If you happen to’ve ever seen that your freight bill is available in increased than anticipated, you are not alone. The distinction typically stems from freight accessorial fees — these additional freight charges carriers add when a cargo requires extra time, effort or gear.
These freight fees can range broadly relying on the service and scenario. As a result of they’re typically utilized after supply, they will make it more durable to forecast prices in your freight delivery operations. The excellent news? With a transparent understanding of how these fees work, you’ll be able to plan extra successfully and scale back surprises in your freight payments.
On this information, we’ll define the commonest accessorials you may see in each less-than-truckload (LTL) freight and truckload (TL) delivery, clarify why they exist and provide sensible ideas for managing — and even avoiding — these additional freight fees altogether.
Dealing with and Particular Services
- Liftgate Service: If a pickup or supply location doesn’t have a dock, a liftgate could also be required for freight weighing greater than 100 kilos. Carriers apply a liftgate price at any time when this gear is required. If a driver arrives with out one and the cargo should be rescheduled, extra freight fees are added for the delay. To keep away from additional prices, all the time notify the service of liftgate necessities throughout reserving, significantly for LTL freight, the place a number of stops improve the danger of miscommunication.
- Inside Supply: This freight accessorial cost applies when a driver should transfer cargo past the primary entry level (like a entrance door or loading dock). Duties like pushing a pallet jack up or down a ramp, carrying objects throughout a driveway or bringing freight inside a hallway require additional labor and time. Carriers invoice an inside supply price to cowl these efforts.
- Residential Supply: Delivering to a residence provides important complexity. Drivers should navigate slim streets, restricted parking and longer unloading instances, all of which justify a residential supply price. These fees are widespread in LTL freight, since TL delivery not often serves properties. Shippers delivering on to customers ought to account for this price of their freight delivery budgets.
- Restricted Entry Pickup/Supply: A restricted entry price is charged when a location is troublesome to enter, requires particular clearance or delays the driving force. Widespread examples embody army bases, faculties, prisons, hospitals, malls, development websites and conference facilities. Drivers might face restricted hours, safety checks or time spent discovering the consignee. Whereas typically unavoidable, this freight price can typically be decreased by offering carriers with detailed directions and contacts upfront.
- Metro Pickup/Supply: Deliveries in congested metropolitan areas typically set off a metro supply cost. Visitors, tight metropolis streets, restricted loading zones and parking restrictions improve supply instances. In some circumstances, freight should be transferred to smaller autos like sprinter vans or field vehicles to full ultimate mile supply. Cities resembling New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and different massive metropolitan areas are particularly recognized for these freight accessorial fees.
- Tradeshow/Exhibition Shipments: Commerce present freight requires exact scheduling to align with setup and teardown home windows. Drivers may have to attend, deal with sales space supplies or coordinate with occasion employees. Carriers deal with these shipments as premium white-glove companies, making use of a tradeshow supply price for the added coordination. Companies that commonly attend occasions ought to finances for these specialised freight charges.
- Blind Shipments: Blind delivery conceals the identification of the unique shipper from the consignee. The product seems to come back straight from your small business, even when it originated with a provider. Whereas this supplies model management, it requires particular documentation and processing. Carriers apply a blind cargo price for the additional coordination. For a lot of resellers, the advantages outweigh the fee.
- Driver Load/Unload: Normal loading and unloading are usually dealt with by warehouse employees. Nevertheless, when drivers should present bodily labor — resembling lifting freight, repositioning pallets or working liftgate gear — carriers add a driver load/unload price. This accessorial displays the extra effort past the driving force’s main function.
- Packaging Charge: Shipments that aren’t adequately packaged for transit may have extra preparation. Carriers might palletize unfastened objects, add shrink wrap or safe hundreds with straps. The packaging price covers supplies and labor to make sure freight strikes safely. Shippers can keep away from this freight accessorial cost by correctly packaging freight earlier than pickup.
- Pallet Jack Charge: When freight should be moved with a pallet jack as a substitute of forklifts or dock gear, carriers cost a pallet jack price. This guide dealing with requires extra effort and time, which is why it’s handed on as an additional freight price. Services with out docks or powered gear are the commonest sources of this cost.
- Tarping Charge: Freight moved on flatbed trailers may have tarps for cover in opposition to climate or street particles. Carriers apply a tarping price to cowl each the heavy-duty tarps and the driving force’s time to safe them. This accessorial is especially widespread in development, agriculture and heavy gear freight delivery.
