If you ship palletized freight to locations without loading docks, liftgate delivery isn’t optional — it’s required. But how carriers handle liftgate service varies widely, and the differences can add up fast on your freight invoices.
Here’s what you need to know.
When Liftgate Is Required
Any delivery point that doesn’t have a loading dock or a forklift needs liftgate service to unload palletized freight. This includes retail storefronts, restaurants, office buildings, residential addresses, construction job sites, strip mall locations, and most small commercial spaces. In final mile delivery, the majority of stops fall into this category.
What It Costs with National Carriers
Most national LTL carriers charge liftgate as an accessorial fee — typically $75 to $150 per delivery. On a distribution run with 10 liftgate stops per week, that’s $750 to $1,500 in surcharges per week, or $39,000 to $78,000 per year. These charges often surprise shippers who quoted freight based on base rates without factoring in accessorials.
How to Avoid the Surcharge
Work with a carrier that includes liftgate as standard equipment. Carriers purpose-built for final mile delivery equip every truck with a liftgate because it’s required on the majority of their deliveries. The cost is built into the base rate — no surprise line items, no invoice disputes.
At Davis Delivery, every straight truck and every 53-foot trailer in our fleet is liftgate-equipped. We don’t charge a liftgate accessorial because we don’t treat it as an exception. It’s how we deliver freight every day.
What to Ask Your Current Carrier
Review your last three months of freight invoices. Add up every liftgate charge, residential delivery surcharge, and limited access fee. Compare that total to what a final mile specialist would charge as an all-in rate. The math often favors switching.
Get an all-in rate with no liftgate surcharge — call Davis Delivery at 678-926-3939.
