What Is a Single Shipment Accessorial?

Shipping costs can be complicated when you encounter extra costs and surcharges. In this blog, we will demystify one of these charges, known as accessorials, to help you better manage your shipping budget.

What Is Single Shipment Accessorial in Shipping?

In the shipping industry, accessorial fees in shipping refer to services that are performed for a shipment that is outside of the standard delivery service. A single shipment accessorial is any one of these supplementary services, and the cost of the service is what is called an accessorial charge/fee. Single shipment accessorials are typically applied per shipment, meaning they are specific to individual shipments rather than recurring charges.

Accessorial services are important to the delivery process since they cater to specific needs or challenges that may arise during the delivery process, such as lack of equipment, unfavorable weather, delicate goods, or schedule changes. Employing an accessorial ensures that the goods satisfactorily reach their destination.

To provide a clearer understanding, here's a list of common accessorial charges:

Liftgate Service: This service provides a truck fitted with a hydraulic liftgate when the pickup/delivery location doesn’t have a loading dock or forklift.

Inside Delivery: Inside delivery involves taking items past the typical receiving area and into a specific area within the building, ensuring the goods are safe and properly stored.

Residential Delivery: Delivery of goods to homes can attract an accessorial fee since residential areas sometimes pose access challenges to delivery trucks.

Appointment Scheduling: Appointment scheduling allows shippers and recipients to coordinate a specific date and time for the delivery or pickup of goods.

White Glove Service: The white glove service goes above and beyond standard item delivery. It includes specialized handling, assembly, installation, and packaging removal, offering meticulous care and attention to detail, especially for valuable or delicate items.

Keep in mind that the nature and cost of a single shipment accessorial can vary significantly among different carriers and logistics providers. The specifics of which accessorials are available and their associated costs can typically be found in the carrier's rate sheets or tariff. Here is the FedEx Freight surcharge quicksheet and UPS’ rates for value-added services.

What Is a Single Shipment Accessorial Charge LTL?

Let’s first define LTL: LTL shipping is a freight shipping option whereby multiple shipments from different shippers are consolidated onto one truck for cost-effective and efficient delivery. The opposite of LTL is FTL (Full Truckload) shipping, whereby a single shipment from only one shipper fills an entire truck and is sent for delivery.

LTL accessorials are additional services that do not come standard with LTL freight shipping.

Accessorial charges definition: Therefore, a single shipment accessorial charge in LTL shipping is an additional fee imposed when a supplementary service is provided during the transportation of an LTL shipment.

For instance, if your LTL shipment needs a liftgate for loading or unloading, you may incur a single shipment accessorial charge for that service.

To illustrate, here's a table summarizing common accessorial charges in LTL shipping and their estimated costs:

What Is an Accessorial in Logistics Example?

As we’ve mentioned above, an accessorial in logistics refers to any additional service beyond the standard transportation of goods. To illustrate this concept, let's consider a scenario involving a freight carrier and a customer who requires specialized services.

Suppose a farm machinery manufacturing company needs to transport a large consignment of parts to a remote ranch. In this case, standard transportation may not suffice due to the fragility of the equipment and the location's accessibility challenges. To meet the customer's requirements, the carrier might offer the following accessorial services:

• Delivery Area: The carrier may charge an additional fee for delivering the shipment to a remote location because it may require more resources, such as fuel and time.
• Liftgate Service: To safely load and unload the machinery.
• Inside Delivery: To place the machinery precisely where it's needed.
• Appointment Scheduling: To coordinate the delivery time with the customer's schedule.

The owner of the ranch would face extra charges for these specialized services, which are vital for the successful delivery of the machinery. This example illustrates how logistics providers offer customized solutions to meet specific shipping requirements, with accessorials playing a crucial role in addressing those needs.

Is Fuel an Accessorial Charge?

Fuel is not typically considered an accessorial charge because accessorial charges in trucking are mostly services chosen by the shipper, while fuel surcharges are determined and applied at the carrier’s discretion.

Fuel costs are commonly factored into the overall freight rates or included as a separate fee known as a fuel surcharge (or fuel recovery fee). This surcharge is intended to account for the fluctuating price of fuel, which can significantly impact transportation costs.

It is not a service or fee directly related to specific accessorial services like liftgate delivery or inside delivery. Instead, it reflects the broader economic factors affecting the transportation industry.

How Much Is the Hazmat Accessorial Charge?

The Hazmat accessorial charges are the fees that a carrier charges a shipper to transport a shipment containing goods that are considered dangerous or hazardous. This charge can vary significantly depending on several factors, including the carrier, the type and quantity of hazardous materials being transported, and the specific services required for safe handling and compliance with regulations.

To give you an idea of carrier’s hazmat prices, the tables below contain UPS’ and FedEx’s hazmat charges based on service:

Below are FedEx’s Hazmat surcharges by service:

How ShipSigma Can Help

Now that you understand accessorial fees imagine cutting down on your base shipping rates.

ShipSigma, armed with AI-powered shipping cost analysis software and our team's 250+ years of shipping industry expertise, can help you achieve optimal shipping savings quickly. We've already reduced shipping costs by an average of 25% for over 300 companies.

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