Freight Accessorial Charges Explained: Detention, Liftgate, Layover

Freight accessorial charges are fees added to the base linehaul rate when a shipment needs something beyond a standard dock-to-dock pickup and delivery: waiting time (detention), an overnight hold (layover), a liftgate, inside or residential delivery, a delivery appointment, or tolls. Almost every one is triggered by a specific event, proven by a document, and preventable if the detail is on the order at booking.

This guide is for shippers, receivers and freight brokers who just got an invoice with extra lines on it, or who want the next quote to match the final bill. It skips made-up price ranges, since each carrier sets its own, and shows what triggers each charge, what proves it and how to stop it.

Key takeaways

• Accessorials are event-based. If you know the event, you can usually prevent the charge.
• Detention and layover live or die on timestamps. Arrival, check-in and release times on the bill of lading decide who is right.
• LTL carriers itemize liftgate, appointment and residential service. A dedicated box truck quote usually builds them into one rate up front.
• New York deliveries carry pass-through costs: Port Authority crossing tolls and, in Manhattan at or below 60th Street, the congestion toll.
• The cheapest accessorial is the one you disclose at booking.

What are freight accessorial charges?

A freight rate covers moving the freight from point A to point B with a normal pickup and a normal delivery. In trade terms, "normal" means a business address, a dock, freight ready on time, and a receiver who unloads within the free time. Anything outside that is an accessorial service, and the carrier bills it as a separate line.

Most freight accessorial charges fall into four groups:

• Time: detention, layover, and a truck ordered but not used.
• Equipment and handling: liftgate, inside delivery, driver assist.
• Location: residential, limited-access sites, extra stops.
• Pass-through costs: tolls, congestion charges, lumper receipts.

Where the charge comes from matters too. LTL carriers publish accessorials in a rules tariff, and the charge is added when the driver or terminal records the event, often after delivery. On a full truck or a dedicated box truck, the terms sit on the rate confirmation you sign with the carrier or broker. Read it before the truck moves, because the invoice will be checked against it.

What is detention and when does the clock start?

Detention is the charge for keeping a truck and driver at a shipper or receiver beyond the agreed free time. Detention charges in trucking are usually billed by the hour after free time runs out.

The free time is a contract term, not a law. A U.S. DOT Inspector General study of driver detention (opens in a new tab) found that shipping contracts typically allow 2 hours for loading or unloading, and that carriers usually track only the time past that threshold. The same report estimated that each 15-minute increase in average dwell time raises the expected crash rate by 6.2 percent.

Waiting at a dock isn't free time for the driver, either. FMCSA's definition of on-duty time (49 CFR 395.2) (opens in a new tab) counts time at a shipper's facility waiting to be dispatched, time attending a truck being loaded or unloaded, and even time giving or receiving receipts. Every hour at the dock comes out of the driver's daily hours.

When the detention clock starts

Most rate confirmations follow the same logic:

1. Driver on time for the appointment: free time starts at the appointment time or at check-in, whichever is later.
2. Driver early: the clock usually waits until the appointment time. Arriving three hours early doesn't buy three hours of detention.
3. Driver late: many shippers void detention for that stop and may work the truck in when they can.
4. No appointment (first come, first served): free time usually starts at check-in.

The clock stops when the driver is released with signed paperwork, not when the last pallet comes off.

How detention is documented

The OIG report noted that smaller carriers often write arrival and departure times on the bill of lading and ask the shipper's representative to sign them. It also noted that those representatives don't always sign, and that disputes follow.

Good practice for both sides:

• Write arrival, check-in and release times on the BOL at pickup and on the POD at delivery, and have the dock clerk sign or initial next to them.
• Keep the gate log, check-in receipt or ELD location record as a backup.
• Notify the broker or shipper before free time runs out, not after the load delivers. Many rate confirmations require that notice before detention can be billed.

What is a layover fee?

A layover fee covers a truck that can't load or unload on the scheduled day and has to wait until the next day. Common triggers are freight that isn't ready, a receiver that closes before the truck is worked, a rescheduled appointment, or a dock that refuses an on-time truck.

Layover often follows long detention. Because waiting counts as on-duty time, a driver who sits at a dock most of the day can run out of legal hours before the next stop. The layover fee pays for the truck's lost day. It is usually billed per day, sometimes on top of the detention that came before it.

To prevent a layover fee, confirm that freight will be ready before dispatch, book delivery appointments that fit realistic transit, and give the carrier a 24-hour contact at both ends. When the problem shows up early, moving the pickup costs less than holding a truck overnight.

Liftgate, inside delivery and limited-access charges

Liftgate fee. A liftgate fee applies when the truck has to lower freight to the ground because the site has no dock or forklift. In LTL, the carrier has to send a liftgate truck, so the fee is itemized, and it is often added after the fact if the request was missing. Our guide to liftgate delivery covers gate capacity and site prep. On a dedicated box truck that already has a gate, liftgate service is usually priced into the quote.

