William Lipovsky
A hydraulic liftgate is a convenient way to load heavy items into the bed of a truck.
The steel liftgate lowers to the ground with an electric hydraulic system, rising or lowering with a push of a button for ease of loading and unloading your items.
There are several rental companies — both national and local — that rent out trucks with liftgates.
For moving truck purposes, you’ll most likely rent either a truck with a cantilever lift or a tuck-away lift.
A cantilever lift can tilt and provide a ramp to load items into the back of a truck quickly. There are typically three buttons that are used to tilt, lower, and lift the gate.
With a tuck-away lift, you have the option of not using the lift at all. However, if you know you won’t be using the lift, it’s usually cheaper to rent a moving truck with a manual pull-out ramp.
Whether you rent a truck with a cantilever lift or a tuck-away lift, you’ll want to ensure you’re properly instructed on how to use this feature before you drive away from the rental location.
Below, we list the rental truck options that include lifts.
What We Recommend
For nationwide availability, Penske is likely your best bet for renting a truck with a liftgate. You only need to be 18 to rent, and you can rent as long as necessary, even if you need to travel out of the state.
Ryder has similar offerings for trucks with liftgates, but note that neither company will allow a one-way rental for a truck with a liftgate.
Budget Truck allows one-way rentals, but it’ll only allow you to rent trucks with liftgates for commercial use (not personal).
There are also several good regional options — such as CC Rentals in New York — that offer trucks with liftgates. These companies may allow one-way rentals, but you’ll need to confirm the specifics of your trip with the company.
Comparison Table
See the table below to quickly compare the companies that rent trucks with liftgates, then select any company name or scroll for more details.
| Company | Service Area | Trucks With Liftgates | One-Way Rentals? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penske | Nationwide | 22' and 26' box trucks | Not for trucks with liftgates |
| Ryder | Nationwide | Box trucks and straight trucks | No |
| Enterprise Truck Rental | Nationwide | 15' and 16' vans and trucks | Yes, with possible added fees |
| Budget Truck | Nationwide (commercial use only) | 16' trucks | Yes |
| Empire RAC | New York City | 16' to 26' trucks | Yes |
| Avon | Los Angeles, CA | 16', 20', and 24' trucks | Yes |
The List
The following rental businesses offer online reservations or quotes and a variety of truck types.
Most truck fleets offer automatic transmission, air conditioning, power brakes, and power steering to make handling a large truck a little less difficult.
When renting from one of these companies, be sure to understand the company’s policies and fee structure before confirming a reservation.
Note that many truck rental locations have the right to restrict the allowance of one-way rentals, even if the company’s policy typically allows them. You should contact your intended rental location to make sure that it’ll allow a one-way rental.
We’ve ordered the list below starting with the best overall options (specifically those with nationwide availability).
1. Penske
- Available trucks with liftgates: 22-foot and 26-foot box trucks[1]
- Minimum renter age: 18, with a valid driver’s license[2]
- Truck features: Air conditioning, automatic transmission, power steering, anti-lock brakes[1]
- One-way trips available? One-way trips are not available for trucks with liftgates. A truck with a pull-out (manual) ramp can be rented for a one-way trip.[3][4]
- Out-of-state travel permitted? Yes; fees will apply (per day and per mile).[5]
- Manual loading ramps available? Yes[1]
- How long can these trucks be rented? A truck can be rented for as long as necessary. You will be charged for each day the truck is rented.[4]
- Book online
2. Ryder
- Available trucks with liftgates: 22-foot to 26-foot trucks[6]
- Minimum renter age: 18, with a valid driver’s license[7][8]
- Truck features: Most locations offer air conditioning, automatic transmission, power steering, and AM/FM radio with CD.[7]
- One-way trips available? No[8]
- Out-of-state travel permitted? Yes, as long as the truck is returned to the original location[7]
- Manual loading ramps available? Yes[7]
- How long can these trucks be rented? Daily, weekly, or monthly[7][8]
- Book online
3. Enterprise Truck Rental
- Available trucks with liftgates: 15-foot to 16-foot parcel van and 16-foot cabover truck[9][10]
- Minimum renter age: 21; renters aged 21 to 24 may have certain restrictions.[11]
- Truck features: Air conditioning, automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, AM/FM stereo, diesel engine[12]
- One-way trips available? Yes, though you may incur extra fees[13]
- Out-of-state travel permitted? Yes[14]
- Manual loading ramps available? Yes, in some locations[14]
