DOCK TALLY / ARTICLES

The Exception

Explore delivery exceptions, damage observations, shortage records and the evidence kept with a shipment.

The exception has a pro number. The bill has one too. You prop the edge of both documents against the stack of corrugate boxes…

One corner is crushed. You have not said whether the case is open. The forklift idles 10 feet away, its operator leaning out of…

An extra carton is on the dock. You are not putting it into stock. The skid it arrived on matches the manifest you’re holding,…

The margin has a note. The shortage box on the form is empty. You’re leaning against a stack of shrinkwrapped pallets at bay 7,…

You wrote the exception. The driver did not sign that line. The bay door is still propped open, the trailer’s lift gate hangs half-lowered,…

The form has a line for a photo. Nothing is clipped to it. You’re standing under the dock’s flickering fluorescent lights, rain seeping in…

A short code box is on the receipt. You have not filled it. The rain from the open dock door spots the edge of…

The wrap is off. A crushed case was inside a pallet that looked fine. You set your box cutter down on the edge of…

You refused one carton. It has not left the dock. The delivery driver idles their cab at the curb, checking their watch every 30…

The driver is gone. A crushed carton is still on the dock. You flip over the signed dock receipt you were holding two minutes…

The receipt has a shortage line. Your tally is short by a few cartons. You cross-check the pallet count scrawled on the side of…