A hand truck has a frame with a pair of wheels and a platform attached thereto for supporting a load during transport. A lifting arm is provided to assist in placing the load onto the platform without the user having to touch the load. The lifting arm is pivotally coupled to the frame and has a plurality of teeth. When loading the hand truck, the teeth initially contact and penetrate the box containing the load. Further movement of the hand truck toward the load causes the load to be raised by the lifting arm which allows the platform to slide underneath the load. Continued movement of the hand truck results in the lifting arm pivoting against the frame.