A lot of times when companies are preparing their transportation budget for the year, they only take into account transportation costs and forget, or don’t know about, accessorial costs. Accessorials are the charges incurred on top of transportation costs. These can include charges such as Lift-Gate, AM or PM special, inside delivery, white glove, Etc… This post details some of the most common types of accessorial charges and why they are incurred.

It is important to note, that ExpeditedFreightQuote.Com has some of the lowest accessorial charges in the transportation industry. Unlike other freight companies, we work with your company to get all the details before hand so you can know your total all-in cost instead of being hit with hidden fee’s at invoicing. When requesting a quote, it is always best to give the most amount of information available to your sales rep so they can provide you with the exact service you require. So without further ado, below are some of the most common accessorials you will encounter in transportation.

Lift Gate

A lift gate charge is incurred when you need to pick up or drop off goods at a location that does not have a loading dock, forklift, or manpower to load the truck. A liftgate is a mechanical device on the back of a truck that can raise and lower to get your pallet to the height it needs to be to load on the truck. Think of it like a freight elevator. This charge can vary from company to company, at ExpeditedFreightQuote.Com this charge is usually $35. With LTL common carriers the range is usually somewhere between $50-$100. If you have access to a forklift or a dock, this is an easy area to save some money. If you must use a liftagte, be sure the company you work with has competitive accessorial charges or the money you save on transportation costs could quickly be lost due to fee’s.

Residential

Just like it sounds, a residential fee is required when picking up or dropping off at a non-commercial location. The reason this fee exists is because most agents pick up or deliver predominantly in commercial areas. If they have to break that routine and go to a residential area, you will be hit with a slight fee. Make sure you know what your residential fee’s are when negotiating the freight deals with your carrier.

Inside Delivery

This is the fee incurred when you ask your carrier to not only drop off at the consignee, but actually take the freight inside the residence, business, or convention center. Just like anything in life, when you ask for more labor or special service, you are going to have to pay for it. It is a driver’s responsibility to transport the freight from point A to point B. If you want him to take the freight inside to a specific location, you will have to pay for it. This service is called inside delivery and it usually ranges anywhere from $30-$100 depending on the carrier. At ExpeditedFreightQuote.Com we stay at around $35 for an inside delivery.

Debris Removal

Debris removal is the fee associated with removing the shrink wrap and pallet after delivery or disposing of some other debris at delivery site such as old displays.

Extra Men

Many time, due to size or weight restrictions, one man cannot safely perform an inside delivery. Or perhaps there is a large amount of loose cartons where you need more labor to load a truck. In this case you can pay for an extra man to help with the excess labor. This fee depends on the amount of men you need and how many hours you need them.

White Glove Delivery

This is the most expensive out of all the accessorials, mainly because it encompasses many of the other individual accessorials. Generally, a white glove delivery includes Liftgate, Inside, Debris Removal, and often times some light assembly. It is used for fragile or other sensitive deliveries. The fee for white glove deliveries is dependent on the amount of labor involved.

Beyond Delivery

Most deliveries are made within a certain distance of major metropolitan areas. If your delivery location is far away from a major metro area, you may encounter a beyond delivery charge. This charge is dependent on distance away from the closest major city. As you can imagine, the further away your delivery location, the higher the fee. It is important to give your sales rep the most information possible to route your shipment correctly.

In conclusion, if you are a shipper of a significant amount of volume, you will likely encounter various accessorials throughout your year. It is important to work with a transportation partner who tells you all the information BEFORE your shipment arrives at destination. At ExpeditedFreightQuote.Com we always provide All-In pricing based on the information you provide with no hidden fee’s. Request a free online quote today at www.expeditedfreightquote.com and see how much you can save on our discounted accessorials.

By: Erik Bendiksen- Senior Account Executive-ExpeditedFreightQuote.Com