Residential vs Limited Access
What makes something residential vs. limited access?
You might have a customer tell you an address and advise that it’s a business. Our invoice comes in and the carrier has added limited access because of this:
When the carrier googled the address, a realtor.com listing showed up. This guarantees a residential delivery fee will be added.
It’s really more about the area the delivery is in that warrants the additional charge. As you can see in this photo, the area is very remote and there won’t be many deliveries, if any, nearby.
Sometimes carriers will only go to certain zones on certain days of the week to avoid additional costs. This can also cause delays when shipping to these remote locations.
Some residential areas have lower hanging electrical lines that require a smaller pup truck (26-28 ft) to avoid yanking power lines. If a driver were to cause electrical damage, their CDL could be revoked. Anytime you cut a driver’s cube in half, that driver’s operating ratio is affected, hence the additional accessorial charge.
Priority1 has added in a nice feature I requested they include on the shipment address page.
Priority1 software allows customers to save addresses with specific accessorials to the address.
If you are shipping to a new address, you can check the map to confirm if they have a dock, if a 53 foot truck can access, or if there is a residence on-site.
We always check when assessed an additional accessorial and can dispute if the location is an accessible business. STAC does not invoice you until the amount is agreed on if it does not match our quote.
All carriers assess residential/limited access differently. Some charge, some don’t. Some charge a little, some charge a lot. See an excerpt from FedEx Freight 100 Series Rules Tariff below:
Residential and Limited Access fees are $204. Limited Access includes a lot of unique locations you might not be aware of. We want you to avoid getting dinged where possible. It’s best to keep a list like this handy if you could possibly at anytime ship to one of them to ensure it’s added onto your quote.
I put R&L’s Rules Tariff below to compare how drastically different it is from FedEx:
When you quote, you can view a cost breakdown for each carrier as another convenience when comparing options.
And as always, you can always call us and we are happy to help guide you and consult with you on the best option for your freight.
Happy Shipping!