- How long can these trucks be rented? Any amount of time, including several weeks or months[15]
- Book online
4. Budget Truck Rental
Note: Liftgates are only available to commercial (business) customers. If you aren’t renting on behalf of a business, you can rent a Budget truck with a manual loading ramp.[16]
- Available trucks with liftgates: 16-foot trucks[16]
- Minimum renter age: 18; renters age 18 to 23 will pay an additional surcharge.[17]
- Truck features: Air conditioning, automatic transmission, power brakes, power steering, AM/FM stereo[16]
- One-way trips available? Yes[17][18]
- Out-of-state travel permitted? Yes[19]
- Manual loading ramps available? Yes, for non-commercial customers[16]
- How long can these trucks be rented? You can rent trucks as long as needed, but you’ll pay a daily rental fee agreed upon when you sign the contract. If a truck isn’t returned on the day listed in your contract, you may be charged heavy fees.[20]
- Book online
5. Empire Rent A Car (New York City area)
- Available trucks with liftgates: 16-foot to 26-foot trucks[21]
- Minimum renter age: 18[22]
- Truck features: Air conditioning, automatic transmission, AM/FM radio[21]
- One-way trips available? You can rent from one Empire location and drop it off at another but all locations are in the New York City area.[22][23]
- Out-of-state travel permitted? Yes, but you’ll need written permission from the location manager[22]
- Manual loading ramps available: Yes[21]
- How long can these trucks be rented? Daily, weekly, and monthly rental terms available[23]
- Book online
6. Avon (Los Angeles, CA)
- Available trucks with liftgates: 16-foot, 20-foot, and 24-foot trucks[24][25]
- Minimum renter age: Must be 21 with a valid driver’s license and 25 years of age to rent “specialty vehicles.”[26]
- Truck features: Air conditioning, automatic transmission, AM/FM stereo with CD player[24]
- One-way trips available? Yes; additional pickup locations in Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Beverly Hills[26]
- Out-of-state travel permitted? Yes, though you’ll need to let Avon know ahead of time.[27][25]
- Manual loading ramps available? No[27][25]
- How long can these trucks be rented? Call for daily, weekly, or monthly rates.[26]
- Book online
Companies That Don’t Offer Rental Trucks With Liftgates
In the course of our research, we found that the following car and truck rental companies don’t rent out trucks with liftgates:
For more about moving equipment that you can rent with trucks, see our list of rental companies that rent out car tow dollies.
For a one-way rental where you really need a lift gate, I found the (second) best choice is to rent a smaller truck with a much LOWER deck height + ramp. That would be the dreaded U-Haul. I say dreaded because U-Haul has a spotty reputation and the dealers are just as unpredictable. I happen to have a couple of really good ones locally. If you are loading heavy items – in our case file cabinets and bankers boxes, that lower height is both a convenience and a safety factor. Loading file cabinets up a steep, high ramp is a risk I’d rather avoid.
The situation is important enough that we considered just buying an Isuzu NPR with a lift gate and reselling it after the office move is over!
The lift gate nonsense
As of October, 2017 – I just contacted both Penske and Budget regarding One Way Lift Gate rental in-state(California). The answer I just got from several calls to 4 different agents was “NO !, No! No! and No”.
I wanted a one way 26′ truck with a lift gate.”No,No,No & No!” It is for a lucrative 1 week rental and I even offered to open a business account with them. “No,no, ……”
Penske had this specific explanation for their shortsightedness – “each truck+lift gate is owned by a specific location.” But so too is every other truck, I reply. What difference does a lift gate or a ramp make? Response is: mumble, mumble.
Then ,from 1 agent I got the ‘we could request it but can’t promise it ‘
Why do they make this so opaque and obstructive ?
I am trying to give them a business rental during their slowest week of the year (Thanksgiving) and the answer is either “No” or worse.
This is a great opportunity for a competitor to step in .
Experience has shown that most people that rent lift trucks for personal moves generally don’t know how to use and are quite susceptible to harming themselves or someone else in the operation of the lift gate. Feet or fingers can get caught in lift gates since are there no safety failsafe systems for the use of lift gates. Couple that with the combined I.Q. Of the “moving crew” gathered together for moving day and it’s a formula for disaster. Then you have to hear all the complaints of “we could have been killed” echoing off the walls. And the one doing the most complaining is probably the one that rented equipment to begin with and swore on a stack of bibles that they knew every thing there was to know about the use of lift gates.
