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Accessorial Charge Management

What is Accessorial Charge Management?

Accessorial charge management defines and applies additional fees for special services beyond standard dock-to-dock freight movement. These charges cover services like liftgate use, inside delivery, residential delivery, detention time, layover fees, appointment scheduling, or hazmat handling. You build an accessorial library with standard charges for each service type, then add applicable accessorials to quotes and orders either manually or through rules-based automation. These charges appear as separate line items on customer invoices and carrier bills, providing clear visibility into what services were provided and what they cost.

Properly managing accessorials prevents revenue leakage. Many operations lose thousands monthly by forgetting to bill customers for services they provided or absorbing accessorial costs from carriers without passing them through. Systematizing accessorial charges ensures you capture all billable services and maintain margin on the extra work required beyond standard linehaul.

How Accessorial Charge Management works:

  1. Navigate to Settings and select Accessorials to access the accessorial library. This is where you'll define all the accessorial service types your operation offers and what you charge for each.
  2. Click "Create Accessorial" to add a new service type. The creation interface opens where you'll name the accessorial, define the charge structure, and set whether it applies to customer billing, carrier costs, or both.
  3. Name the accessorial clearly and consistently. Use standard industry terminology like "Liftgate - Delivery," "Inside Delivery," "Detention - Per Hour," or "Residential Delivery" so your team recognizes them easily and your customers understand the charges.
  4. Define the charge structure. Set whether this is a flat fee (e.g., $75 for liftgate), a per-unit charge (e.g., $50 per hour for detention), a percentage of linehaul (e.g., 15% additional for hazmat), or a tiered structure based on conditions.
  5. Specify if this is a customer charge, carrier cost, or both. Some accessorials flow both ways (you charge the customer and pay the carrier), some are customer charges only (you provide the service with your own equipment), and some are carrier costs only (you pay but don't bill through to the customer per agreement).
  6. Set up automatic application rules if applicable. For certain accessorials, you can create rules that trigger automatic addition. Example: if delivery address type equals "residential," automatically add the residential delivery accessorial. This prevents forgetting to charge for services you know will be required.
  7. Save the accessorial to your library. Once configured, the accessorial is available for use across all quotes, orders, and invoices.
  8. Add accessorials manually to quotes and orders. When building a quote or order, use the "Add Accessorial" button to open your accessorial library. Select the applicable services (liftgate, inside delivery, etc.) and they're added as separate line items with their configured charges.
  9. Accessorial charges appear in rate calculations and invoices. The total customer rate includes the base linehaul plus all accessorials. The system shows the breakdown so customers see what they're paying for each service. Similarly, carrier costs include their base rate plus any accessorials they charge.
  10. Margin calculations account for accessorials. The system calculates margin as (customer linehaul + customer accessorials) minus (carrier linehaul + carrier accessorials). This shows true profitability including all charges, not just base rates.

What it means for you:

You stop leaving money on the table. When a driver uses a liftgate at delivery, that $75 charge automatically appears on the customer invoice instead of being forgotten and absorbed as an uncovered cost. When a carrier bills you $100 for detention, you verify the customer is being charged for that detention per your terms and the cost passes through appropriately.

The documentation value matters too. When a customer disputes an accessorial charge, you can show exactly what service was provided, when it was added to the order (at booking based on their requirements), and what your standard charge is for that service. This evidence-based billing reduces disputes and supports your collections process when customers question charges weeks after delivery.