You delivered the load on time. The truck sat at the receiver for four hours. The driver had to help unload. And the invoice you sent? Just the base rate.

That scenario plays out thousands of times daily across the trucking industry. Carriers leave money on the table because accessorial charges never make it onto the invoice. Sometimes they are forgotten. Sometimes the paperwork gets lost. Sometimes nobody tracked the detention time in the first place.

Accessorial charges are the difference between a profitable load and one that barely breaks even. Understanding what they are, when to bill them, and how to actually collect them separates carriers who thrive from those who struggle with razor-thin margins.

What Are Accessorial Charges in Trucking?

Accessorial charges are fees for services beyond standard pickup and delivery. They cover the extra time, labor, equipment, or circumstances that fall outside a basic freight haul.

Think of your base rate as paying for Point A to Point B. Accessorials cover everything that happens at those points or along the way that was not part of the original agreement.

These charges exist because carriers incur real costs when loads require extra handling. A driver waiting at a dock for three hours cannot pick up another load. A truck rerouted for a delivery change burns additional fuel. A liftgate delivery requires specialized equipment. All of these have costs that belong on the invoice.

Common Accessorial Fees for Carriers

Not every load triggers accessorials, but many do. Here are the charges carriers encounter most frequently:

Detention: The Accessorial Most Carriers Underbill

Detention charges deserve special attention because they represent the biggest revenue leak for most fleets. Tracking the right metrics means tracking detention time on every single load.

The math is simple but painful. A driver sitting at a dock for three hours beyond free time at $75 per hour equals $225 in billable detention. Multiply that by just two loads per week across a 20-truck fleet, and you are looking at $468,000 annually in potential accessorial revenue.

The problem is capturing it. Drivers forget to note arrival and departure times. Dispatchers do not follow up. Invoicing happens days later when details are fuzzy. The charge never makes it to the bill.

Carriers using mobile apps for drivers can automate detention tracking through geofencing and timestamp capture. When the truck arrives, the clock starts. When it leaves, the system calculates billable time automatically.

Lumper Fees: Pass-Through or Profit Killer?

Lumper fees catch many carriers off guard, especially newer operators. These are charges for third-party labor that unloads trucks at warehouses and distribution centers.

Some facilities require lumper services. The driver cannot decline. Fees range from $50 for a simple unload to $400 or more for labor-intensive grocery or retail deliveries.

The rate confirmation should specify who pays. If the broker or shipper covers lumper fees, get it in writing. If you are responsible, build that cost into your rate negotiation. Either way, keep every receipt.

Carriers who automate document processing can scan lumper receipts directly into load files. No lost receipts means no lost reimbursements.

Why Carriers Fail to Collect Accessorials

Accessorial revenue exists. The problem is capturing it. Here is where the process typically breaks down:

• No documentation - Driver did not record wait times or get signatures

• Delayed invoicing - Bill goes out days later without accessorial details

• Unclear rate confirmations - Terms were not specified upfront

• Manual tracking - Spreadsheets and paper logs get lost or forgotten

• Weak follow-up - Broker disputes charge and carrier gives up

Each breakdown point represents money left on the table. Carriers who fail often point to tight margins, but those same margins could improve significantly with proper accessorial billing.

How to Capture More Accessorial Revenue

Collecting what you are owed requires systems, not just effort. Here is how successful carriers maximize accessorial revenue:

1. Define Terms Before Dispatch

Every rate confirmation should specify free time, detention rates, lumper responsibility, and other potential accessorials. Ambiguity benefits the party who does not want to pay.

2. Track Everything in Real Time

Waiting until end of day or end of week to log accessorials means details get lost. Integrated ELD and telematics can capture timestamps automatically. Drivers should document exceptions immediately through their mobile app.

3. Attach Documentation to Loads

Lumper receipts, detention logs, photos of conditions, and signed delivery receipts all support accessorial charges. When everything lives in one TMS for carriers, nothing gets lost between dispatch and billing.

4. Invoice Accessorials with the Load

Do not send a second invoice for accessorials later. Include all charges on the original bill with supporting documentation attached. Separate invoices get questioned, delayed, or ignored.

5. Follow Up on Disputes

Some brokers dispute accessorials as standard practice, hoping carriers will not push back. Document everything, know your rate confirmation terms, and do not write off legitimate charges without escalation.

Accessorials and Your Cost Per Mile

Understanding cost per mile means understanding that accessorial revenue offsets those costs. A load paying $2.50 per mile looks different when $200 in detention and a $100 lumper reimbursement get added.

Carriers with real-time financial visibility can see exactly how accessorials impact profitability per truck, per lane, and per customer. Some lanes look great on base rate but consistently generate accessorial revenue. Others look profitable until detention time eats the margin.

Ray Cargo scaled from 50 to 350+ trucks in part by eliminating revenue leaks like missed accessorials. Their invoicing automation ensured every billable charge made it onto the bill.

Stop Leaving Money at the Dock

Accessorial charges are not bonus revenue. They are compensation for real costs your operation incurs. Every hour of detention, every lumper fee, every driver assist represents expense that belongs on an invoice.

The carriers who capture this revenue consistently are not working harder. They have systems that track, document, and bill accessorials automatically.

Datatruck is the carrier-first TMS that connects dispatch, driver apps, and billing so accessorial charges flow from the truck to the invoice without getting lost. See how automated accessorial tracking can improve your margins.