How to handle accessorial charges scattered across rate sheets?
Accessorial charges scattered across a rate sheet (liftgate, detention, residential, limited access) are handled by extracting each one as a structured field tied to its lane during parsing, rather than leaving them as scattered fine print that has to be manually cross-referenced at quote time.
Why accessorials are hard to track manually
Accessorial charges are often listed separately from the base lane rate — sometimes in a footnote, sometimes in a separate table, sometimes only mentioned in a general terms section applying to all lanes. Manually cross-referencing which accessorials apply to which lane, for every carrier, does not scale past a handful of rate sheets.
A structured approach to accessorials
- Extract accessorials as their own field in the same schema as the base rate — not as unstructured notes.
- Tie each accessorial to the specific lane or rate sheet it applies to, so it surfaces automatically when that lane is searched.
- Keep accessorials within the same validity window as the base rate, so an expired accessorial charge does not linger after the base rate itself expires.
How RateParse extracts accessorials
RateParse's extraction schema includes accessorials as a first-class field alongside origin, destination, equipment, rate, and fuel surcharge — captured during the same ~1 minute parsing step as the base rate, so accessorial charges scattered across a rate sheet land in the same structured record as the lane they apply to.
Frequently asked questions
Are general terms that apply to all lanes captured, or only per-lane accessorials?
Extraction focuses on accessorials tied to specific lanes or rate rows; broad general-terms sections that apply sheet-wide should still be kept as reference alongside the original document for full context.
Can multiple accessorials be attached to a single lane?
Yes — accessorials are stored as a field on the lane record and can include multiple charges (e.g., liftgate and residential) extracted from the same rate sheet entry.