GRAIN INSPECTION FEES & CHARGES

EFFECTIVE DATE: August 1, 2023. This schedule supersedes any other fee schedule issued by this agency. “Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) must approve all fees for official services and official agencies will assess only those fees appearing on their current approved fee schedule.”

REGULAR HOURS: Monday through Friday 8:00 A.M. to Noon, and 1:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M., except Holidays.

NON-REGULAR HOURS: All other weekday hours not described above; Saturday, Sunday and holidays.

HOURLY RATES:  A minimum of 4 hours per person is assessed for Saturday, Sunday, and Holidays worked. An additional 4-hour minimum per person will apply for any work after 10:00 p.m. any day of the week. For service requests resulting in personnel being called in or called back to work after being dismissed, a minimum of four hours at the applicable hourly rate will be charged. 

• Regular Hourly Rate: $32.00 per each agency representative. All hourly rates are assessed in ¼ hour increments for each agency representative. This rate will be charged for licensed samplers operating the DT sampler, the staffing of on-site labs and container loading facilities during regular business hours. Hourly charges will be assessed in addition to the inspection unit fees. The regular hourly rate will not be charged if the applicant loads a minimum of 7 carriers every hour.
• Overtime Hourly Rate: $48.00 per each agency representative. Applies to Saturday and other than regular hours. Hourly charges will be assessed in addition to the inspection unit fees.
• Sunday & Holiday Rate: $64.00 per each agency representative. Holidays include New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, President's Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, 4th of July, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve at Noon. Holidays which fall on Saturday will be observed on the preceding Friday, those which fall on Sunday will be observed on the following Monday. All days of a three day weekend in conjunction with a holiday will be considered holiday overtime. Hourly charges will be assessed in addition to the inspection unit fees.
• Stand-by time: If the sampler/inspector is at the work site and available to work and the customer causes delays, or is not ready, they will be charged the applicable hourly rate.

TRAVEL TIME will be assessed from portal to portal when traveling outside the city limits at the applicable hourly rate. Travel time is a per trip charge not a per man charge. Travel time will be prorated when more than one location is serviced on the same trip.

Amarillo Grain Exchange, Inc. reserves the right to determine the number of samplers and/or inspectors needed to properly service the customer. Amarillo Grain Exchange, Inc. will also adhere to the following inclement weather policy: railcar sampling requests may be delayed, curtailed, or dismissed when one or more of the following conditions exist: High winds, rainfall that creates conditions that are either dangerous to employees and/or degrading to the grain being sampled, lightning, snow and/or ice on the railcars, any other weather related and/or facility specific condition that could put employees providing the sampling service in jeopardy. Adequate lighting must be provided when onsite sampling is requested after sunset.

MILEAGE: The IRS standard mileage rate will be assessed for all services performed outside the service point city's limit.  Any charge to the mileage rate is effective when the IRS changes their standard mileage rate. Mileage prorated where appropriate i.e., more than one location serviced in one trip.

FGIS ADMINISTRATIVE TONNAGE FEES: In addition to all other applicable fees, FGIS administrative tonnage fees for export grain shipments inspected and/or weighed, excluding land carrier shipments to Canada and Mexico, will be assessed at the current per metric ton rate identified in FGIS Directive 9180.74 Service Fees and Billing Codes, Attachment 1. Invoices will identify assessed administrative tonnage fees as separate line items per applicable carrier/unit type.

FGIS SUPERVISION FEES: In addition to all other applicable fees, FGIS supervision fees for domestic U.S. grain shipments inspected and/or weighed, including land carrier shipments to Canada and Mexico, will be assessed at the current per metric ton rate identified in FGIS Directive 9180.74 Service Fees and Billing Codes, Attachment 2. Invoices will identify assessed supervision fees as separate line items per applicable carrier/unit type.

BILLING: Payment is due on receipt of the invoice. If payment is not received within 30 days after the invoice date, a monthly penalty of $35.00 or 1.5%, whichever is greater, will be assessed. If payment is not received within 90 days after the invoice date, the account will be turned over to collections with the customer being held accountable for all collection and legal fees. In addition, service may be withheld until the delinquent account is paid and/or a cash deposit is made guaranteeing payment for future services.

CANCELLATION CHARGES: If a start time is established during non-regular hours and the elevator cancels prior to the start time, a 4-hour per person cancellation charge will be assessed.

ON-CALL TIME: On-call time is when an applicant wants personnel available after regular hours, but not on site. Personnel are off site waiting to report for duty. The elevator will establish a starting time. On Call time will be charged per hour/per employee at the applicable hourly rate until loading begins and/or is canceled.

HOLIDAY/WEEKEND ON-CALL TIME: On-call charges are when an applicant wants inspection personnel to be available and waiting to report to duty during weekend hours. The elevator must establish a starting time (earliest possible time your train could be on site and you would be ready to load) no later than 4:00 P.M. on Friday or the day before a Holiday if the Holiday is Friday. This is the time that our personnel will be required to report to work and the clock starts for on call time, per hour/per employee until loading begins and/or is canceled. Elevator personnel must contact agency personnel to notify them of any changes to the starting times. If the elevator is not ready at set start time, a per hour on-call charge per personnel will be assessed at the applicable hourly rate, if the request is not cancelled before the scheduled start time. If an elevator starts prior to the established starting time, inspection personnel may not be available as agency personnel will not be required to be available until the established starting time. This will ensure our employees of some compensation for being on indefinite weekend call.

SUBMITTED SAMPLES PICKUP: We will gladly pick up your submitted samples each week on one of our regular pick up routes at no cost. Customers requesting a pick-up of less than 10 submitted samples picked at their location off of the route will be charged the IRS standard mileage rate from the farthest point on our route to your location. This fuel surcharge is being added because of high fuel prices; however, the customer can drop off or use another shipment method to deliver samples to our office.

ON SITE LAB INPECTIONS: The elevator must provide office space and all equipment for an on-site lab. Applicable hourly rate charged per individual necessary to perform the service. Basis depart/arrive Amarillo, Texas/Guymon, Oklahoma lab, plus miles and inspection fees.

*ON-SITE LAB inspection personnel are provided on an “as available” basis. If Amarillo Grain Exchange, Inc. does not have inspectors available to serve at an on-site lab, a sampler will be provided at the lab and the samples will be picked up and inspected as soon as possible at our office. Also, any additional employees provided, besides the sampler will be pulled from the on-site lab and brought back to our office if loading falls to below 10 cars per hour.

PER DIEM EXPENSES: $40.00 per day per individual, plus actual lodging expense, when required to stay overnight away from the main office location.
 

OFFICIAL SERVICES

OFFICIAL SERVICES UNIT FEES: Grading, certification, and FGIS supervision fees included in all unit fees. Unit fees include sampling EXCEPT where indicated (*).