Tailgate delivery
The truck's power liftgate lowers the skid to ground level. Common at retail units, small offices and commercial addresses with no raised dock.
Freight guide
Tailgate delivery and accessorial charges
Tailgate delivery is the truck's power liftgate. Accessorial charges are everything that is not plain dock-to-dock freight. Ask for them on the quote so they are priced, not argued when the truck is already at the door.
What an accessorial is
Accessorial is extra labour, extra time or extra equipment on top of the linehaul, which is the movement of the skid from one dock to another.
Shippers search for the job (tailgate, inside, appointment). Carriers invoice the charge. This page uses both vocabularies.
The binding schedule of accessorials and fuel, when it is published, lives on accessorials and fuel. This page is the plain-language map of the work. How a skid is priced is the companion page.
Dock or tailgate
A raised loading dock lets freight roll on and off with a pallet jack, level with the trailer floor. That is the standard stop and not an accessorial.
Tailgate and liftgate are the same piece of equipment: a platform that raises or lowers a skid between the trailer floor and the ground. You need it when the building has no raised dock, when the dock will not take the trailer, or when the freight has to come off at street level. A driver cannot safely walk a heavy skid down a trailer ramp.
Tell dispatch what each building actually has when you request the quote, so the price and the truck are right the first time. A garage door is still no dock unless there is a raised dock behind it.
The work you can ask for
Inside delivery
The driver takes the freight past the dock or the door: through an entrance, down a hall, onto a floor. Say how far inside, and whether there is an elevator or a stair.
Appointment
Some warehouses will not receive without a booked window. Put the receiving contact on the bill of lading with it.
Residential
A house, townhouse or condo is not a commercial dock. The truck, the parking and the labour are different, and it almost always pairs with a tailgate.
No dock
The building has no raised loading dock, so the driver cannot back a trailer onto a leveler. That usually needs a tailgate and more time.
Wait time
Detention: the truck is at the dock and cannot load or unload. A live load that runs long, or a receiver who cannot be found.
After hours
A pickup or delivery outside ordinary dock hours: early morning, evening or a weekend. Extra work, not a standard stop.
None of this work is priced on this page. The charges and the fuel surcharge rule live on accessorials and fuel.
Appointments and special circumstances
An appointment is a booked receiving window. It is extra coordination, and a missed window is a wasted stop. If the consignee needs one, say so on the quote and give dispatch the contact who books it.
Special circumstances are anything that makes the stop different from a straight dock call: a construction site, a shared receiving bay, a gate code, restricted truck access on the street, or a consignee who unloads by hand. Describe it in your own words on the quote. Dispatch would rather read it than discover it.
The free-time window before wait time applies is confirmed on the quote or on the accessorials and fuel page, not invented here.
How to flag it on the quote
- Answer the dock questions honestly for both pickup and delivery.
- Note whether either address is residential or needs an appointment.
- Mention inside delivery or a likely wait up front, not at the door.
- Dispatch confirms which accessorials apply before the shipment is booked.
Accessorials are assessed at each end of the move independently: a dock at pickup and a tailgate at delivery is a normal shipment.
Questions
Questions shippers ask
What is tailgate delivery?
Tailgate delivery means the truck uses its power liftgate (the tailgate) to lower or raise the skid because the site has no raised dock, or the dock cannot take the trailer.
Why are there accessorial charges?
The linehaul price is dock-to-dock freight. Extra labour, extra time, or extra equipment is an accessorial. Asking for it on the quote means it is priced, not argued on the dock.
Can I add a tailgate after I book?
Tell dispatch as soon as you know. A tailgate requested at the door can delay the stop or come back as a redelivery.
Get a quote for your skids
Name the extra work when you ask for the price. It is cheaper to quote a tailgate than to reschedule a stop.