LTL Freight News

When carriers make an attempt to deliver a shipment but are denied or can’t perform the delivery because of no fault of their own (i.e. inaccurate information and / or lack of equipment) they will take it back to the terminal, put it on a different truck or get the correct information, and then attempt delivery of the original shipment. LTL carriers will charge a re-delivery fee for this should something similar occur. The ltl re-delivery charge is a fee that the carriers charge to help them recoup the costs incurred to perform the additional requirements necessary to deliver the shipment. When the recession hit back in ’08-’09, all of the ltl carriers began vying for market share with a rate war of sorts, and they would often overlook or waive this charge in order to win or maintain business. During that time some ltl carriers were even hauling freight that resulted in a net loss just to keep employees and equipment employed. Now they are struggling to keep supply in line with deman...

Many shippers write something similar to this on their bills of lading: “No additional services will be paid unless prior authorization is obtained,” thinking this protects them from any unforeseen charges for additional accessorial services performed by a carrier at the time of delivery.  This looks good on paper and may make shippers feel good, but the fact remains that this more than likely doesn't mean anything. A note or disclaimer on a bill of lading written by the shipper as such is generally not binding.     The positive side of this coin is that the note does provide the carrier with information that they otherwise would not have. In some instances a carrier may be able to alert the paying party of the needed services before they are performed, but this is the exception to the case. It is unreasonable to think that a carrier could call everyone that requested prior notice for approval for services required that were not originally requested. (...