Box truck with liftgate: loads and pay

A box truck with liftgate is the most flexible box truck on a load board. A large share of the freight posted for box trucks goes somewhere without a dock: a store's back door, a job site, a house, a small office. Without a liftgate you pass on those loads or hope someone at the other end has a forklift. With one, you take them and often get paid extra for it. This guide covers the freight a liftgate opens, the pay, the main liftgate types and capacities from the makers, and a safety checklist.

Freight that needs a liftgate

Any delivery or pickup without a loading dock, a forklift or a ramp. In box truck work that means:

• Retail store deliveries. Many stores receive at a rear door at ground level.
• Residential and final mile. Furniture, appliances and e-commerce freight to homes; see final mile delivery for box trucks.
• Appliances and equipment. Heavy single pieces that can't be hand-carried down a ramp.
• Job sites and construction supply. Materials dropped where there is no dock at all.
• Small businesses and offices. Restaurants, clinics, schools and shops.
• Trade shows and events. Some venues have docks, many staging areas don't.

The receiver almost never says "no dock" in so many words. The posting says liftgate required, LG, or "residential." Filter for it on boards; our load boards for box trucks guide shows how.

26 ft box truck with liftgate

On a 26-footer, a liftgate turns the most common freight truck into one that can take almost any box truck load: dock-to-dock LTL in the morning, liftgate store deliveries in the afternoon. Most 26 ft box trucks for freight work have one for that reason. The trade-off is weight: the gate's weight comes out of your payload, so weigh the truck with the gate installed.

Smaller boxes use liftgates too, often lighter tuck-under or rail models. We only dispatch 26 ft trucks, so the examples here use a 26-footer.

Liftgate accessorial pay

When a shipment needs a liftgate, the shipper is usually charged a liftgate accessorial: an extra fee on top of the freight rate. On truckload-style box truck loads, brokers often build it into the rate or list it as a line on the rate confirmation.

What to do about it:

1. Ask for it. If the load needs a liftgate at pickup or delivery and the rate doesn't show a liftgate line, ask before you accept.
2. Ask for both ends. Liftgate at pickup and at delivery are two separate charges in many tariffs.
3. Watch for extras that come with it. Residential delivery, inside delivery, appointment and extra stops are often separate accessorials too.
4. Get it on the rate con. A verbal "we'll add it" is worth nothing at invoice time.

There is no single standard amount. It varies by broker, shipper and lane, and a dispatcher who books these loads every day knows when the liftgate line is missing.

Liftgate types and capacity

Three styles cover most box trucks.

Rail lift

Platform rides up and down on rails at the rear. Folds up against the doors when stowed. Common on 26 ft boxes for heavy pallets.

Tuck-under

Folds and stows under the body, so the rear stays open for dock loading. Maxon calls its line Tuk-A-Way.

Cantilever

Platform folds up to form part of the rear when stowed. Simple and strong, but it blocks dock access unless you open it first.

Capacity is the most important number on a liftgate, and it is printed on the gate. From Maxon's published product line, as examples:

Maxon model line	Type	Rated lift capacity
Tuk-A-Way TE-20	Tuck-under	2,000 lb
Tuk-A-Way TE-25 / TE-30	Tuck-under	2,500 or 3,000 lb (platform up to 52 x 80 in)
Tuk-A-Way TE-33	Tuck-under	3,300 lb
Railift DMD	Rail	1,800 to 3,300 lb
Railift RC series	Rail	2,000 to 6,000 lb

Other makers publish similar ranges. Maxon groups gates by truck weight: medium-duty gates for trucks around 14,001 to 26,000 lb GVW, which is where most 26 ft box trucks sit.

Things that matter beyond capacity:

• Platform size. A standard pallet is 48 x 40 in; a wider or deeper platform is easier with pallet jacks and appliances.
• Dock access. Tuck-under gates leave the rear open for docks; cantilever gates block it until unfolded.
• Power. Gates run on batteries charged by the truck. Weak batteries are the most common liftgate failure.
• Weight. Every gate reduces payload. Weigh the truck with the gate fitted.

Liftgate safety checklist

Liftgates hurt people when they are rushed. Your gate's operator manual is the rule book; read it, and keep it in the truck. A general checklist:

• Park on firm, level ground with the brake set and wheels chocked if needed
• Inspect the platform, chains or cables, hinges and hoses before use
• Never exceed the rated capacity, and center the load on the platform
• Keep feet, hands and loose clothing away from edges and moving parts
• Use the platform's cart stops or safety flaps for pallet jacks and carts
• Never let anyone stand under or beside a moving platform
• Only ride the platform if the manual allows it for your model
• Lower slowly, especially with tall or unstable freight
• Stow and lock the gate and switch off its power before driving
• Report damage and get repairs from an authorized service center

Liftgate maintenance basics

A liftgate that fails at a delivery costs you the stop, sometimes the load, and maybe a repeat customer. Most failures are preventable:

• Keep the batteries charged. Liftgates usually run on their own batteries charged from the truck. Short local runs with many lifts can drain them faster than they charge. A charge indicator or a battery check at the start of the day saves a lot of afternoons.
• Check cables and connections. Corroded or loose power cables and ground connections cause many "dead gate" calls.
• Watch the hydraulics. Check fluid level and look for leaks at hoses and cylinders on the schedule in your manual.
• Lubricate the pivot points the manual lists, especially after winter road salt.
• Inspect the platform and stops for cracks, bent edges and worn cart stops.
• Know the power cutoff. Many gates have a switch in the cab or at the battery box. Drivers new to the truck often think the gate is broken when it is just switched off.
• Schedule a yearly inspection at an authorized service center, and fix small problems before they become a failed lift on a busy day.

Write the gate's model, serial number and rated capacity in your truck file. Brokers and shippers sometimes ask for the capacity before tendering heavy liftgate freight, and we keep it in your dispatch profile for the same reason.

Is a liftgate worth it?

For freight work in a 26 ft box truck, almost always. It opens loads a dock-only truck can't take, many of them pay an extra line, and it keeps your truck useful on slow days when only store deliveries are moving. The exceptions are owners who only run dock-to-dock LTL linehaul, where a gate is weight you carry for nothing.

Some programs, like Amazon Relay, have their own equipment rules; see Amazon Relay for box trucks. For everything else, see how we book box truck loads.

When we set up a truck for box truck dispatch, the liftgate goes in your profile with its capacity, so we only bring you liftgate loads your gate can lift, and we ask for the liftgate line every time.