White Glove Delivery in California
Two-man crews, inside placement, unpacking and debris removal. We move medical equipment, trade show freight, retail fixtures, lab instruments and high-value electronics across California from four branch offices. Dispatch is staffed 24/7/365, STAT jobs are picked up and delivered inside 90 minutes, and cargo is insured to $1,000,000.
What white glove actually includes
The term gets used loosely. Plenty of carriers sell white glove and deliver a single driver who leaves the pallet on the loading dock. Here is the difference in plain terms.
| Standard freight delivery | Marvin white glove |
|---|---|
| One driver | Two-man crew |
| Curbside or dock drop | Inside placement, room of choice |
| You unpack it | Unpacking and basic assembly |
| Packaging left with you | Debris and packaging removed |
| Stairs are your problem | Stair carries and tight access handled |
| Signature on a manifest | Signature plus photo proof of placement |
Where we run white glove
Crews work out of Fremont, South San Francisco and Inglewood, so a two-man job in either half of the state is a local dispatch rather than a long deadhead with a fuel surcharge attached.
What we move
Access, vehicles and the things that go wrong
Most failed white glove deliveries are access failures, not transit failures. The truck arrives and the item will not fit the freight elevator, the dock is booked, the loading bay has a 12 ft height limit, or the building requires a certificate of insurance nobody requested. We ask about all of that at booking rather than discovering it on the day.
Box trucks run 16 to 26 ft with liftgates and carry up to 10,000 lbs, which covers crated equipment and palletised fixtures. Cargo vans handle up to 2,000 lbs for smaller placements. For a full trailer load we run a tractor with a 53 ft trailer, though in San Francisco that usually means a transfer to a smaller vehicle for the final leg, and we will tell you that when quoting rather than after.
Certificates of insurance naming the building or venue as additional insured are issued on request, normally the same day. Building management at most California convention centres and commercial towers will ask for one.
Trade show and convention freight
Show freight runs to a marshalling window, not a delivery window. Miss it and the stand sits in a yard while the floor builds around the empty space. We book against the show schedule and hold the freight if the target date moves, which it usually does.
Moscone Center, San FranciscoLos Angeles Convention CenterSan Diego Convention CenterAnaheim Convention CenterSanta Clara Convention CenterLong Beach Convention CenterSacramento SAFE Credit Union Convention CenterPasadena Convention Center
Insurance
| Cargo liability | $1,000,000 |
| Auto liability | $1,000,000 |
| General liability | $1,000,000, $2,000,000 aggregate |
| Workers compensation | $1,000,000 |
General liability matters more than usual on white glove work, because the crew is inside your building or your customer building. If a wall gets scuffed getting a crate up a stairwell, that is a general liability claim rather than a cargo claim. Ask any carrier quoting you white glove what their general liability limit is, and whether they will name the building as additional insured.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between white glove and standard delivery?
Standard delivery is one driver leaving the item at the kerb or the dock. White glove is a two-man crew taking it inside to the room you specify, unpacking it, doing basic assembly, and removing the packaging. The transit is the easy part. The difference is everything that happens after the truck doors open.
Do your crews go inside the building?
Yes, that is the point of the service. Crews carry items inside, use freight elevators or stairs as needed, and place the item where you want it. We carry $1,000,000 general liability because the crew is working inside your premises, and we will name the building as additional insured on request.
Do you deliver white glove in San Francisco and the Bay Area?
Yes, worked from Fremont and South San Francisco. That covers San Francisco, the Peninsula, Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, San Jose and the wider Bay Area. Downtown San Francisco jobs are booked around freight elevator windows and street loading restrictions, which we handle at booking rather than on the day.
Can you handle trade show and convention freight?
Yes. Show freight is booked against the marshalling window rather than a normal delivery window. We cover Moscone, the Los Angeles, San Diego, Anaheim, Santa Clara, Long Beach, Sacramento and Pasadena convention centres, and we handle recovery after the show as well as delivery to it.
What weight and size can you take?
Box trucks run 16 to 26 ft with liftgates and carry up to 10,000 lbs, which covers crated equipment and palletised fixtures. Cargo vans handle up to 2,000 lbs. Full trailer loads run on a tractor with a 53 ft trailer, although in dense city centres that often means a transfer to a smaller vehicle for the last leg.
Do you deliver medical and lab equipment?
Regularly. Imaging units, analysers, surgical equipment and cleanroom instruments, placed into the room and uncrated. Clinical and hospital sites often need a certificate of insurance and a scheduled dock slot, both of which we arrange in advance.
How fast can you do it?
STAT is 90 minutes for collection and delivery together. Same-day white glove is booked and moving the same working day on a dedicated vehicle, meaning your item travels alone rather than waiting for a shared load to fill. Dispatch is staffed 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Do you remove the packaging?
Yes, debris and packaging removal is included as standard rather than charged as an extra. If the site needs the packaging retained for a warranty or a return, tell dispatch at booking and the crew will leave it stacked where you want it.
Book a white glove delivery
Tell dispatch what the item is, where it is going, which floor, and whether there is a dock or a freight elevator. You get a price on the call and we flag any access problem before the truck is loaded.
Call +1 (323) 673-7397Request a quoteRelated services
- Trade shows, staging and events, show freight and event logistics
- Medical device and surgical supply, equipment into clinical settings
- Same-day courier, dedicated same-day work across California
- Dedicated fleet, vehicles and crews assigned to your operation
- Warehousing and distribution, storage before a staged rollout
- All services