Accessorial charges

Common examples

The usual accessorials include detention for time held at a dock, layover when a driver is stuck overnight, a lumper fee when a third party is paid to load or unload, deadhead miles driven empty to reach a pickup, extra-stop charges for multi-stop loads, and fees for services like liftgate, inside delivery, or a truck-order-not-used when a booked load falls through. Which ones apply, and at what rate, are set on the rate confirmation and the broker-carrier agreement, not by any federal schedule.

Why they matter

Accessorials are where a quoted rate and a final invoice diverge, so they are a frequent source of payment disputes and a place where documentation carries the argument. Timestamps, signed paperwork, and receipts for third-party charges are what substantiate them. They are purely commercial terms between the parties to a load and do not appear on a carrier's federal record.

Where disputes start

Because accessorials are agreed rather than fixed by rule, they are the line items most often contested. A carrier bills two hours of detention and a lumper receipt; the broker's records show a different arrival time or no authorization for the lumper. The disagreement is usually not about whether the work happened but about what was documented and pre-approved.