Freight glossaryFreight PricingTruckingLTL
Accessorial Charge
Definition
An accessorial charge is a fee added to the base freight rate for extra services or events, such as detention, liftgate, inside delivery, redelivery or a residential stop.
What it means
Federal transportation management rules define accessorial charges as "charges that are applied to the base tariff rate or base contract of carriage rate," giving examples such as inside delivery, redelivery, reconsignment, and demurrage or detention for freight.[1]
Carriers publish them in rules tariffs and accessorial schedules. An LTL rules tariff, for example, sets charges for liftgate service, residential delivery, inside pickup or delivery and limited-access locations,[2] while truckload and drayage schedules cover detention, TONU, layover, chassis splits and similar items. A motor carrier must give the shipper, on request, the rules and rates its charges are based on.[3]
Related
Related terms
- DetentionDetention is a charge for holding equipment beyond the free time allowed: in ocean shipping, for keeping the...Glossary
- TONUTONU (truck ordered, not used) is a charge a carrier bills when a truck is dispatched for a load that is...Glossary
- LayoverA layover is a charge for a driver and truck held overnight or for a long unplanned stop because a load could...Glossary
- LumperA lumper is a worker, usually from a third-party unloading service, who loads or unloads a truck at a...Glossary
- Chassis SplitA chassis split is a drayage move where the chassis and the container are at different locations, so the...Glossary
- Less-Than-TruckloadLess-than-truckload (LTL) is a trucking service in which freight from several shippers shares one trailer...Glossary
Related questions
- How Is LTL Freight Priced?LTL freight is priced from a base rate per hundredweight (100 lb) set by the shipment's freight class, its...Answer
- Who Pays When a Truck Driver Waits at a Shipper or Receiver?Usually the carrier bills detention to the party it contracted with, under the rate confirmation, contract or...Answer
- Live Unload vs. Drop Trailer: What Is the Difference?In a live unload the driver and truck wait at the dock while the trailer is emptied. In a drop, the driver...Answer
Related guides
- Chassis Split Fee, Pre-Pulls & Street TurnsDrayage accessorials: what each pays for and which move stops it.Guide
- Transloading Cost Near Port NewarkWhat drives the price of unloading and transloading a container.Guide
- Who Pays Lumper Fees?Who pays a lumper fee under federal law and the rate confirmation, and how to get reimbursed.Guide
Sources
- U.S. General Services Administration, via GovInfo, “41 CFR § 102-117.25, Definitions (accessorial charges, line-haul),” Federal regulation. Published 2024. Accessed September 30, 2026.
- FedEx Freight, “FedEx Freight 100-Y Rules Tariff (effective January 5, 2026),” Carrier rules tariff. Published January 5, 2026. Accessed September 30, 2026.
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, “49 U.S. Code § 13710, Additional billing and collecting practices,” Federal statute. Accessed September 2026.
General operational information, not legal, customs or regulatory advice. Rules and rates change; confirm current requirements with the agency, carrier or contract that governs your shipment.