I looking for a truck too rent one way with a lift gate i going from Louisiana too Michigan in the coming months any body knows of any i can see about renting i am having no luck with the lift gate part.Wayne
Hi Wayne,
We published an article that might be of help to you — it’s focused on truck rental companies that offer one-way rentals. You can cross-reference that post with this one about companies that offer trucks with a lift gate. For example, Penske and Budget Truck offer one way rentals, and many locations feature trucks with lift gates for rent. I hope this helps!
Hi thanks i call both them company’s the problem is with a lift gate they want u too return it back too where u rent it i not coming back from Michigan too Louisiana too return a truck but i do thank you very much Wayne
Hi Wayne,
I’m sorry to hear that Penske and Budget Truck didn’t pan out! After doing some further research, it sounds like it can be notoriously difficult to get a one-way rental with a lift-gate. Is a truck with a manual loading ramp at all a possibility for you? It should be significantly easier to secure a one-way rental from Louisiana to Michigan if the lift-gate itself isn’t an absolute necessity. Please let me know if I can answer any more questions for you!
Hi thanks for your answer seems like i not going too have much choice its not what i want but i going too do what i have too do too get move when the times comes Penske is like 5 miles from where i moving too so i will probley go with them unless i get lucky and find a lift gate thanks again Wayne
FYI-I just got off the phone with Penske and they do not offer one-way rentals for lift gate equipped trucks. I need a lift gate truck to move between CA and OR.
Hi Diane,
I’m sorry to hear about your negative customer service experience. Penske does in fact do allow for one-way rentals for their lift gated trucks. The rep you spoke with may have been confused or new because not all lift gated trucks can be rented one-way. If your particular location didn’t have any one-way lift gated trucks, that rep may have taken the option off the table. But I’ve been assured that you can do this. Ask your agency for a time-frame as to when they can get such a truck delivered to your location. This all is possible. It’s just a logistics issue (and poor customer service issue) that you’re having to endure. I’ve updated to state more clearly the Penske policy.
Please reply back if Penske still isn’t making things easy on you. Thanks for letting us know you had an issue, Diane.
I called Penske and they don’t guarantee a lift gate. What they tell is that there are so few in the one way fleet that it’s almost impossible to get. You don’t know until the day of pick up. And they don’t let the lift gate trucks go out of state.
I also called Budget and they say without exception that their lift gate trucks cannot to a one way rental. Any ideas?
Hi Diane,
They sure don’t make it easy on a person. You can still check with your local Thrify and/or United. Though have you considered using loading ramps? You can place them on the steps of a home/business and loading can be done without lifting things (as long as the home/building allows access for this). If you’re okay with ramps, that can broaden your search to U-Haul, Sixt, Avis and many other national companies.
I am moving across the U.S. and have looked into the truck rental companies you mention in this article. I’m disappointed to learn that none of these companies you mention offer liftgate rental trucks for one-way. They all require pick-up and drop-off in the same location. This is a huge disappointment. You should consider adding this information here so others don’t waste time looking for one-way truck rentals with liftgates.
Hi Dee,
Thank you for the comment. You’ve brought up a good point. For people moving a far distance, returning to the same location is a huge pain. Because of your comment, this post is getting revamped – with an emphasis on letting everyone know the return policies (and hopefully finding a few new rental companies that don’t require their vehicles to be returned to the same location). Within a week, this post will be 2.0’d. If you’re subscribed to comments and see this – please check back within a week. Hopefully that time frame works for you. Sorry for any inconvenience. If I can answer any specific questions for you, I’ll be happy to. Thank you, Dee.
Hi Dee,
Please see updated information if you’re still in the market. Budget, Enterprise, Penske all have liftgate trucks that can be rented for one-way trips.
It appears that’s the case when you look at their web pages but when I called to inquire, they were only available for local or in-state use. That was my experience with Penske, renting out of San Diego. When I tried to get a quote from Enterprise online, I found they were not available for one-way out of state as well.
My wife and I are moving my mother in law into a new home and need a truck. We have never rented a moving truck before so we aren’t sure what to look for in one. One with a lift gate like this would be awesome! I just hope that we can find one here locally.
Great list! Thank you!