Inside delivery fee. Liftgate service ends at the tailgate or curb. An inside delivery fee covers moving freight past the entrance: through a door, down a hallway, or to a specific room. Carriers price it separately, and some don't offer it.

Driver assist. If the driver has to help load or unload, break down pallets or move freight with a pallet jack, many carriers bill a driver load or unload fee.

Limited-access charges. Sites where a truck can't simply pull in and unload often carry a limited-access charge. Typical examples are schools, hospitals, military bases, prisons, churches, convention centers, construction sites, farms, self-storage facilities and locations behind security checkpoints. They usually mean ID checks, escorts, restricted hours or tight maneuvering.

Appointment, residential and redelivery charges

Appointment delivery fee. LTL networks run routes, so a fixed delivery time or window can force a separate trip or a re-sequenced route. The appointment delivery fee pays for that. A related fee, "notify before delivery," covers the dispatcher calling the receiver to set a time. On a dedicated truck, the appointment is part of the plan from the start.

Residential delivery fee. A residential delivery fee applies when the stop is a home, or a business run from a home, and not a commercial address. Homes usually mean no dock, narrow streets, parking limits and nobody with a pallet jack. On a freight carrier's quote, "residential" means commercial freight delivered to a residence, such as a retailer's order going to its customer. It is not a household move, which requires separate FMCSA household goods authority.

Redelivery and reconsignment. If a delivery fails because the receiver was closed, refused the freight, or wasn't ready, the second attempt is a redelivery and is billed again. Changing the consignee or address after pickup is a reconsignment. Extra pickup or drop points on one load are billed as stop-off charges. All of these trace back to the details on the bill of lading. Federal rules (49 CFR 373.101) (opens in a new tab) require it to name the consignor and consignee, origin and destination, number of packages, a description of the freight, and the weight or measurement when that affects the rate. Get those right and most reweigh, reclass and redelivery charges go away.

Accessorial charges at a glance: trigger, proof, prevention

How tolls and NYC congestion pricing show up on a quote

Tolls are pass-through costs, either built into an all-in rate or billed at cost. For New York freight, two sets matter most.

Hudson River crossings. The Port Authority Truckers' Guide for 2026 (opens in a new tab) prices truck tolls by axle count, time of day and payment method, with E-ZPass cheaper than Tolls by Mail. All Port Authority crossings are cashless, and tolls are collected only when entering New York. A box truck coming from New Jersey pays on the way in, not on the way back out.

The Congestion Relief Zone. Vehicles entering Manhattan at or below 60th Street pay the MTA's congestion relief zone toll. NYC 311's congestion pricing page (opens in a new tab) lists it as still in effect. The FDR Drive, the West Side Highway and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connections to West Street are excluded. With E-ZPass, trucks pay $14.40 to $21.60 at peak, depending on size, and $3.60 to $5.40 overnight. Peak runs 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. Tolls by Mail costs up to 50 percent more. The MTA counts single-unit delivery trucks as small trucks, the $14.40 tier. Trucks pay on every entry, so a route that leaves and re-enters the zone pays twice. Entering at peak with E-ZPass through the Lincoln, Holland, Queens-Midtown or Hugh L. Carey tunnel earns a crossing credit of up to $7.20 for a small truck.

An overnight delivery in lower Manhattan cuts the congestion toll and the time spent hunting for curb space. See our NYC truck delivery rules guide for routes, docks and off-hour programs. A cheaper quote that bills NYC tolls on top may not be cheaper.

How to avoid accessorial charges before you book

Most surprise charges come from missing information, not from bad faith. Use this checklist on every order, and put the same details in any freight quote request:

1. Describe both sites: dock or no dock, forklift or pallet jack, business or residence, any access restrictions.
2. Give real dimensions and weight: pallet count, footprint, height, total weight and whether pallets stack. In LTL, a wrong weight or class leads to a reweigh or reclass charge.
3. Book the appointment at booking: receiver hours, appointment number, and whether the dock is first come, first served.
4. Confirm ready time: freight wrapped, labeled and staged when the truck arrives.
5. Name a 24-hour contact at each end who can approve changes.
6. Read the rate confirmation: free time, detention rate, layover terms, cancellation terms, and whether tolls and fuel are included.
7. Record times on the paperwork at every stop, signed if possible.

Also match the service to the size of the load. If you are shipping a handful of pallets with a liftgate, an appointment and a residential or limited-access stop, LTL accessorials stack up line by line. Our comparison of partial truckload vs LTL explains when one truck for your freight makes more sense.

How Cobra US Cargo handles accessorials

Cobra US Cargo runs a 26 ft dry box truck with a hydraulic liftgate and e-track. It carries up to 12 standard pallets on the Miami to New York lane and across the 48 contiguous states. Because the truck already has a gate, liftgate delivery and delivery appointments are usually built into the quote. For a few pallets, partial truckload and LTL service is quoted with the stops defined up front. Our authority covers commercial freight only, so a residential stop means a business shipment to a home, never a household move. We send updates at pickup, in transit and at delivery.