Planning ahead: the secret of saving on accessorials

Accessorials can cost you. That’s no secret. As its name suggests, accessorials are charges or fees brought by additional or unexpected services provided by your carrier. Here are just a couple of things that can trigger accessorial fees:

Use of liftgates

Some carriers charge extra for using their truck’s liftgate to raise or lower cargo.

Oversized items

If your item is longer than a specified length, you might get charged extra for occupying more space in the truck.

Residential delivery

If the shipment requires being unloaded into a home (e.g. climbing up stairs, unwrapping, etc.), it might cost extra.

Limited access fee

If the carrier has to spend a significant amount of time trying to find someone to sign for the shipment, you might get charged for that time.

Redelivery fee

If the recipient of your shipment is not there to receive it the first time, you can get charged a hefty fee for a second visit.

Life is often unpredictable and the logistics industry is no exception. Accessorials are bound to happen at one time or another. But incurring them too often can certainly cut your profits. This is where planning ahead can save your day (and your wallet, too).

Simply put, when you know what your shipment requires in advance, there will be less surprises at the end of the day. You make sure the recipient or a signee is there to accept the shipment at the agreed upon time. You make sure the receiving end has the equipment necessary to unload and move the shipment. You properly crate your cargo to avoid extra handling charges.

Planning shouldn’t take much of your time. Think of the time you spend planning as an investment as you avoid paying for accessorials in the long run. New tech logistics platforms such as Quickload can help you plan ahead and even avoid accessorials altogether.

Quickload, for example, asks the shipper to define a set price for each shipment that carriers can then accept or pass. This allows shippers to clearly stipulate the terms of the shipment and avoid surprises later on. So the secret’s out: to avoid accessorials as much as possible, just plan against them!

Learn more about how Quickload can help you save time and money on your shipments.

By: Pablo Torres