Predictika · LTL freight special service charges

An AI sales agent's freight accessorial quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares the special-service (accessorial) charges for a less-than-truckload shipment: residence or limited access delivery, liftgate, special equipment, over-length freight, notifications and excess liability. Before the quote goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the published tariff and returns a verdict, every reason and the charges it computed.

Scope: ABF Freight tariff ABF 111-AU (August 21, 2026) special-service charges for one LTL shipment on one trailer: delivery services, over-dimension freight, notifications and excess liability. See everything this validator covers

This validator models the accessorial charges of ABF Freight tariff ABF 111-AU, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Delivery services — ground (liftgate) service at $12.50 per 100 lb with a $235 minimum and $650 maximum; private residence service at $14.50 per 100 lb ($200 minimum, $240 in zip codes 70001-70499, $700 maximum); limited access or construction site service at the same rate; inside delivery at $18.00 per 100 lb ($185 to $1,850), or $40.00 per 100 lb ($210 to $2,000) in Manhattan zip codes 10001-10299; redelivery at $18.00 per 100 lb ($155 to $750).
  • Exclusions — the residence charge does not apply with the limited access charge; the liftgate charge does not apply when special equipment is charged and is not charged in Hawaii; special equipment is $17.00 per 100 lb ($575 to $1,300) per piece of equipment.
  • Other charges — over-dimension freight by longest article (8 ft to under 11 ft $375, to under 14 ft $700, to under 20 ft $950, up to 27 ft $1,450; over 27 ft the carrier is not obligated to move it and the charge is $3,000); $73 per notification, with the first one free on residence and limited access deliveries; forklift service $340; debris removal $105; optional excess liability at 3 percent of the amount requested (minimum $95), up to $150,000 above the $100,000 standard maximum.

Any shipment that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: linehaul rates and freight classes, discounts and customer pricing agreements, fuel surcharge, Canadian rates, pickup versus delivery as separate services, non-business-hours and holiday service, time-definite delivery, stop-offs, storage, hazardous material, and every tariff item not listed above. Charges are the tariff list charges for one trailer.

The AI sales agentBuilds the accessorial charges for the shipment from the conversation and says the quote is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

7 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Charges that cannot be combinedOnly with workarounds
The residence charge drops out when the limited access charge applies, and the liftgate charge drops out when special equipment is charged; each exclusion is a rule across two separate line items that has to be written and kept in step.		All the selected services arrive in one request and every exclusion is checked on every call.
Charges with a minimum and a maximumOnly with care
Each service has its own rate per 100 lb, minimum and maximum, and one of them has a higher minimum in a zip code range; each needs its own price rule.		The weight and zone travel with the request and each charge is computed from the tariff on every call.
A charge that depends on a size bandOnly with care
Over-dimension freight steps through four bands and then a different treatment above 27 feet; a price rule per band works, but the edges are easy to get wrong.		The longest article is a field and the band, the charge and the approval above 27 feet follow from it.
A free first notificationOnly with workarounds
The first notification is free only when a residence or limited access delivery is on the shipment, so the quantity billed depends on another line.		The billable count is computed from the notifications and the delivery type together.
A stated total that must match the tariffOnly with care
A total typed into a quote is a free-entry figure; a rule can compare it with the computed charges, but someone has to write and maintain that comparison.		The stated total travels with the request and is compared with the computed charges on every call.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the quote is saved or a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the services were added in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1The private residence charge (item 751) does not apply when the limited access or construction site charge (item 440) is assessed; only one of them can be on the quote.
2The ground (liftgate) pickup or delivery charge (item 758) does not apply when special pickup or delivery equipment (item 959) is charged; special equipment is charged in lieu of it.
3The ground (liftgate) pickup or delivery charge (item 758) does not apply to locations in the state of Hawaii.
4Special equipment is on the quote but the number of pieces of special equipment is 0; the charge is per piece of special equipment, so at least 1 is needed.
5The longest article is 325 inches, over 27 feet; ABF Freight is not obligated to pick up or move it and may return it to the shipper, and if it moves it the over-dimension charge is 3,000 dollars.
6Excess liability coverage of 160,000 dollars was requested; ABF Freight offers optional excess coverage up to 150,000 dollars above the 100,000 dollar standard maximum, for a 250,000 dollar total.
7The quote states accessorial charges of $200.00, but the tariff charges for the services listed come to $235.00.
8The shipment weight is 0 pounds; the per-hundredweight charges need an actual weight of at least 1 pound.
9The number of notifications is -1; it cannot be negative.
10Excess liability coverage of 200,000 dollars was requested; ABF Freight offers optional excess coverage up to 150,000 dollars above the 100,000 dollar standard maximum, for a 250,000 dollar total.
11The quote states accessorial charges of $0.01, but the tariff charges for the services listed come to $7,405.00.
12The longest article is 400 inches, over 27 feet; ABF Freight is not obligated to pick up or move it and may return it to the shipper, and if it moves it the over-dimension charge is 3,000 dollars.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. Home delivery with gated access: A home delivery priced with both the residence charge and the limited access charge

