Virtually all LTL carriers assess additional charges on shipments that require "inside" pickup or delivery—that is, shipments that are picked up or delivered inside buildings and/or away from typical handling areas such as loading docks. These charges not only vary from carrier to carrier, but they also vary by type of location.

To find out what is considered an "inside" pickup or delivery and how much an LTL carrier charges for performing that service, you can check the rules tariffs issued by your carriers. Applicable tariffs may be individual rules tariffs, or they may be those issued by regional motor carrier rate bureaus. One example of the latter is the Southern Motor Carriers' Agent Rules Tariff SMC 190-X, in which more than 60 carriers participate.

Rules covering inside pickup and delivery generally are found under Item 566, which typically is titled "Handling Freight at Positions not Immediately Adjacent to Vehicle." Some carriers also place a rule with that title under the heading "Inside Pickup or Delivery."

Inside pickup and delivery rules usually start out with a provision along these lines:

"When requested by the consignor or consignee, and the carrier's operating conditions permit, the carrier may move shipments or portions of shipments from or to positions beyond the immediately adjacent truck loading or unloading positions." If you don't have a loading dock, note that freight is deemed to be "immediately adjacent" to a vehicle's loading or unloading position if it is separated from that position only by an intervening public sidewalk.

Inside delivery rules generally state that service will be provided to floors above or below the level that is accessible to the carrier's vehicle only when elevator or escalator service is available and labor, when necessary to operate that equipment, is provided without cost to the carrier.

Charges assessed for inside pickups or deliveries are shown in a separate section of each rule. There can be significant variations, depending on the location involved. For example, one carrier's rule has two levels of charges, one for points subject to ZIP prefixes 100-102 (the New York City area) and the other for all other points it serves throughout the country. Charges for New York City are more than double the charges for all other points. Its rule also provides that for shipments that are delivered to a retail store located in a mall that has no dock facilities, shipments will be delivered to the store entrance at no additional charge.

In the Southern Motor Carriers' rule, two different sets of charges apply. The lowest apply on shipments destined to retail stores. The highest are for inside pickups or deliveries to "other than retail stores," which are further broken down according to whether a shipment is prepaid or collect. Collect shipment charges are double those for prepaid shipments.

If you are making LTL shipments to private residences and similar locations, a different set of rules applies. Locations covered by this type of rule can include churches, apartments, schools, farms, camps (other than military), estates, rectories, and country clubs. Charges for pickup and delivery at such locations are higher than those that apply to shipments moving to or from commercial establishments. These rules usually are titled "Pickup or Delivery Service at Private Residences and Other Such Locations" and are generally found under Item 753.