You need to understand what a liftgate is exactly before you can know if your Detroit courier service is going to require you to rent one on any given shipment. Liftgates are used on trucks that are unloaded from the rear that are shipping large and heavy cargo. This isn't something that is going to be needed if you're just shipping a small package with a parcel courier. For anything that is being loaded in a truck where the individual packages weigh more than a hundred pounds, you can almost guarantee that it is going to require one.
There are a lot of reasons that courier companies require their clients to use liftgates when they are shipping packages that weight over 100lbs. They aren't willing to bend on this requirement except in one special circumstance. Insurance and worker safety both require that they use these machines in order to prevent on the job injury which can occur when repetitive lifting of heavy objects is required.
The liftgate's only purpose essentially is to move the goods from the level of the truck to the ground level. From there they can be moved with whatever equipment is preferred or available to where it has to go. However, this is an
added piece of equipment that you are in essence hiring from the courier company, so you can expect to be billed a surcharge whenever you require one.
As mentioned, there is one time when a liftgate won't be required, even when the packages exceed the weight limitation. That time is going to be when the facility that the packages are being picked up from and where they are being delivered to are equipped with a loading dock.
A loading dock allows a truck to back right up to the facility and allows the cargo to be unloaded directly from the level of the truck. It is the action of moving the goods to and from the height of the truck to the ground that requires a liftgate. That is why if you're delivering to a facility with a loading dock, and if you have one yourself, you can save a little money on every shipment.
It might sound like a small thing, but this is one reason why many put loading docks in when building new production facilities. Not having to use a liftgate every time you load a truck saves you time and money. This can add up to a substantial savings over hundreds and thousands of shipments.
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