What a tail-lift does
A tail-lift, also called a tailgate, is a powered platform fixed to the back of the truck. It lowers to the ground, takes a pallet or a heavy item, and lifts it level with the truck floor. At the other end it does the same in reverse. With a tail-lift and a pallet jack, one driver can load and unload palletised freight without a dock, a forklift or a crew.
That's why so many Melbourne carriers and 3PLs ask specifically for a pantech with tailgate when they book extra capacity. A truck without one is limited to sites with a dock or a forklift. A truck with one can deliver almost anywhere a truck can park.
When you need a tail lift truck
- Building sites. Most sites don't have a forklift free when your delivery arrives. The tail-lift puts materials on the ground where the builder can use them.
- Retail stores. Shopping strips and many store backs have no dock. Pallets and cartons come down on the tail-lift and go in on a jack or trolley.
- Offices and fit-outs. Furniture, fixtures and equipment going into buildings with a loading bay but no forklift.
- Business-to-business deliveries. Small workshops, trade customers and wholesalers with roller doors and no dock.
- Heavy single items. Machinery, safes, appliances or stock that's too heavy to lift by hand.
If both ends of your job have a dock or a forklift, any truck will do. If either end has neither, you need a tail-lift. When you're not sure what's at the delivery address, ask your customer before booking. It's much easier to send the right truck than to find out at the kerb.
Pantech hire with driver
Most tail lift truck hire in Melbourne is self-drive: you collect a truck from a rental branch, learn the controls and do the loading yourself. Our trucks only come with a driver. You get an enclosed 4.5 tonne pantech, the tail-lift, a pallet jack, trolleys, straps and blankets, and a driver who operates the tail-lift every day.
That matters because tail-lifts are where many loading injuries and damaged pallets happen. Pallets roll, loads shift and platforms get overloaded when the operator is unfamiliar with the equipment. Our drivers know how to position the truck, check the ground, secure the load and move it on and off the platform safely.
How we load safely
- Check the ground. The truck is parked on firm, level ground with room for the platform to lower fully.
- Check the load. Pallets need to be wrapped and stable. If a pallet looks unsafe to lift, the driver will tell you before it goes on.
- Use the right gear. Pallets go on and off with a pallet jack. Loose items go on trolleys. Nothing is dragged across the platform.
- Secure it inside. Every load is strapped inside the pantech so it doesn't move in transit.
- Unload where you need it. At the drop, freight comes down to ground level and is moved to where you need it, within reason and on a flat surface.
Very heavy, tall or unstable items need planning. Tell us the weight and size of your heaviest item when you book, and we'll confirm it suits our truck and tail-lift before the day.
What fits on a 4.5 tonne tail-lift truck
| Freight | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Standard pallets | Up to 6 standard Australian pallets (1165 × 1165 mm), within a total payload of around 2 tonnes |
| Cartons | A full day of multi-drop carton deliveries, loaded by hand or on trolleys |
| Building materials | Bagged products, boxed fittings and palletised materials that fit inside an enclosed body |
| Furniture and fixtures | Wrapped in blankets and strapped inside the pantech |
| Long or oversized items | Tell us the length first. Some items suit a tray truck better than a pantech |
For internal dimensions and how payload works, read our 4.5 tonne truck dimensions and payload guide.
Ways to book
You can book a tail-lift truck for a single job, a full day, a few weeks or a permanent run. One-off and urgent work runs like a taxi truck, charged by time on the job. Regular work runs as a dedicated delivery run, with the same driver each day. If you're sending palletised stock across Melbourne, our pallet delivery page covers how that works.
Tracking, proof and paperwork
Every truck has live GPS tracking, and we can share a live link with you or your customer. At each drop the driver captures a photo and a signature and sends them through. We hold public liability and goods-in-transit insurance and can send certificates of currency before the first job.
Where we deliver
Our tail-lift trucks run across Greater Melbourne every day, from the warehouses of Truganina and Laverton North to Dandenong South, Campbellfield, Epping, Tullamarine, Port Melbourne and the suburbs in between. Geelong and regional Victoria are available by arrangement.