Accessorial charge

An accessorial charge is any fee on top of the line-haul rate for extra services or conditions: detention, lumper fees, layovers, extra stops, tarping, driver-assist unloading, redelivery, and more. The line-haul pays for moving the freight; accessorials pay for everything else the job demands.

Why it matters: accessorials are where thin-margin loads turn profitable – or where operators quietly lose money by not billing for work they actually did. Get the accessorial schedule in writing before you accept the load, document the event (times, photos, signatures), and put each charge on the invoice. A fuel surcharge is itself a form of cost recovery layered on the line-haul, and accessorials work the same way.