The freight accessorial charges are common in the LTL shipping industry, and they might also result in logistical torment for shippers if they are left inexplicable. Unanticipated accessorial charges can lead to additional surplus charges which can harm your status as a shipper of choice.
Most of the freight accessorial charges cannot be averted, therefore many of the most common unexpected accessorial charges arise from a lack of adequate preparation for shipments. There are many steps that can be taken by the shipper to ensure that your future shipments have little to no unexpected accessorial charges.
This blog will glance at why you are experiencing unanticipated freight accessorial charges and how they can be avoided.
What are Freight accessorial charges?
At National Freight Logistics we define Freight accessorial charges as any kind of LTL service that is rendered by a carrier outside of traditional dock-to-dock transport. Once identified, these service costs are added to the invoice of the shipper for compensating for the extra work that is delivered by the carrier. As all shipments are subject to accessorial charges, the most common accessorial charges are embedded with less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments.
The Freight accessorial charges are applied to several aspects of a shipment, which is why the shipper might be under the radar. Some of the shipping accessorial charges are unavoidable and are identified upfront on the shipper's bill of lading (BOL) as the shipment is delivered.
Therefore, there are many unexpected accessorial charges and it is necessary to be apprehensive of these for future shipments.
Prevalent Freight accessorial charges include:
- Re-measure and Re-weigh
- Oversized Freight
- Liftgate
- Additional Packaging
- Residential Delivery
- Inside delivery
- TONU (Truck Order Not Used)
- Appointment
How Can you avoid Unexpected Freight Accessorial charges?
The unexpected freight accessorial charges can be avoided in many cases through simple adjustments in your routine of daily business practices.
Let's have a look at some ways shippers can eliminate unexpected freight accessorial charges.
Avoiding Oversized adjustments, dimensions, and weight:
The dimensions of a shipment are often done by an automated dimension calculator which estimates the freight's weight and dimensions in a couple of seconds. It is recommended that you as a shipper must invest in a dimensionalizer. In regards to an oversize adjustment, it is necessary to make sure that the order is under 12 feet long to ensure that you bypass improper dimension accessorial charges.
Accuracy in Bill of Lading:
The bill of lading is one of the most important aspects of freight shipping to be considered when trying to avoid unanticipated accessorial charges. It is so because the BOL provides the carrier with all the details that are needed for the proper processing and invoicing of a freight shipment.
Let us say for example:
A delivery address of freight, dimensions and class are labeled on the BOL. Therefore, additional instructions such as the need for a liftgate are also entered on the BOL, so it must be filled out properly.
Appropriate Education:
All the unexpected accessorial charges are charged from the employees who do not measure the freight precisely or are unable to fill BOL correctly. Therefore, it is important that the employees are educated on accessorial charges to surpass unexpected freight accessorial charges.
Conduct Business with a Freight Service Provider:
While accepting the practices that are discussed in the everyday place is a perfect mechanism for starting when trying to avoid unreasonable accessorial charges. Therefore, it is recommended to work with a freight service provider whenever possible. The tools and services imparted by National Freight Logistics handle every aspect of the shipment, thereby ensuring an accessorial-free delivery of the cargo wherever possible.
Therefore, at National Freight Logistics we deliver all the significant tools and services that you need in order to surpass accessorial charges.