What are accessorial charges?
They are the add-ons beyond plain dock-to-dock pickup and delivery, and they are the single most common reason an invoice is bigger than the quote.
What are accessorial charges, and which ones will you meet
Accessorial charges, or accessorials, are fees for services beyond standard dock-to-dock pickup and delivery. These are the ones that show up most on LTL invoices.
| Charge | When it applies | Plan for it |
|---|---|---|
| Liftgate | No loading dock at pickup or delivery | Ask both ends about a dock |
| Residential | A home address, including a home business | Flag every home address |
| Limited access | Schools, campuses, storage facilities, job sites | Name the type of site |
| Appointment | The receiver only takes booked delivery windows | Ask the receiver before you book |
| Inside delivery | Freight carried past the door | Request it on the quote |
| Notify before delivery | The receiver wants a call first | Ask for it up front |
| Redelivery | Nobody was there to receive the first time | Confirm receiving hours |
| Detention | The driver waits past the free time | Have the freight ready at pickup |
Each one is a fact about the pickup or the delivery, not a surprise the carrier invents. That is the useful part: nearly all of them are knowable before the shipment moves.
How they end up costing more than they should
An accessorial declared in the quote is priced at the negotiated rate. The same service added by the driver at the door is billed after the fact, often at a higher published rate, and it arrives weeks later attached to an invoice you have already forgotten.
So the fix is boring and effective: ask the receiver what the dock looks like before you book.
Five questions to ask the receiver before you book
Is there a loading dock? Is it a home or a business? Do you take deliveries only by appointment? Is the site a school, a campus, a storage facility or a job site? Does the freight need to go inside, past the door?
Five answers, and nearly every accessorial lands on the quote at the negotiated rate. Ask the same questions about the pickup end, because a liftgate or a limited-access charge applies there too.
Accessorials, reweighs and reclasses
A reweigh or a reclass also changes the invoice after delivery, but neither is an accessorial. Those correct the weight or the class on the bill of lading. Accessorials pay for an extra service.
All three are avoided the same way: accurate details before pickup. Measure and weigh the freight as it ships, and describe both ends of the move honestly.
Related terms
Quick answers
Which accessorial catches people out most?
Residential delivery, closely followed by liftgate. Both are common on e-commerce and small-business shipments, and both are cheap to declare and expensive to discover.
Can accessorials be waived?
Not usually once the service has been performed. They can be avoided by getting the delivery conditions right before the shipment is tendered.
Are accessorial charges the same with every carrier?
No. Each carrier publishes its own list and its own rates, so the same service can price differently from one carrier or lane to the next. Declared on the quote, it is part of the rate you compare.
Price it with the add-ons in
Tell us the dock situation at both ends and the accessorial charges go in the quote, not on the invoice after the fact.