Forgetting to add the necessary freight accessorials to your shipment can result in a variety of costly billing adjustments. No matter what you’re shipping, you need to be aware of accessorials’ role in your freight shipment. Not knowing exactly the extent of additional services you’ll need for your cargo from the start can come back to get you in the form of a billing adjustment. This can happen even after the shipment is completed! We’ll walk you through accessorials and what they are. We’ll also explain why you likely need them so you can ship and shop more affordably and efficiently!
First things first, what the heck are “accessorials” anyways? These freight shipping services go above and beyond the standard services carriers offer. Which begs the next question, what are the standard services? This refers to curbside pickup and delivery. That means the driver pulls up, loads, or unloads freight at the curb and moves on. But things aren’t that simple all the time. More often than not, a liftgate might be needed, or the location could have limited access. Or you might want the cargo unloaded or picked up inside rather than at the curb.
All these things require extra labor for the driver and must be appropriately communicated as accessorials when filling out a freight quote and shipment details. If they are not added during the freight quote and the driver has to add them during the shipping process, such as when loading or unloading, the carrier will charge you a fee after the shipment has been delivered in the form of a billing adjustment. Knowing what add-on services your freight needs is essential at the beginning of the freight quote process in order to avoid these unwanted fees.
You’d be surprised how many accessorials there are and how often they are overlooked. For example, are you shipping to or from a home-based business? Many shippers mistakenly qualify a home-based business as a commercial location when it’s a residential location, which is an accessorial because drivers need to maneuver freight trucks through tight suburban streets.
Even the simplest of shipments could seem like they don’t need any additional freight services but end up needing them. This often happens with the liftgate accessorial. Any freight weighing over 100 pounds will require a liftgate to have it loaded onto the truck and unloaded from the truck.
Shipping temperature-sensitive freight? You will likely need to add freeze protection services to ensure your cargo stays at the optimal temperature and isn’t compromised by cold weather conditions. While your weather might be sunny and beautiful, your shipment could pass through cold conditions during transit.
Services needed for a shipment but were not requested initially end up being charged to the shipper post-shipment completion. So, you need to be extra careful when filling out a freight quote to ensure any accessorials you need are requested, so there aren’t any surprise charges further down the line.
So, we’ve covered what are accessorials and where they fit into the picture, but how do you know when you’ll need them? And which specific ones are typically needed the most often? Some of the most common accessorials include:
- Liftgate Service: Anything weighing over 100 lbs. (fully packaged) needs to be loaded/unloaded by a liftgate if there is no forklift present at pickup/delivery locations. This will cause delays in transit time if a liftgate is needed and not requested.
- Residential Services: As mentioned earlier in this article, if the pickup/delivery location is a residence or home-based business, it’ll need the accompanying accessorial. Many home-based business shippers make this mistake and it ends up costing them additional money after the shipment delivery.
- Limited Access Location: Similar to residential locations, limited access locations require further labor and coordination for pickup or delivery. Examples include a government facility, prison, school, etc.
- Inside Pickup/Delivery: Again, drivers are not movers. They drop off and pick up freight curbside unless otherwise requested. A driver unloading cargo inside for you may seem like a kind act but will result in a billing adjustment. If curbside pickup/delivery isn’t enough, request this.
You can get a closer look at accessorials by downloading our complete Guide to Accessorials. If you’re looking for something quicker, download our handy one-pager Most Common Accessorials sheet.
Making sure your supply chain isn’t incurring unnecessary costs from missed accessorials is something every small business operator needs to prioritize. Take control over your expenses and optimize your shipping process by partnering with a third-party logistics company (3PL) like FreightCenter today! We help you every step and get the services you need to ship your freight.
Let our shipping experts help you figure out exactly what accessorials your shipment needs at the start of the shipping process. Start by getting a free online quote or give us a call at 800.716.7608.
