Pallet delivery to an address with no forklift: tail lifts explained
What happens when a pallet arrives somewhere without a forklift, how tail-lift and pallet-truck delivery works, kerbside versus inside, and what it costs.
Most pallet problems happen at the delivery end. The supplier has a forklift; the customer is a shop, a school, a house or a small unit without one. The pallet arrives on a curtain-sider, the driver can't unload it, and it goes back to the depot. A tail-lift van solves this.
How tail-lift delivery works
- 1.The Luton van has a hydraulic platform at the back. The driver moves the pallet onto it with a manual pallet truck, lowers it to the ground, and wheels it to the kerb or into a ground-floor space.
- 2.Pallet trucks need a hard, level surface. Gravel, grass, steps and steep slopes stop at the kerb.
- 3.Standard delivery is kerbside or to the nearest level ground-floor point. 'Inside delivery' to a specific room is available where access allows; tell us at booking.
Limits
- Tail lift capacity: 500 kg per pallet. Heavier pallets need a forklift at delivery or a specialist vehicle.
- Pallet size: standard UK (1200 × 1000) and euro (1200 × 800) pallets. Oversize pallets must be declared.
- Residential: fine, as long as the driver can get within pallet-truck distance on a hard surface.
What it costs
| Run | Miles | Luton with tail lift |
|---|---|---|
| Within Birmingham | up to 20 | £85.00 |
| Birmingham to Coventry | 22 | £85.00 |
| Birmingham to Nottingham | 55 | £141.25 |
| Birmingham to London | 126 | £265.50 |
That covers up to five pallets on the same run to one address. Compared with a pallet network's tail-lift surcharge, a next-day window and a depot in the middle, a dedicated Luton is often similar money and arrives today.
Prices quoted are our published rates at the time of writing, with no VAT added. Enter your postcodes for a fixed price today.