Accessorial Charges

Fees for services performed by a carrier that go beyond the standard transportation of goods from shipper to receiver.

Accessorial charges, or accessorials, are fees invoiced for any additional services required to complete a shipment. These charges compensate the carrier for extra time, labor, or equipment usage not included in the base line-haul rate. To be billable, accessorials must be clearly outlined and agreed upon in the rate confirmation document before service is rendered. Failing to document these potential charges upfront is a common cause of payment disputes. Common accessorials include detention, layover, lumper fees, and TONU (Truck Order Not Used). Detention is charged when a driver is delayed at a shipping or receiving facility beyond the allotted free time (typically 2 hours). Layover is assessed when a driver is required to wait overnight. A lumper fee is charged when a third party is hired to load or unload the trailer, and the carrier pays for this service upfront to be reimbursed by the shipper or broker. According to FMCSA data, excessive detention times can cost U.S. truckers over $1 billion in lost annual income, highlighting the importance of billing for this accessorial.

How it is calculated

(Total Time at Facility - Allotted Free Time) * Hourly Detention Rate = Detention Charge

Example

A driver arrives for a pickup, and the rate confirmation specifies 2 hours of free time and a detention rate of $100/hour thereafter. The driver is detained for a total of 4.5 hours. The carrier is entitled to bill for 2.5 hours of detention, adding an accessorial charge of $250 to the freight invoice.