What Is a Redelivery Fee in LTL Shipping?
Learn when LTL redelivery fees can apply, how carrier rules calculate them, which related charges may appear, and how to prevent a failed first tender.
A redelivery fee is an LTL accessorial charge that can apply when a carrier tenders a shipment for delivery, cannot complete delivery through no fault of the carrier, and must make another delivery tender or final delivery.
The charge compensates the carrier for another use of local delivery capacity. The exact trigger, calculation, minimum, maximum, and payment requirements are controlled by the applicable tariff, contract, and customer pricing agreement.
Redelivery can also be accompanied by storage, renotification, undelivered-freight, appointment, liftgate, residential, limited-access, or other charges when the circumstances support them.
What counts as a delivery attempt
Carrier tariffs often use the term tender for delivery rather than simply saying the driver “tried.”
Estes Rule 830 says that when a shipment is tendered for delivery and delivery cannot be accomplished through no fault of the carrier, no further tender will be made except upon request. Its additional tenders and final delivery are then subject to the rule. XPO’s Rule 229 uses the same core threshold: an unsuccessful tender through no fault of the carrier, followed by an additional tender or final delivery.
The details of a valid tender can depend on the carrier’s broader pickup-and-delivery rules. A truck physically appearing near an address is not the only fact that matters. The carrier’s arrival, notice, appointment, access, business-hours, payment, and consignee obligations can all affect the analysis.
For that reason, do not decide whether a fee is valid from the invoice label alone. Compare the event record with the governing tariff.
Common reasons delivery cannot be completed
A redelivery charge may arise when the carrier is prepared to deliver but the consignee or location cannot accept the freight. Decision patterns include:
- The business is closed during the attempted delivery
- The consignee or authorized receiver is unavailable
- A scheduled appointment cannot be met through the consignee’s fault
- The location requires an undeclared appointment or access procedure
- A gate, security rule, or site restriction prevents entry
- The receiver cannot provide required payment or documentation
- The delivery address or contact information is incorrect or incomplete
- The site lacks equipment or conditions needed for the booked service
- The receiver refuses the freight for a reason not attributable to the carrier
These are not automatic findings. The carrier’s rule and the actual cause control.
FedEx Freight’s 2026 holiday schedule gives a specific example: it warns that an unsuccessful delivery attempt caused by a customer closure that was not previously reported can produce a redelivery charge under the carrier’s rules tariff.
A changed delivery plan is not always redelivery
Several freight charges can look similar on an invoice but cover different events.
| Charge | What it generally addresses |
|---|---|
| Redelivery | Another tender or final delivery after an unsuccessful delivery tender under the tariff |
| Reconsignment or diversion | A requested change to destination, consignee, routing, or delivery instructions |
| Storage | Freight held beyond applicable free time or under undelivered-freight provisions |
| Detention | A vehicle delayed at the shipper’s or consignee’s location beyond applicable free time |
| Appointment or renotification | Coordination or renewed notice before another delivery attempt |
| Accessorial correction | A service needed at the stop but absent from the original shipment setup |
The same shipment can incur more than one of these charges because they compensate for different services or delays. That does not make every combination correct; each line item still needs support in the applicable rules and shipment record.
How redelivery charges are calculated
There is no universal redelivery fee.
Current carrier materials show several possible structures. FedEx Freight and Old Dominion publish redelivery using a per-hundredweight calculation with a minimum and maximum. Estes also uses a per-hundredweight charge with minimum and maximum provisions for delivery at the consignee’s place, while offering a different charge when the consignee accepts delivery at the carrier’s premises. XPO publishes its own per-hundredweight, minimum, and maximum terms.
The amount can therefore depend on:
- The carrier and tariff version
- Shipment weight
- Number of additional tenders
- Number of vehicles or trailers involved
- Whether final delivery occurs at the consignee’s location or carrier terminal
- Geography and service type
- Customer-specific pricing or contract exceptions
- Other services required before delivery can be completed
Do not apply one carrier’s published amount to another carrier or treat an old online average as the expected charge.
Can the carrier charge for more than one additional tender?
Possibly. Some tariffs expressly apply a charge to each additional tender and the final delivery. Others use different language or pricing.
XPO’s current Rule 229, for example, applies its charge to each additional tender and final delivery at the consignee’s place. Estes Rule 830 likewise addresses one or more additional tenders and final delivery, subject to its provisions.
If a shipment has had more than one unsuccessful attempt, inspect:
- The date and outcome of each tender
- Who requested each new attempt
- The reason each delivery failed
- Whether the carrier followed required notice or appointment procedures
- Whether the charge applies per shipment, per vehicle, per tender, or another basis
- Whether any attempt resulted from carrier fault
A list of tracking scans is useful evidence, but the tariff language still determines how those events are charged.
Related charges that may appear
Redelivery frequently follows a period when freight is undelivered or held at a terminal. Depending on the carrier’s rules, related charges can include:
Storage
Storage can accrue when freight remains at a service center or in carrier custody beyond applicable free time. A redelivery request does not automatically erase storage already earned.
