Predictika · LTL freight accessorials

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

An AI sales agent prepares the accessorial charges for a less-than-truckload shipment from the public Old Dominion tariff: liftgate, inside delivery, residential and other special sites, after-hours and weekend service, hazardous materials, overlength pieces, notification and appointments, high-cost regions and cargo liability. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of that tariff and returns a verdict, every reason and the charges it computed.

Scope: Accessorial charges from the Old Dominion Freight Line 100-Q tariff; linehaul rates are not modeled. See everything this validator covers

This validator models the accessorial services of the Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) 100-Q Optional Services and Rules Tariff and the ODFL Accessorial Services brochure, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Per-hundredweight services — liftgate ($4.40 per hundredweight, $115 minimum, $330 maximum), inside delivery ($7.70, $125, $605), residence, construction site, school or church and secured sites per end ($7.20, $125, $580), blanket wrap and protect from freezing ($3.50, $45 minimum), sorting and segregating ($4.00, $100 minimum, plus $25 per pallet) and redelivery ($7.20, $175, $580).
  • Flat charges — weekday after-hours service ($275), weekend service per person per hour with a minimum ($175 per hour, $500 minimum by day; $225 per hour, $800 minimum by night), hazardous materials ($35), pieces of 96, 144 or 240 inches or more ($495, $1,000, $1,300), call-before or appointment notice ($30, plus $2 online), marking ($40), airport ($150), mine, oil and gas sites ($160), and the California surcharge ($35).
  • High-cost zones — the flat fee for the zip codes in California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington DC.
  • Blocked and approval cases — hazardous waste and radioactive materials, blanket wrap on household goods, freeze protection on shipper load and count, a missing California surcharge, palletizing without sorting, an appointment fee with no appointment, weekend service without hours, and a stated total that does not match the tariff are blocked; capacity loads, weekend service, inside delivery at a residence, pieces over 27 feet 3 inches and cargo above the liability limit need approval.

Any accessorial quote that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: linehaul rates and discounts (they are customer-specific), fuel surcharge, holiday service, photo verification, the higher cargo liability price (Item 574) and inside delivery in New York zip codes 100 to 102, which the tariff text and the brochure give differently and which is therefore blocked rather than priced. Assumptions: weight is taken in whole hundredweight; the brochure says it is not binding, so the tariff text is used where they differ.

The AI sales agentBuilds the accessorial charges 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
A charge that is the greater of a rate per hundredweight and a minimum, capped at a maximumOnly with care
Each service has its own rate, minimum and maximum, and the residence and site charges multiply again by the number of ends, so a rep can easily leave one line stale when the weight changes.		The charge is computed from the weight on every call and compared with the figure the agent states.
A stated total that has to match the sum of the accessorial linesOnly with workarounds
The total is typed into the quote, and a price rule has to recompute every line to notice that one was left out.		The stated total is part of the request and is compared with the computed one on every call.
Services that cannot be combined: blanket wrap on household goods, freeze protection on shipper load and countOnly with care
Each is a simple exclusion, but it lives in a different place from the option that causes it and is easy to leave out.		They are in the same request and are checked on every call, whatever the order of the choices.
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.

    
1Old Dominion is not obliged to pick up or deliver on Saturdays and Sundays; the service must be requested and agreed.
2Old Dominion does not accept hazardous wastes, hazardous substances for disposal or radioactive materials.
3Articles longer than 27 feet 3 inches are accepted at the carrier discretion; the longest piece is 330 inches.
4The online appointment fee applies only when an appointment is requested, and the quote has none.
5Blanket wrap service is not provided on shipments containing household goods or personal effects.
6Protect-from-freezing service is not provided on shipments tendered shipper load and count.
7The quote charges palletizing for 4 pallets but has no sorting, segregating or palletizing service.
8The shipment is in a California high-cost zip, so it is a California shipment and the California compliance surcharge applies.
9Inside pickup or delivery at New York zip prefixes 100 to 102 has its own rate, which this validator does not price.
10At a private residence the carrier moves freight only into a garage or similar structure, never inside the residence; confirm this meets the customer need.
11A shipment of 20,000 pounds or more is a capacity load (Item 390) with a per-mile minimum charge; Old Dominion must confirm the pricing.
12The cargo value of $8,000 is above the carrier cargo liability limit of $5,000 for this shipment; coverage above the limit needs the higher cargo liability option (Item 574).
13The cargo value of $2,000 is above the carrier cargo liability limit of $500 for this shipment; coverage above the limit needs the higher cargo liability option (Item 574).
14The quote states $252.00 of accessorial charges; the tariff charges add up to $348.00.
15The shipment weighs 0 hundredweight; the quote needs at least 1.
16Weekend service is charged per person and per hour; the quote has 1 person and 0 hours.
17The quote charges palletizing for 2 pallets but has no sorting, segregating or palletizing service.
18The cargo value of $30,000 is above the carrier cargo liability limit of $20,000 for this shipment; coverage above the limit needs the higher cargo liability option (Item 574).

