In shipping, a freight charge is the total cost of moving goods, which often exceeds the base rate. Accessorial charges are added for extra services beyond standard pickup and delivery. For shippers, logistics managers and procurement teams, understanding accessorial fees is critical to controlling freight spend and improving supply chain efficiency.
The key to navigating accessorial charges is to plan ahead. Understand which charges may apply to your consignment and how you can prevent some of these charges and avoid surprise fees.
What Are Accessorial Charges in Freight?
Accessorial charges are extra fees added to the base freight cost when a shipment needs services beyond standard pickup and delivery. In freight shipping, the base rate covers moving freight from dock to dock. But real-world deliveries often come with added needs, like liftgates, inside delivery or waiting times. Carriers charge for these extras to cover the time, labor or equipment required.
For example, if a shipment goes to a jobsite and needs a liftgate, the carrier charges an accessorial fee. These charges protect carriers from unexpected labor or time demands, while helping shippers budget for true shipping costs.
Common Types of Accessorial Charges
Unexpected costs can derail budgets and delay delivery. Accessorial charges are a common challenge for various businesses, and here are the most common of those:
- Liftgate service: When the delivery destination doesn’t have a loading dock, you require a liftgate. This lowers freight from the truck to the ground.
- Residential delivery or pickup: Shipping from or to a home often needs smaller trucks or special handling, adding a surcharge to your bill.
- Limited access location: Deliveries to sites that require extra effort or are harder to reach, like hospitals, schools, construction zones or military bases, are often charged extra.
- Inside pickup or delivery: When the driver must go beyond the front door or dock to complete the delivery, such as placing items inside a building or carrying them up an elevator, you incur an extra charge.
- Detention: Detention refers to the fee if a driver is delayed at delivery or pickup beyond the allowed free time, which is usually 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the carrier.
- Reconsignment: If the delivery address changes after the shipment is already in transit, you incur a reconsignment charge.
- Layover: If a driver has to wait overnight due to a missed delivery window or appointment delay, there is a layover charge.
- Sort and segregate: Sort/Seg fees apply when freight must be sorted by SKU, product type or delivery location at the time of delivery.
Fuel Surcharges and Additional Handling Charges
Freight rates can depend on more than weight and distance. Fuel surcharges and additional handling charges can also significantly impact your final bill. Knowing how these work helps you budget accurately and better communicate with carriers. Fuel surcharges help carriers offset fluctuating fuel costs. They are calculated as a percentage of the base freight rate and adjusted based on national fuel prices. Ask carriers for their current fuel surcharge index or check if it’s tied to a national benchmark like the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) website.
Additional handling charges apply when freight needs more attention than standard dock-to-dock handling. This is common with irregular shapes, high-risk items and shipments that slow down loading or unloading. Oversized pallets or packages, non-stackable freight and high-value goods are all liable for additional handling charges.
What Is an Arbitrary Charge in Shipping?
Where accessorial charges are applied to what the freight needs, arbitrary charges are applied to where or how the freight moves. Carriers apply these charges when transporting goods through areas that are more expensive to serve, such as remote regions, congested ports or international border zones. You can expect these charges for shipments through congested ports, intermodal or cross-border freight, or deliveries to places like Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Canada and Alaska.
How Accessorial Fees Impact Freight Costs
Accessorial fees can significantly increase your total freight bill. While base rates cover standard pickup and delivery, these extra charges apply when shipments require added time, equipment or labor.
Budgeting for Freight Accessorial Charges
You can reduce freight shipping costs and unexpected accessorial fees through transparency. Give your logistics partner accurate shipment details and site limitations, consolidate shipments, and ensure the receiver is ready and available to avoid detention and redelivery charges. To control freight spend, build accessorials into your budgeting process:
- Review historical shipments: Look at past invoices to identify recurring accessories like detention or inside delivery.
- Use detailed freight quotes: Ask carriers to break out all potential fees upfront, not just the linehaul.
- Create a cost buffer: Add a buffer to freight budgets for common accessorials, especially in last-mile or less-than-truckload (LTL) deliveries.
- Use technology: Transportation management system (TMS) platforms can flag shipments that are likely to trigger added fees based on delivery details and location type.
Best Practices for Accessorial Management
Managing accessorials starts with clear communication, accurate data and proactive planning. These best practices help avoid surprise charges and keep freight costs under control.
Review Carrier Agreements
Ensure you fully understand what is and isn’t included in the carrier agreement. Read the fine print so you know what the accessorial fees are for carriers, as these may be listed separately from the base rate. Confirm how and when charges apply and review surcharge updates quarterly, as these often change with market conditions.
Communication and Documentation Tips
Clear, complete information prevents surprises. Always list full pickup and delivery details when booking a shipment, including the address type, dock availability, business hours and any special equipment carriers may need. It is also important to use consistent language on your bill of lading (BOL) and keep delivery slips, timestamps, driver notes and photos where applicable.
Leverage Technology for Transparency
Use data and automation to catch accessorial risks early. Enable automated freight auditing to catch incorrect charges and generate disputes with supporting documentation. Use a TMS and monitor historical data to track which accessorials are most frequent and costly. Then adjust your processes or negotiate accordingly.
Resolving Billing Issues Related to Accessorial Charges
Billing issues often come down to miscommunication or a lack of documentation. Here is how to resolve billing issues effectively:
- Audit all freight invoices: Review each charge line by line and compare your shipment details with the original quote.
- Dispute incorrect charges quickly: If a charge seems inaccurate, dispute it within the carrier’s billing window. Provide supporting documents like delivery notes, photos or the BOL.
- Keep a record of carrier agreements: Document agreed services and rates clearly. Proper records help resolve conflict over whether an accessorial fee was authorized or necessary.
Let Nationwide Transport Services Help Optimize Your Freight Costs
Accessorial charges are a normal part of freight shipping, but they don’t have to be unpredictable. By knowing what they are, planning for them and using best practices around communication, carrier agreements and technology, you can minimize surprises and protect your bottom line. The more visibility you have into these fees, the more control you’ll have over your freight operations.
At Nationwide Transport Services, we have been an industry-leading logistics partner to many businesses since 2009, with an Inc. 5000 recognition. From dispatch to delivery, we have dedicated transport specialists expertly handling your transport needs. We offer comprehensive freight shipping solutions and international import and export services for your business needs. With us, you get a dedicated professional logistics agent and specialists to support accurate invoicing, flexible payment options and reliable deliveries.
Contact Nationwide Transport Services for a free quote and expert freight management.