Akru vs. a freight collection agency for detention
Pick Akru for routine detention you keep failing to bill — it detects it from your ELD and builds an evidence-backed invoice you send up front, for a flat $39/mo while you keep 100% of what you recover.
Use a collections agency when a bill has already gone bad — an aged, disputed, or defaulted receivable, a bankrupt broker — especially if it needs legal forwarding, which Akru does not do.
Why: A collections agency cleans up debt after it sours; Akru prevents detention from souring in the first place — so they’re sequential tools, not the same purchase.
Akru vs. the alternative, line by line
| Feature | Akru | Collections agency |
|---|---|---|
| When it helps | Before the bill goes bad (proactive) | After an invoice is unpaid or disputed |
| Finds unbilled detention from your ELD | Yes | No |
| Builds the invoice for you | Yes — with ELD timestamps as evidence | No — you bring the debt to collect |
| Legal forwarding / litigation | No | Yes — many advance filing/legal costs |
| Handles broker bankruptcy & offsets | No | Yes — a core specialty |
| Fee model | Flat $39/mo — keep 100% of recoveries | Contingency, quoted per claim (not public) |
| Upfront cost | $0 — 14-day free trial | $0 — "no recovery, no fee" |
| ELD integration (Samsara, Motive) | Yes | No |
| Best fit | Routine, recurring detention billing | Aged, defaulted, or disputed debt |
What each one actually costs
Flat subscription — bill detention before it goes bad
- $39/month or $390/year, 14-day free trial
- Keep 100% of recovered detention — no contingency cut
- Predictable flat cost vs. per-claim contingency quoting
Rate quoted per claim — typically not published
- No upfront / monthly: most work "no recovery, no fee" (e.g. Reesor & Associates)
- Rate commonly varies with invoice age, amount, debtor status, and whether court action is needed
- Some advance filing and legal costs for qualifying claims
- Industry contingency rates commonly run ~10–25% of what’s recovered, rising toward ~50% for old or small debts; transportation rates are usually quoted per claim, not published
Akru is a flat $39/mo subscription and you keep 100% of recovered detention. Collection-agency contingency rates are case-by-case and generally not advertised, so the competitor figure must be confirmed with the specific agency. (B2B freight collections are commercial debt, not consumer debt under the FDCPA.)
Who each one is honestly right for
Detention you’re entitled to but keep forgetting to bill
Akru catches it automatically from ELD and invoices before it ever ages.
A broker that went bankrupt or vanished owing you money
Recovering defaulted or bankrupt-debtor receivables is exactly what a transportation collections agency does — Akru does not.
A shipper flatly refusing a detention bill you already sent
Once it’s a genuine dispute or aged debt, an agency or transportation attorney can escalate, including to court.
Ongoing, high-volume detention across many shippers
A flat $39/mo with automated billing beats per-claim contingency quoting for routine, recurring detention.
Where a collections agency genuinely wins
- Recovers debt that has already gone bad — aged invoices, disputes, broker bankruptcies, double-payment and offset claims.
- Can forward to attorneys and pursue collection in court; many advance the legal and filing costs.
- No software or process change — you simply hand over a debt to chase.
- The right tool once a receivable is genuinely in default, which is outside Akru’s proactive-billing scope.
- Specialize in the hard cases — cross-border, surety/bond, and broker-default claims that may need legal escalation, which is outside Akru’s scope.
How hard is it to move?
This isn’t a switch — the two work in sequence. Run Akru to bill and collect detention as it happens, and keep a collections agency on call for the rare receivable that still goes into default.
- 01
Connect your ELD to Akru
Link Samsara or Motive read-only; Akru detects detention and invoices with timestamp evidence.
- 02
Let proactive billing reduce bad debt
Evidence-backed invoices sent on time mean fewer claims ever reach the collections stage.
- 03
Escalate true defaults to an agency
For an aged, disputed, or defaulted bill, hand it to a transportation collections agency or attorney.
- 04
Keep them separate
Akru handles routine recovery; the agency handles legal collections — neither replaces the other.
Common questions
Does Akru take shippers to court to collect?
No. Akru does proactive, evidence-based detention billing and collection — it sends invoices with ELD timestamps and follows up automatically. It does not forward debt to attorneys or litigate. For a defaulted or disputed bill that needs legal action, a transportation collections agency or attorney is the right tool.
When should I use a collections agency instead of Akru?
When a bill has already gone bad: an aged or disputed receivable, a shipper refusing to pay after you billed, or a broker that defaulted or went bankrupt. Agencies specialize in recovering debt that’s already in trouble.
Can I use both?
Yes, and most carriers should. Akru bills and collects detention as it happens so less of it ever goes bad; an agency stays on call for the rare claim that ends up in default.
What does a collections agency charge?
Commercial collection agencies typically charge a contingency fee of ~10–25% of what they recover, rising toward ~50% for older or smaller debts. Transportation collection rates are generally quoted per claim and not publicly listed, so confirm directly with the agency.