- Kind & Segregation (LTL) / Driver Help (TL): In LTL freight, a number of shipments share one trailer, and dock employees might have to type and rely cargo to make sure accuracy. This course of ends in a kind and segregation price. In TL delivery, drivers might typically help with sorting or verifying items, which additionally results in an extra cost.
- Further Labor/Helper/Lumper: At many services — particularly grocery distribution facilities — third-party employees referred to as lumpers deal with loading and unloading. Carriers pay these employees, then cross the fee on as a lumper price. As a result of these fees are unavoidable at many websites, shippers ought to plan for them as a part of regular freight fees.
Time-Primarily based Costs
- Detention Charge: When shippers maintain drivers at a facility longer than scheduled, carriers apply a detention price (also called dwell time). This freight accessorial cost compensates for the driving force’s misplaced time and inconvenience. If a delay is anticipated, it could be potential to barter prolonged free time with the service to keep away from or decrease the freight price.
- Layover Charge: A layover price is charged when a driver should wait till the subsequent day to choose up or ship freight. As a result of layovers forestall the driving force from accepting different shipments, they are often expensive. Charges typically range for refrigerated, flatbed or different specialised freight delivery gear on account of increased working prices.
- Truck Order Not Used (TONU): If a cargo is canceled after the service’s cutoff time, the shipper is charged a TONU price. This covers the misplaced income from holding a truck that would have been used elsewhere. With refrigerated, flatbed or different specialty gear, the prices are increased to offset extra misplaced revenue.
- After-Hours/Earlier than-Hours Deliveries: Companies with distinctive schedules typically require shipments to reach exterior commonplace working hours. Carriers can accommodate, however they apply a time-based freight price for the added logistics, coordination with consignees and safety wants that include these off-hour deliveries.
- Advance Notification Charge: Sure services require carriers to name forward earlier than supply. A driver should contact the consignee, affirm supply particulars or safe entry codes. Carriers cost an advance notification price to cowl this additional coordination, which helps guarantee freight is acquired on time.
- Redelivery Charge (LTL): In LTL freight, if a consignee refuses a cargo or nobody is offered to simply accept it, the service should try supply once more. Every try provides a redelivery price, which could be costly since redelivery disrupts multi-stop LTL routes and delays different shippers’ freight.
Weight & Dimension Changes
- Outsized Freight: Shipments that exceed commonplace dimension are labeled as outsized or overlength. Carriers apply an oversize freight price to cowl state allow prices, escort necessities and specialised gear. These freight accessorial fees are extra widespread in LTL freight, the place outsized shipments disrupt trailer area. In TL delivery, the prices are sometimes included within the quoted charge, however shippers ought to affirm upfront. Outsized hundreds are widespread in industries transferring heavy gear, constructing supplies or equipment.
- Reweigh & Reclassification Charges: For LTL freight, carriers depend on the invoice of lading (BOL) to categorise shipments by weight, density and dealing with necessities (freight class). If the knowledge is inaccurate, the service might reweigh the cargo and assign a brand new classification code, leading to a reweigh or reclassification price. These freight fees increase prices and disrupt effectivity. Shippers can keep away from them by weighing freight fastidiously, assigning the right freight class and finishing paperwork precisely. Understanding freight classification fundamentals is likely one of the best methods to keep away from freight accessorial fees in LTL delivery.
Route and Gear Changes
- Gas Surcharge: Carriers apply a gasoline surcharge primarily based on the weekly Nationwide U.S. Common on Freeway Diesel Gas Worth report. This freight accessorial cost protects carriers if gasoline costs rise between reserving and supply of an LTL freight or TL delivery load. Whereas unavoidable, monitoring gasoline worth developments might help shippers plan for this price.
- Deadhead Miles Charge: Deadhead miles happen when a truck is pushed empty after a supply — losing gasoline, time and gear capability. Carriers might assess a deadhead price, particularly when serving rural areas with little outbound freight. This cost primarily impacts TL delivery, as LTL freight is optimized to keep away from empty returns.
- Further Stops: Shipments with a number of supply factors typically incur an extra stops price. Every cease requires unloading, verification and driver time. That is widespread in TL delivery, the place a truck might serve a number of distribution facilities or job websites. In LTL freight, carriers might cost if a single cargo requires a number of drop-offs.
