What is a liftgate fee?
It is the accessorial an LTL carrier charges when the truck has to lower your pallet to the ground because there is no dock to back into.
What is a liftgate fee for
A liftgate is a hydraulic platform on the back of the trailer. It takes a pallet from trailer height to ground level. Not every truck in a carrier's fleet has one, so the carrier has to route the shipment to a trailer that does, which is what you are paying for as much as the equipment itself.
It is charged per stop. A shipment that needs one at pickup and again at delivery is charged twice.
When you need one
Any delivery without a loading dock. Homes, almost always. Small retail units, storage facilities, job sites, offices and most self-storage addresses. If the receiver has a forklift and a dock, you do not need one, and it is worth asking rather than assuming.
Home deliveries usually need the liftgate and a residential charge together, so declare both.
Liftgate limits: weight and size
A liftgate has a rated capacity and a platform of a fixed size. Both depend on the truck, so they vary from carrier to carrier. A heavy pallet or a long one may not fit the platform.
Give the real weight and dimensions of each pallet on the quote request. The carrier can then send a truck whose liftgate takes the load, or tell you before pickup that the shipment has to be broken down or booked on different equipment.
What happens when a liftgate was needed and not booked
The driver arrives without one and cannot unload. The freight goes back to the terminal and comes out again on a liftgate truck, later than planned.
You then pay for the liftgate and a redelivery, both added after the fact. Declaring it on the quote costs less and keeps the delivery date.
Related terms
Quick answers
How much does a liftgate cost?
It varies by carrier and lane, and it is quoted per stop rather than as a flat national number. It is always cheaper declared up front than added afterwards.
Do I need a liftgate at both ends?
Only where there is no dock. Many shipments load at a warehouse dock and deliver to a place that has none, so one end is common.
Does a liftgate truck take longer to book?
It can, because not every truck in a fleet has one. Put it on the quote request rather than adding it the day before pickup.
Tell us the dock situation
If the liftgate fee first shows up on the invoice, it showed up too late. Send us the addresses and it goes in the quote.