Liftgate Service: What is It, and Why Do You Need It?
According to Central Restaurant Products:
If you are ordering one of the thousands of pieces of restaurant equipment that Central Restaurant Products offers, you will need to consider how the product will be received. Typically, heavy equipment is shipped on a pallet and will arrive on a semi-truck. If you have access to a loading dock at your facility, that’s great! The truck will pull up, and you should be good to go. However, what if your business doesn’t have access to one? How will you get your product off the truck? That’s where a liftgate comes into play.
What is a Liftgate?
Liftgate service is a delivery option that you can request through your Product Consultant for an additional charge. A liftgate is a hydraulic lift on the back of a truck that lowers freight from the truck to the curb or street. It is an essential feature to have if you do not have a way to get the product off the truck yourself. See the following video to see a liftgate in action.
Why Do I Need a Liftgate?
You may wonder what is keeping you from taking your chances, and not ordering a liftgate to save money. Nothing, of course. However, are you willing to take that risk with a potentially significant investment?
Sam Rairden, a freight strategist with Central, puts it this way: “The most important thing that I think our customers forget is they just purchased a $2,000+ top-heavy unit and just how dangerous (to both them and the equipment) it is to try and offload without the proper equipment. Paying to have it offloaded upfront saves them time, money, and ensures that the professionals handle the riskiest part of the delivery is handled.”
What’s important to note is that not every truck is equipped with a liftgate. To guarantee a liftgate delivery when you order from Central, you will want to make a note at check out or tell your Product Consultant that you will need liftgate service. If you need additional assistance like having the equipment brought inside or uncrated, your Product Consultant can help set that up for you as well.
If you’re not sure whether you need it, ask! If you don’t request liftgate service and your delivery is unable to be moved off the truck, the carrier will likely charge you a re-delivery fee in addition to the liftgate fee that you’ll also have to pay — and no one wants that!
