The five failure classes, and what receivers actually check
| Failure class | What the receiving dock checks | Your pre-ship check |
|---|---|---|
| Pallet too high | Height against their racking/beam spec and door clearance — published in the routing guide | Measure your tallest pallet against the receiver's stated cap, not your own warehouse's habit |
| Damaged / leaning pallets | Stringers, lean, crushed bottom cartons — refused on sight | Walk the load before the doors close; swap suspect pallets while a forklift is still nearby |
| Load not secured | Load bars or airbags, nothing against the doors, wrap integrity | Last look down the centre line before sealing — if it can shift, it will |
| Labels & placards | Carton labels readable and placed per spec; pallet placards matching the PO | One pallet audited per SKU against the routing guide's label diagram |
| Missed appointment | Arrival inside the window — many DCs refuse early arrivals as well as late ones | Confirm the appointment, the dock address, and transit-time honesty the day before |
The part most shippers skip: the routing guide
Every major receiver publishes the rules it enforces — pallet height caps, ti-hi expectations, label placement diagrams, appointment and no-show policies — in its routing guide or vendor compliance manual. The dock doesn't improvise; it enforces a document you can read in advance. If your team ships to a DC whose routing guide nobody has opened, your compliance strategy is hope.
Paperwork bounces perfect freight
A physically flawless trailer still bounces when the BOL doesn't match the PO, carton counts disagree with the ASN, or the appointment reference is wrong. Before dispatch: BOL, PO numbers, counts, and appointment reference cross-checked against what the receiver expects to see. It's minutes of clerical work against days of re-appointment lead time.
If it ships anyway and bounces
Then the clock starts: the first four hours decide whether a rejection is a same-day fix or a week of detention and re-booking. That sequence — evidence first, calls in order, detention math, the play — is the rejected load guide, and the print-cab version is the Rejected Load Playbook. If you're reading this with a refused trailer on your hands, skip both and go straight to the rescue desk.
Fix it before it rolls
Caught a problem at your own dock? Restacking, re-wrapping, and relabeling at origin is the cheapest rework there is — the pallet rework desk handles pre-ship compliance work, and the quote wizard prices it against real capacity.
Frequently asked
What gets loads rejected most often at distribution centres?
Five classes cover nearly everything: pallets built too high for the receiver's spec, damaged or leaning pallets, loads that shifted because they weren't secured, label or placard failures, and missed appointments. Every one of them is checkable before the truck leaves your dock.
Where do I find a receiver's pallet and labeling requirements?
In the routing guide or vendor compliance manual the receiver publishes to its suppliers — height caps, ti-hi expectations, label placement, and appointment rules live there. If you ship to a DC without reading its routing guide, you are guessing on someone else's rules.
Does a quality load guarantee acceptance?
No — paperwork and the appointment window can bounce a physically perfect load. The BOL, PO numbers, and carton counts have to match what the receiver expects, and the trailer has to arrive inside its window. Compliance is physical, documentary, and temporal at once.
What should I do if the load fails this checklist after it's already loaded?
Fix it before dispatch if the dock can; the cheapest rework is the one at your own facility. If it ships anyway and bounces, the first four hours decide the cost — photograph everything, get the refusal in writing, and call the receiving office before booking a crew.