Warehousing decisions often hinge on square footage, but for shippers managing a broader supply chain, the real test of a warehouse partner happens on the dock. When freight changes hands, a single miscommunication can turn into damaged product or an injured employee. Expert warehouse partners take steps to prevent those mishaps from happening and keep everything moving on schedule.
Zach Pappas, COO of Shaker Logistics, walks through what that process looks like at Shaker’s warehouse facility: the questions the team asks before freight arrives, the equipment lineup built to handle nearly anything that comes off a trailer, and the protocol that kicks in when something doesn’t go as planned.
Essential Freight Questions
Before freight arrives, Shaker’s team gathers essential details about the freight to be stored, and the customer’s needs:
- What type of freight is arriving, and how is it packaged?
- What are its dimensions and weight?
- Can it be unloaded with a standard forklift, or does it require specialized material handling equipment?
- Should the freight be stored on racks, or does it require floor space?
Getting those answers upfront lets the warehouse team set aside the right space and equipment before a trailer even backs in, instead of improvising once freight is already on the ground.
A single day at Shaker’s warehouse might bring anything from a pallet of paper to an eight-foot box of industrial ductwork. When our team knows the details ahead of time, we can unload trucks safely and quickly to keep the driver moving while avoiding damage to the freight.
Risk Concentrates at the Loading Dock
Of the accidents that happen inside a warehouse, a disproportionate share happen at the dock itself, where trucks, forklifts, dock teams, and freight in transit all occupy the same space at the same time. Training dock staff to move cautiously and handle freight properly protects two things at once: the people on the floor and the condition of the product they’re moving.
Responsible warehousing partners ensure that freight leaves the warehouse in the same condition that it arrived in. Shaker’s team treats customer freight like it’s our own, and we’re invested in the success of each storage and transportation project.
When Freight Handling Doesn’t Go as Planned
Not every load moves through a dock without a hitch. What separates a strong warehouse operation from an average one is what actions are taken after something goes wrong.
Whether a pallet tipped over or a box was punctured by a forklift, the first step towards a solution is to loop in everyone with a stake in the outcome: the warehouse team, customer service, the customer directly, and the driver on site. The goal is to keep every party informed of what’s happening and what’s being done about it, so freight keeps moving safely instead of sitting in limbo while people figure out who’s responsible for the next step. If freight needs to be sent back to the manufacturer for repairs, our trucks can move it. If an item needs to be repalletized, our warehouse team can handle it. Either way, we work with the customer to keep everything on track.
Choosing a Warehouse Partner Built for Complex Freight
Shaker’s warehouse team is set up for shippers who can’t go to just any warehouse: project freight, high-touch loads, and freight that requires real collaboration to handle correctly. Pairing that with in-house transportation means the same team managing freight on the dock can also move it to its next stop, cutting out an extra handoff and another opportunity for something to go wrong.
For shippers weighing a warehouse partner, dock safety and equipment readiness are as much a part of due diligence as pricing. Reach out to Shaker’s team to talk through your freight and how our facility can handle it.