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
The linehaul is the movement of the skid from one dock to another. An accessorial is extra labour, extra time, or extra equipment. 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.
Tailgate and liftgate
Tailgate and liftgate are the same piece of equipment. The tailgate is the truck's power liftgate: 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. Ask for tailgate delivery on the quote. A tailgate requested at the door can delay the stop or come back as a redelivery.
Inside delivery
Dock-to-dock means the skid comes off at the dock or at the tailgate. Inside delivery means the driver takes the freight past that point: through a door, down a hall, onto a floor. That is extra labour and extra time. Say how far inside, and whether there is an elevator or a stair.
Appointment
Some warehouses will not receive without a booked window. An appointment is that window. It is extra coordination, and a missed window is a wasted stop. If the consignee needs an appointment, say so on the quote and put the receiving contact on the bill of lading.
Residential
A residential address is a house, a townhouse, or a condo, not a commercial dock. The truck, the parking, and the labour are different. A residential stop almost always needs a tailgate as well. This is still business freight going to a home address, not a household move.
No-dock
No-dock means the building has no raised loading dock. The driver cannot back a trailer onto a leveler. That usually needs a tailgate and more time. "We have a garage door" is still no-dock unless there is a raised dock behind it.
Wait time
Wait time is detention. The truck is at the dock and cannot load or unload. A live load that runs long, a warehouse that is not ready, or a consignee who cannot be found: that time is charged after the free time in the booking.
The free-time window is confirmed on the quote or on the accessorials and fuel page, not invented here.
After hours
After hours means a pickup or delivery outside ordinary dock hours: early morning, evening, or a weekend. It is extra work, not a standard stop. Ask for it on the quote. Do not assume the next truck can arrive at 21:00 because the day run could.
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.