Common accessorial categories
Depending on mode and carrier, accessorial review can include detention, layover, liftgate, inside delivery, residential delivery, redelivery, reclassification, reweigh, limited-access service, lumper charges, address correction and other contractual add-ons. The charge name alone does not prove whether it was authorized or correctly calculated.
What supports an accessorial
A defensible decision may require the contract or tariff rule, rate confirmation, appointment times, arrival and departure evidence, BOL/POD, location events, customer instructions and supporting receipts. Physical truth and commercial entitlement should remain separate until both are established.
Detention illustrates why timestamps matter
A detention invoice can be mathematically correct while using the wrong start time, free-time rule or appointment boundary. The audit should preserve the observed arrival/departure facts, the controlling commercial rule and the resulting calculation independently.
Ambiguity routes to review, not recovery
If an accessorial depends on missing evidence, contradictory timestamps or unclear contractual authority, RETALLY treats it as unresolved. That discipline matters because false-positive recovery claims can cost more trust than the charge itself.
Different accessorials require different proof
Detention and layover depend on event timing and the applicable free-time rule. Liftgate, inside delivery, residential and limited-access charges depend on service facts and contractual definitions. Reweigh and reclassification depend on shipment measurements or commodity/class evidence. Lumper and other pass-through charges may require receipts or authorization. One generic anomaly rule cannot establish all of them.
Accessorial audit workflow
- Identify the exact charge and shipment.
- Resolve the contract, tariff, rate confirmation or other rule governing entitlement and price.
- Collect the physical or operational evidence relevant to that charge.
- Recalculate the charge using the correct timing, units, minimums and effective date.
- Route missing or contradictory evidence to review.
- Keep the validated finding separate from claim authorization and eventual settlement.
Freight accessorial audit FAQ
What is an accessorial charge?
An accessorial is an additional freight charge tied to a service, event or condition beyond the base transportation charge, such as detention, liftgate, residential service, redelivery or reclassification.
What evidence is needed to dispute detention?
The relevant evidence can include appointment terms, arrival and departure timestamps, free-time rules, rate confirmation or contract language, location or facility events and the carrier calculation.
Audit accessorial exposure in a bounded population
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Related resources
Freight audit services · Freight invoice audit · Freight overcharge recovery