Predictika · LTL freight delivery accessorial charges

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

An AI sales agent prepares the delivery-service charges for a less-than-truckload (LTL) shipment: whether the delivery needs a tailgate lift, whether it is a residential or limited access location, whether the carrier is to be notified, and how long the longest piece is, together with the total the quote states. Before it 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 figures it computed.

Scope: Estes Express Lines LTL delivery accessorial charges (Rules Tariff EXLA 105 FF, Items 567, 647, 670-10, 751, 751-05 and 751-10): tailgate lift, residential delivery, appointment, limited access and secured locations, terminal pickup, notification and over-length pieces. See everything this validator covers

This validator models the delivery accessorial charges of the Estes Express Lines Rules Tariff EXLA 105 FF (effective January 2, 2026) and its Accessorial Charges sheet (effective November 17, 2025), not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Tailgate lift — $4.95 per 100 lb with a $75.00 minimum and a $350.00 maximum, charged when it is requested or when a piece of 50 lb or more is delivered to a residence or to a location with no dock; a piece over 2,000 lb goes to approval.
  • Residential and limited access — residential delivery at $8.50 per 100 lb ($75.00 minimum, $550.00 maximum) with an appointment fee of $25.00 unless unattended delivery is agreed; limited access delivery at $85.00; secured locations at $6.12 per 100 lb ($150.00 minimum, $500.00 maximum); terminal pickup at a residential or limited access location at $20.30.
  • Notification and over-length — $30.00 for notification before a business delivery under 20,000 lb (notification before a residential delivery goes to approval); over-length pieces of 96, 144, 192 and 240 inches or more at $300.00, $600.00, $850.00 and $1,000.00.
  • Checks — a shipment weight of at least 1 lb, a heaviest piece that is no heavier than the shipment, a secured location only on limited access premises, and the total the quote states against the tariff charges.

Any Estes LTL delivery accessorial quote that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: the line-haul freight charge (class rates are customer specific), fuel surcharge, other accessorials such as inside delivery or hazardous materials, taxes and delivery times.

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

6 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
A tailgate lift that depends on piece weight and the delivery siteOnly with workarounds
Whether a lift is needed turns on the heaviest piece, the kind of premises and whether there is a dock, so a rep who ticks only the residential box can leave the lift charge out of the total.		The need for a lift is worked out from the pieces and the site on every call and its charge is added to the total.
Per-100-lb charges with a minimum and a maximumOnly with care
Lift, residential and secured charges each scale with weight between a floor and a cap, so each needs its own formula, rounding and limits to be loaded and kept right.		Each charge is computed with its rate, minimum and maximum from the shipment weight on every call.
A site that must be classed as limited accessOnly with workarounds
A secured site is a limited access location in the tariff, but a quote can mark the site secured and leave the premises as an ordinary business.		The secured and premises choices are checked against each other and the quote is blocked when they disagree.
A stated total that must agree with the tariffOnly with workarounds
The total on the quote is typed or generated outside the price rules, so a separate rule has to recompute it and compare.		The stated total is a field in the request; the validator blocks when it differs from what it computes.
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 choices arrived 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 quote states accessorial charges of $75.00; the published tariff charges give $150.00.
2A secured location is a limited access location under the tariff, but the premises are not marked as limited access.
3Notification before a residential delivery is charged under tariff Item 647 Part 2, and the Item 751-05 appointment fee may also apply; a person should confirm the charge.
4A piece of 2,500 pounds is over the 2,000 pound handling-unit weight at which the tariff says tailgate lift service may not be provided; a person should confirm how it will be delivered.
5The quote states accessorial charges of $74.99; the published tariff charges give $75.00.
6The quote states accessorial charges of $76.00; the published tariff charges give $75.00.
7A shipment weight of 0 pounds is not valid; the shipment needs a weight of at least 1 pound.
8The heaviest piece is 0 pounds but the whole shipment weighs 0 pounds.
9The heaviest piece is 400 pounds but the whole shipment weighs 300 pounds.

  

  

    
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. Residential delivery: A residential delivery with a heavy piece, quoted without the tailgate lift charge

    
The agent's request. Please quote the delivery accessorial charges for a shipment of 720 pounds, heaviest piece 310 pounds, longest piece 48 inches, delivered to a residential address, with unattended delivery agreed. The quote states accessorial charges of $75.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Stated total does not match. The quote states accessorial charges of $75.00; the published tariff charges give $150.00.
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2. Residential delivery: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote the delivery accessorial charges for a shipment of 720 pounds, heaviest piece 310 pounds, longest piece 48 inches, delivered to a residential address, with unattended delivery agreed. The quote states accessorial charges of $150.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. Estimated accessorial charges of $150.00 on a shipment of 720 pounds.
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3. Secured site: A secured site delivered to ordinary business premises

    
The agent's request. Please quote the delivery accessorial charges for a shipment of 3,000 pounds, heaviest piece 800 pounds, longest piece 48 inches, delivered to a business with a loading dock, with a secured site. The quote states accessorial charges of $183.60. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Secured site is not limited access. A secured location is a limited access location under the tariff, but the premises are not marked as limited access.
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  • Stated total does not match. The quote states accessorial charges of $183.60; the published tariff charges give $0.00.
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4. Secured site: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote the delivery accessorial charges for a shipment of 3,000 pounds, heaviest piece 800 pounds, longest piece 48 inches, delivered to a limited access location, with a secured site. The quote states accessorial charges of $268.60. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. Estimated accessorial charges of $268.60 on a shipment of 3,000 pounds.
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5. Long piece: A residential delivery with a 100 inch piece, quoted without the over-length charge

    
The agent's request. Please quote the delivery accessorial charges for a shipment of 1,500 pounds, heaviest piece 250 pounds, longest piece 100 inches, delivered to a residential address, with a tailgate lift requested. The quote states accessorial charges of $227.50. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Stated total does not match. The quote states accessorial charges of $227.50; the published tariff charges give $527.50.
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6. Long piece: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote the delivery accessorial charges for a shipment of 1,500 pounds, heaviest piece 250 pounds, longest piece 100 inches, delivered to a residential address, with a tailgate lift requested. The quote states accessorial charges of $527.50. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. Estimated accessorial charges of $527.50 on a shipment of 1,500 pounds.
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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 delivery-service charges for a less-than-truckload (LTL) shipment: whether the delivery needs a tailgate lift, whether it is a residential or limited access location, whether the carrier is to be notified, and more. Before it 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 figures it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please quote the delivery accessorial charges for a shipment of 3,000 pounds, heaviest piece 800 pounds, longest piece 48 inches. The quote states accessorial charges of $183.60. 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 two findings, all in one answer. A secured location is a limited access location under the tariff, but the premises are not marked as limited access. The quote states accessorial charges of $183.60; the published tariff charges give $0.00.
    6. 
      
  6. The validator returned two blocking findings 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 and against the stated total.
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  7. What this shows: for a site that must be classed as limited access, 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 delivery site to limited access and the stated accessorial charges to $268.60.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. The validator also returns the line-item quote, on screen.
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  13. Both earlier findings are cleared, and the validator's total, $268.60, matches the quote.
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  14. Two problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    15.