- Reconsignment/Diversion Charge: If a cargo is rerouted after dispatch, carriers cost a reconsignment or diversion price. This freight cost offsets the price of additional gasoline, misplaced time and rerouting. Confirming addresses at reserving is one of the best ways to keep away from it.
- Corrected Invoice of Lading Charge: Adjustments to a invoice of lading (BOL) after tender — resembling weight, class or supply deal with — end in a corrected BOL price. Extra widespread in LTL freight, this displays the significance of correct information for pricing and cargo planning. Bear in mind, errors disrupt effectivity and result in increased freight fees.
- Cross-Border Processing Charge: Worldwide freight delivery requires customs clearance, duties and regulatory compliance. A cross-border processing price covers administrative filings and inspection coordination. Many shippers depend on customs brokers or 3PLs to handle this course of.
- Customs or In-Bond Freight Charge: Carriers apply this price for shipments transferring in-bond (aka passing by means of a rustic with out rapid customs clearance). It covers regulatory filings and documentation till freight reaches its ultimate clearance level. In-bond delivery is commonly used to defer obligation funds or consolidate hundreds.
- Storage Charge: When freight should be saved on account of supply delays and no preparations have been made upfront, carriers assess a storage price, billed every day or hourly. In contrast to warehousing, it is a short-term measure and infrequently paired with redelivery fees.
Specialty Cargo Dealing with
- Hazmat Charge: Shipments containing hazardous supplies require carriers to comply with strict Division of Transportation laws. Drivers and handlers should be educated and licensed, and shipments want detailed documentation. Carriers apply a hazmat price to cowl added threat, compliance necessities and time spent managing these delicate hundreds. This freight accessorial cost is commonplace for industries transferring chemical substances, flammables or different regulated merchandise.
- Refrigeration Charge: Perishable objects resembling produce, dairy or prescription drugs require temperature-controlled delivery. Carriers use refrigerated (reefer) trailers, which devour extra gasoline and electrical energy than commonplace dry vans. The refrigeration price offsets these increased working prices and ensures cargo integrity all through transit.
- Defend From Freeze (PFF): Throughout chilly climate, carriers might provide protect-from-freeze companies for liquids, chemical substances, meals and prescription drugs. This will likely contain heated trailers, sooner loading or optimized routing. The PFF price protects product integrity and prevents expensive harm from freezing situations.
How To Reduce the Shock of Freight Accessorial Charges
The best method to handle freight accessorial fees is thru correct communication and cautious recordkeeping. Shippers can scale back sudden freight charges by taking the next steps:
- Confirm cargo particulars: At all times affirm the right weight and freight classification code. For LTL freight, record pallet weights individually to keep away from disputes.
- Talk particular wants upfront: Notify carriers of necessities like liftgates, residential supply or restricted entry earlier than tendering. Embrace these anticipated freight fees on the invoice of lading (BOL) for readability.
- Overview fees after supply: Ask carriers to clarify accessorials. You could possibly dispute pointless charges and forestall them from recurring on future shipments.
- Use third-party help: A 3PL supplier or auditor might help evaluate invoices, validate fees and flag billing errors.
Clear communication and auditing practices are the very best methods to keep away from freight accessorial fees and shield your delivery finances.
Often Requested Questions About Freight Accessorial Costs
Use these FAQs to rapidly evaluate a very powerful particulars from our freight accessorial fees information — and uncover how GlobalTranz might help you higher plan, handle, and decrease pointless freight charges throughout your delivery operations.
Why Shippers Select GlobalTranz to Hold Freight Prices Manageable
With over 30 years of expertise within the logistics business, GlobalTranz understands the distinctive challenges confronted by shippers such as you. We have constructed sturdy relationships with greater than 75+ LTL carriers and 45K+ truckload carriers, guaranteeing that our purchasers have entry to aggressive pricing, dependable service and the specialty freight choices they require.
Our TMS is a game-changer, permitting companies to handle all their delivery wants — home, worldwide, specialty and past — in a single easy-to-use platform. With options like real-time monitoring, automated alerts and price comparisons, our TMS is designed to make delivery extra environment friendly and cost-effective.
By partnering with GlobalTranz, you may get the help of a crew of logistics consultants who perceive your particular wants and challenges. We provide personalized options that will help you scale your delivery operations, enhance supply instances and scale back prices. Whether or not you want 3PL delivery options or assist navigating the complexities of specialty freight, we now have you coated.
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