Suppliers and carriers book unloading slots through an online form that shows only the free 30-minute windows for each dock. Bookings land in the dock calendar, carriers get a confirmation and a reminder, and the gate team sees the day's arrivals each morning.
Typical results
30 min
Unloading windows per dock, shown only when free
≈80%
Fewer phone calls to book an unloading slot
2 hrs
Reminder sent before every booked arrival
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
At a distribution center with 8 docks, trucks tend to arrive whenever the driver gets there. Mornings bring a queue at the gate, afternoons leave docks empty, and chilled loads wait behind dry goods. The office takes around 25 booking calls a day, and gate staff have no reliable list of who is due.
Before and after
Average truck wait at the gate
−50%Booking phone calls to the warehouse per day
−80%Trucks arriving without a booking per day
−73%The automation
Carriers book through a web form instead of calling. They enter the purchase order, the pallet count and whether the load is chilled, and the form shows only free 30-minute windows on suitable docks, with chilled docks kept for chilled loads and loads over 20 pallets given an hour. The booking is written to the dock calendar in Google Calendar, the carrier gets a confirmation email with a booking number, and a reminder goes out 2 hours before arrival.
How it works
- 01
Carrier opens the form
The supplier or carrier enters the purchase order, the pallet count and whether the load is chilled.
- 02
Only free windows shown
The form shows open 30-minute windows on docks that fit the load. Chilled docks are kept for chilled goods, and loads over 20 pallets get a full hour.
- 03
Booked into the dock calendar
The slot is written to that dock's calendar and the carrier gets a confirmation email with a booking number.
- 04
Reminder before arrival
Two hours before the slot, the carrier gets a reminder with the dock number, the booking number and the gate rules.
- 05
Gate screen each morning
At 6 AM the gate screen lists the day's arrivals by time, dock, carrier and booking number.
Starts from
- Carrier booking form
- Free 30-min dock windows
Delivers
- Confirmation + booking no.
- Reminder 2 hrs before
- Gate arrivals screen
The impact
Arrivals spread across the day. Average waiting at the gate falls by about half, from around 70 minutes to 35, booking calls drop from about 25 a day to 5, and unannounced trucks fall to around 4 a day. Gate staff start each shift with a clear arrivals list.
Questions about this automation
How does the form know which docks are free?
It reads the dock calendar, where each dock has its own calendar and rules, such as chilled only or side loading. Windows that are already booked, blocked for maintenance or outside opening hours are hidden, and the window length follows the pallet count, so two carriers can't book the same dock at the same time.
What happens when a truck misses its slot?
Gate staff mark the booking as a no-show on the arrivals screen, which frees the window for other bookings. The carrier gets an email with a link to book a new slot, and no-shows are counted per carrier so the warehouse can raise repeat cases with the supplier.
What does the distribution center set up first?
The dock list with each dock's rules, the opening hours, the window length per pallet range and email contacts for regular carriers. The booking link is then shared with suppliers, and phone bookings can still be entered through the same form. Simple automations like this are usually live within days.