What are accessorial charges, and what do I need to know about them?
Accessorial charges are just what they sound like– charges for services rendered as an “accessory” to a shipment. If all shipments were sent prepaid from one dock-height terminal to another, there would be few accessorial charges. But, because all shipments differ in terms of what is required to complete them, accessorial charges over and above the freight rate are sometimes necessary. Typical charges might include lift gate service, inside delivery, residential delivery, collection of a COD amount, and the like. What’s important to know about them is that not all carriers charge the same amount for each accessorial, and some carriers on our system waive certain accessorial charges. Therefore, the combination of a low freight rate and a high lift gate charge from one carrier might be more expensive overall than a carrier with a slightly higher freight charge but a very low lift gate fee. The LTLRater system knows what each carrier’s current fees are and is able to give you a complete,