    
The agent's request. Please quote the special services for a 1,800 lb shipment delivered to any other zip code: private residence service, limited access service; the longest article is 60 inches (5.0 ft); 1 arrival notification(s). The quote states accessorial charges of $522.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Residential and limited access together. The private residence charge (item 751) does not apply when the limited access or construction site charge (item 440) is assessed; only one of them can be on the quote.
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2. Home delivery with gated access: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote the special services for a 1,800 lb shipment delivered to any other zip code: private residence service; the longest article is 60 inches (5.0 ft); 1 arrival notification(s). The quote states accessorial charges of $261.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Charge summary. Tariff accessorial charges total $261.00 (over-dimension $0.00, excess liability $0.00, billable notifications 0).
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3. Heavy liftgate delivery: A 6,000 lb liftgate delivery quoted at $750

    
The agent's request. Please quote the special services for a 6,000 lb shipment delivered to any other zip code: liftgate (ground) service; the longest article is 60 inches (5.0 ft). The quote states accessorial charges of $750.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Stated total differs from the tariff. The quote states accessorial charges of $750.00, but the tariff charges for the services listed come to $650.00.
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4. Heavy liftgate delivery: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote the special services for a 6,000 lb shipment delivered to any other zip code: liftgate (ground) service; the longest article is 60 inches (5.0 ft). The quote states accessorial charges of $650.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Charge summary. Tariff accessorial charges total $650.00 (over-dimension $0.00, excess liability $0.00, billable notifications 0).
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5. 28 ft steel beams: 28 ft beams on a flatbed, with a liftgate charge as well

    
The agent's request. Please quote the special services for a 6,000 lb shipment delivered to any other zip code: liftgate (ground) service, special equipment (1 piece); the longest article is 336 inches (28.0 ft). The quote states accessorial charges of $4,670.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Liftgate charge with special equipment. The ground (liftgate) pickup or delivery charge (item 758) does not apply when special pickup or delivery equipment (item 959) is charged; special equipment is charged in lieu of it.
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  • Article longer than 27 feet. The longest article is 336 inches, over 27 feet; ABF Freight is not obligated to pick up or move it and may return it to the shipper, and if it moves it the over-dimension charge is 3,000 dollars.
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6. 28 ft steel beams: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote the special services for a 6,000 lb shipment delivered to any other zip code: special equipment (1 piece); the longest article is 336 inches (28.0 ft). The quote states accessorial charges of $4,020.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Article longer than 27 feet. The longest article is 336 inches, over 27 feet; ABF Freight is not obligated to pick up or move it and may return it to the shipper, and if it moves it the over-dimension charge is 3,000 dollars.
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  • Charge summary. Tariff accessorial charges total $4,020.00 (over-dimension $3,000.00, excess liability $0.00, billable notifications 0).
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7. 28 ft steel beams: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote the special services for a 6,000 lb shipment delivered to any other zip code: special equipment (1 piece); the longest article is 312 inches (26.0 ft). The quote states accessorial charges of $2,470.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Charge summary. Tariff accessorial charges total $2,470.00 (over-dimension $1,450.00, excess liability $0.00, billable notifications 0).
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares the special-service (accessorial) charges for a less-than-truckload shipment: residence or limited access delivery, liftgate, special equipment, and more. Before the quote goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the published tariff and returns a verdict, every reason and the charges it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please quote the special services for a 6,000 lb shipment delivered to any other zip code: liftgate (ground) service, special equipment (1 piece); the longest article is 336 inches (28.0 ft). The quote states accessorial charges of $4,670.00. The rest of the request is on screen.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with one finding and one approval, all in one answer. The ground (liftgate) pickup or delivery charge (item 758) does not apply when special pickup or delivery equipment (item 959) is charged; special equipment is charged in lieu of it.
    6. 
      
  6. The validator returned one blocking finding and one approval in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other.
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  7. What this shows: for charges that cannot be combined, a rules-based CPQ can do this only with workarounds.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the liftgate service to no and the stated accessorial total to $4,020.00.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. Not blocked, but held for a person.
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  12. The one blocking finding is cleared; one approval remains for a person: article longer than 27 feet.
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  13. The agent resubmits once more.
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  14. The revised request. It changes the longest article to 312 in and the stated accessorial total to $2,470.00.
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  15. It calls the validator once more.
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  16. This time the validator clears it.
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  17. The earlier finding is cleared, and the validator's total, $2,470.00, matches the quote.
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  18. Two problems caught in one call, fixed in two passes, and a clean $2,470.00 quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    19.