  

  

    
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. Liftgate and residence: 35 hundredweight to a residence with a liftgate, quoted at $252

    
The agent's request. Please quote the accessorial charges for a 35 hundredweight shipment going to a residence, with a liftgate. The quote states $252.00 of accessorial charges and is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Stated charges do not match the tariff. The quote states $252.00 of accessorial charges; the tariff charges add up to $406.00.
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2. Liftgate and residence: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote the accessorial charges for a 35 hundredweight shipment going to a residence, with a liftgate. The quote states $406.00 of accessorial charges and is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. 35 hundredweight; accessorial charges total $406.00.
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3. Freeze protection and notice: 25 hundredweight with freeze protection on a shipper load and count shipment, call-before notice and an online appointment fee

    
The agent's request. Please quote the accessorial charges for a 25 hundredweight shipment going to a commercial address, with protection from freezing. The freight is tendered shipper load and count. The consignee wants a call before delivery, booked online. The quote states $87.50 of accessorial charges and is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Online appointment fee needs an appointment. The online appointment fee applies only when an appointment is requested, and the quote has none.
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  • Protect from freezing not available on shipper load and count. Protect-from-freezing service is not provided on shipments tendered shipper load and count.
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  • Stated charges do not match the tariff. The quote states $87.50 of accessorial charges; the tariff charges add up to $119.50.
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4. Freeze protection and notice: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote the accessorial charges for a 25 hundredweight shipment going to a commercial address, with protection from freezing. The consignee wants a delivery appointment, booked online. The quote states $119.50 of accessorial charges and is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. 25 hundredweight; accessorial charges total $119.50.
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5. Inside delivery and cargo value: 40 hundredweight with inside delivery in New York City and $30,000 of cargo

    
The agent's request. Please quote the accessorial charges for a 40 hundredweight shipment going to a commercial address, with inside delivery, in a NY high-cost zip code. The cargo is worth $30,000. The quote states $458.00 of accessorial charges and is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Inside delivery in New York City is priced separately. Inside pickup or delivery at New York zip prefixes 100 to 102 has its own rate, which this validator does not price.
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  • Cargo value above the liability limit. The cargo value of $30,000 is above the carrier cargo liability limit of $20,000 for this shipment; coverage above the limit needs the higher cargo liability option (Item 574).
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6. Inside delivery and cargo value: The agent drops inside delivery

    
The agent's request. Please quote the accessorial charges for a 40 hundredweight shipment going to a commercial address, in a NY high-cost zip code. The cargo is worth $30,000. The quote states $150.00 of accessorial charges and is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Cargo value above the liability limit. The cargo value of $30,000 is above the carrier cargo liability limit of $20,000 for this shipment; coverage above the limit needs the higher cargo liability option (Item 574).
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  • Quote summary. 40 hundredweight; accessorial charges total $150.00.
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7. Inside delivery and cargo value: The agent adds the higher cargo liability option

    
The agent's request. Please quote the accessorial charges for a 40 hundredweight shipment going to a commercial address, in a NY high-cost zip code. The cargo is worth $30,000. The quote states $150.00 of accessorial charges and is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. 40 hundredweight; accessorial charges total $150.00.
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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 accessorial charges for a less-than-truckload shipment from the public Old Dominion tariff: liftgate, inside delivery, residential and other special sites, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of that 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 accessorial charges for a 25 hundredweight shipment going to a commercial address, with protection from freezing. The freight is tendered shipper load and count. The rest of the request is on screen. The quote states $87.50 of accessorial charges and is ready to send.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
    5. 
      
  5. Blocked, with three findings, all in one answer. The online appointment fee applies only when an appointment is requested, and the quote has none. Protect-from-freezing service is not provided on shipments tendered shipper load and count. The quote states $87.50 of accessorial charges; the tariff charges add up to $119.50.
    6. 
      
  6. The validator returned three 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.
    7. 
      
  7. What this shows: for services that cannot be combined: blanket wrap on household goods, freeze protection on shipper load and count, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
    8. 
      
  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the shipper load and count to no, the notice to appointment and the stated accessorial total to $119.50.
    10. 
      
  10. It calls the validator again.
    11. 
      
  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. All three earlier findings are cleared, and the validator's total, $119.50, matches the quote.
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  13. Three problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean $119.50 quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    14.