Accessorial fees refer to shipping costs that are additional to the base transportation charge. These charges seem to go up every year with new ones being added constantly. Recent fuel service charges for FedEx and UPS recently shot up a "wallet- emptying" 25 percent. Accessorial surcharges for extra, supplemental or special services can easily account for up to 40 percent of your overall freight costs. It's important to perform a FedEx audit or a UPS audit using a knowledgeable shipping auditor, which can help you manage these costs.
A shipping auditor will tell you that in 2011, both FedEx and UPS accessorial charges rose even substantially. In fact, they were some of the largest increases the carriers’ history:
A FedEx audit will monitor the impact of the following FedEx accessorial charge increases:
• FedEx Delivery Area Surcharge up 8.9 percent ($1.85 vs. $1.70)
• FedEx Residential Area Surcharges up 10 percent ($2.75 vs. $2.50)
• FedEx Extended Area Surcharge up 9.1 percent ($3.00 vs. $2.75)
• FedEx Indirect Signature Required up 14.3 percent ($2.00 vs. $1.75)
Similarly, a UPS audit will monitor the impact of these UPS accessorial charge increases:
• Up 11.36 percent for Residential Surcharge Ground
• Up 10 percent for Residential Surcharge Air
• Up 9 percent for Extended Delivery Area Residential Surcharge
• Up 8.82 percent for Extended Delivery Area Commercial Surcharge
Your shipping auditor can help you determine which accessorial charges--residential surcharges, delivery area surcharges (DAS), fuel surcharges, weekly service fees, and other handling charges--most impact your shipments. Whether you perform a UPS audit or FedEx audit, you'll find that there are over 100 of these accessorial charges, and they often comprise roughly 30 percent of your overall shipping costs. Your shipping auditor can help you negotiate with your carrier for waivers or reductions (yes, they are negotiable, no matter what your carrier reps tell you). The key is to target specific discounts and concessions.