Renotification
The carrier may need to contact the consignee again and establish new delivery instructions. Estes has carrier-specific provisions that can combine renotification, undelivered-freight, and redelivery charges when a scheduled delivery cannot be tendered through the consignee’s fault.
Appointment service
If the receiver requires a scheduled delivery, a new appointment may be needed. The appointment service and redelivery event can be separate tariff items.
Missing delivery accessorials
The next attempt may need a liftgate, inside delivery, residential service, limited-access service, or special equipment that was not included initially. Those services are not part of redelivery merely because they are used on the second attempt.
Detention
If a vehicle reaches the consignee and is delayed beyond applicable free time, detention can arise even if the freight is later taken away and redelivered.
Who pays the redelivery charge?
The responsible party depends on the bill of lading, payment terms, tariff, contract, and pricing agreement. The person who caused the failed delivery is not always the party the carrier invoices initially.
Some tariffs require redelivery charges to be paid or guaranteed before another attempt. Estes Rule 830, for example, requires charges under the item to be paid or guaranteed to the carrier’s satisfaction by the party requesting redelivery before the shipment is redelivered.
Shippers should define customer responsibility in their own commercial terms, but those private arrangements do not automatically change the carrier’s right to bill the party responsible under the transportation contract.
When an invoice is disputed, gather:
- Original quote and booking confirmation
- Bill of lading and delivery instructions
- Consignee contact information and receiving hours
- Appointment confirmations
- Tracking events and driver notes
- Proof of any closure or access notice sent to the carrier
- Delivery receipts and exception notes
- Applicable tariff and customer pricing agreement
How to reduce redelivery risk
Most preventive work happens before dispatch.
Verify the destination
Confirm the complete address, suite or unit, facility type, truck access, gate process, and actual receiving hours. Ask about lunch closures, holidays, inventory shutdowns, and other exceptions.
Identify every required delivery service
Determine whether the stop needs appointment, prior notification, liftgate, inside delivery, residential, limited-access, or other handling. Selecting the right accessorials helps the carrier plan an appropriate vehicle and delivery process.
Give the carrier a usable contact
Provide a consignee contact who understands the shipment and can answer during receiving hours. Include a backup only when the carrier’s process accepts one.
Coordinate appointment requirements
If the receiver controls the delivery time, identify appointment delivery before booking. XPO specifically promotes delivery appointments as a way to coordinate consignee requirements and reduce the potential for redelivery fees.
Notify the carrier about closures or changes
If the destination will be closed or unable to receive, contact the carrier before the delivery attempt. Do not rely on a note sent only to the shipper’s customer-service team or purchasing contact.
Prepare to unload
Have the correct dock, forklift, pallet jack, staff, payment, and documentation available. A confirmed appointment does not compensate for missing equipment or authorization.
What to do after an unsuccessful attempt
Act quickly, but do not request another truck until the cause is corrected.
- Ask the carrier for the unsuccessful-delivery reason and event time.
- Confirm the freight’s current location and status.
- Review the destination address, contact, hours, appointment, access, and equipment needs.
- Identify any added services required for the next attempt.
- Confirm storage or other charges that are already accruing.
- Obtain written redelivery instructions and a confirmed date or appointment when required.
- Make sure the consignee is ready before authorizing another tender.
- Preserve the shipment records for invoice review.
If the carrier’s terminal pickup option is permitted and practical, compare its requirements and charge with redelivery to the consignee. Do not assume terminal pickup is free or available for every shipment.
Reviewing a redelivery fee on an invoice
Use a simple evidence check:
- Was the shipment actually tendered for delivery?
- Could delivery not be accomplished?
- Was the failure outside the carrier’s fault under the tariff?
- Was another tender or final delivery performed or requested?
- Does the tariff apply per tender, shipment, vehicle, weight, or another basis?
- Were required notice and appointment procedures followed?
- Are related storage, detention, or accessorial charges independently supported?
- Does the customer pricing agreement modify the published tariff charge?
Raise discrepancies promptly through the applicable billing process. Avoid asserting that a fee is invalid merely because it was absent from the initial quote; an unplanned post-booking service can be chargeable under the transportation terms.
Quote-preparation checklist
Before booking, gather:
- Origin and destination addresses and ZIP codes
- Facility type and truck-access conditions
- Consignee name, direct phone number, and receiving hours
- Handling-unit count, packaged dimensions, and weight
- Commodity description and freight class, when known
- Dock and forklift availability
- Liftgate, inside, residential, limited-access, appointment, notification, or other service needs
- Gate, security, parking, or check-in instructions
- Required purchase-order and delivery references
- Closure dates and any receiving-time restrictions
Confirm that the returned quote reflects the actual delivery conditions.
Plan for a successful first tender
A redelivery fee pays for another delivery effort after an unsuccessful tender under the carrier’s rules. It is easier to prevent when the destination, contact, hours, equipment, appointment, and accessorial needs are accurate before booking.
Shipocity is backed by a team with more than 40 years of combined logistics experience. Through established industry relationships, the platform helps businesses compare competitive freight rates for their specific shipment.
Once the delivery conditions and required services are confirmed, get a freight quote from Shipocity that reflects the shipment’s actual needs.
