Scan before you commit — see exactly what is missing.
- One flat fee per released Dispute Packet; disclosed pass-through evidence costs.
- Optional fixed-fee attorney review for high-value or complex disputes.
- Optional Continuity Add-on for FMC charge complaint filing, pre-dated to your 30-day window.
FAQ
Questions, answered precisely.
Is Layline a law firm?
No. Layline, a service of Your Deputy, Obuke LLC, provides documentation-completeness services. It is not a law firm, does not provide legal advice, and does not represent you in any legal matter. Attorney review is available and recommended for high-value or complex disputes.
Do you contact the carrier or collect the debt?
Never. Layline is not a debt collector and does not contact carriers or debtors. The importer remains the party responsible for sending all disputes and conducting any recovery.
What makes a dispute packet 'complete'?
Completeness is defined by the FMC rule: the 20 required invoice fields checked, the 30-day clock verified, free-time terms matched, force majeure exceptions screened, and mitigation duty assessed. Deterministic gates enforce each one before release.
How fast is it?
The standard SLA is five business days from complete intake to a specialist-released dispute packet. The free Invoice Scan is returned much sooner and tells you exactly what is still needed.
How are you priced?
A flat fee per released dispute packet, plus disclosed pass-through evidence costs. No contingency and no percentage of any recovered amount.
See what's missing before it costs you a recovery.
Start with a free Invoice Scan. Send your D&D invoice and supporting documents and we'll return a completeness read against every subsection of 46 CFR Part 541.
Documentation-completeness service · not legal advice · the importer sends every dispute.