Sometimes Less-than-Truckload carriers have to provide unexpected services or accommodations in order to complete your delivery. This results in additional fees. Koho is here to help you avoid unexpected charges. Today, we’re talking about liftgate fees. A liftgate, which is a mechanical lift attached to the back of a truck, is used to load and unload heavy shipments at pickup or delivery locations that don't have a raised dock or forklift.Keep in mind that many LTL trucks don’t have liftgates. So if your delivery or pickup location doesn’t have a shipping dock or forklift, there will be no way to get your freight off the truck. If this happens, your shipment will be delayed and you’ll get charged with another fee for redelivery since the carrier will have to redeliver your freight with the appropriate equipment.If you do tell your carrier in advance that you will need a liftgate, you’ll only have to pay a small fee - sometimes as low as $45. Not doing so can result in hundreds of dollars in redelivery fees. On the Koho platform, requesting a liftgate is as simple as checking a box when you make your booking.Want to learn more about how to avoid unexpected fees? Go to gokoho.com.
Typically, when you buy a product or service you know exactly how much you’ll be paying. With less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping, that’s not always the case. After your shipment has been completed, additional charges, also known as rebills, can be added to the price you were initially quoted. Because of how complex and precise LTL shipping can be, rebills are a fairly common occurrence in the LTL industry. Delays that keep the driver waiting, inaccurate freight measurements or weights, incorrect paperwork, or unexpected equipment needed to load or unload your cargo can all result in unpleasant surprises on your invoice. And they can be substantial. The liftgate fee is one that shippers who aren’t familiar with what is needed to offload their freight often experience.
A liftgate, which is a mechanical lift attached to trucks, is required when the pickup or delivery location for a shipment does not have a raised dock or forklift. The liftgate is used to lower the shipment from the truck to the ground. This is a service that carriers charge fees ranging from $45 to as much as $250 for. If you don’t tell the carrier in advance that you need the service, they add the charge after the delivery is completed.
Keep in mind that many trucks don’t have liftgates. It’s very possible that your freight will arrive at your delivery location and there will be no way to get it off the truck. If this happens, your shipment will be delayed and you’ll get charged with another fee for redelivery since the carrier will have to redeliver your freight with the appropriate equipment. This could add hundreds of dollars to your invoice.
The only way to avoid liftgate fees altogether is to ship to and from locations that have loading docks or forklifts. Of course, this isn’t always possible. While you may not be able to avoid liftgate fees, you can certainly avoid seeing them as unexpected charges. And, you can avoid hundreds of dollars in redelivery fees as well.
When booking your LTL shipment always confirm whether your pickup and delivery locations have loading docks or forklifts. If they do not, indicate that you will need a liftgate when you make your booking. On Koho, this is as simple as checking a box. Then, when you get the rates for your shipment, Koho will include the cost of the liftgate service in your quotes, so you’ll know exactly what you’ll be paying for your shipment.
