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A whole pallet is not there. The form is set up for cartons. You hover your pen over the carton-level short field, feet planted on the cold concrete of Dock Tally. The lift idles 10 feet away, its operator waiting for you to sign off before they pull away from the trailer. The bill of lading in your hand lists 12 pallets total, 48 cartons across all of them, so a missing pallet isn’t just a handful of missing units—it’s an entire line item the form doesn’t account for at first glance.
Cross-reference the full shipment manifest to confirm the pallet’s assigned SKU range
You first flip to the second page of the freight document, where the manifest breaks down each pallet’s contents and placement in the load. Match the listed pallet count to what you have stacked on the dock right now, counting each label twice to avoid miscounting due to wrapped overstock or stacked partial pallets. Confirm that the missing pallet was not marked as a separate drop-off for another location on the manifest, and that there are no notes about a split load that would explain its absence before you mark any discrepancy. If you find the pallet is marked as included for your location, move to the exception field instead of defaulting to the carton short line, which will skew inventory counts later when the team reconciles received units against ordered stock. Double-check that the manifest does not list the pallet as a “floor loaded” item that might have been unloaded separately with loose cartons, as this is a common mix-up for mixed LTL loads.
Document the discrepancy in the unlisted exception field instead of the carton short field
Most freight documents hide a free-text unlisted exception field below the pre-filled carton shortage, damage, and overage lines, usually in the lower third of the page next to the receiver signature block. This field is built for non-standard discrepancies like missing full pallets, entire load sections, or non-conveyable items that aren’t counted as individual cartons. When you fill out this field, follow this consistent structure that leaves no room for ambiguity later:
- Enter the 6-digit pallet ID printed on the manifest next to the missing load slot, matching it to the sequential pallet numbering listed for your location
- Note the total number of cartons and units assigned to that pallet, pulled directly from the manifest SKU breakdown
- Write “FULL PALLET MISSING” in all caps at the start of the field to avoid confusion with individual carton shortages during later reconciliation
- Add the trailer number and seal number you recorded when you first opened the trailer to cross-reference with the carrier’s trip logs later
Illustrative example: If the missing pallet has ID 472916, holds 12 cartons of 10 units each of SKU 3401, you would write “FULL PALLET MISSING: ID 472916, 12 cartons / 120 units SKU 3401, trailer 8924, seal 76102” instead of entering 12 in the carton short field. This notation ensures anyone reviewing the document later doesn’t assume 12 individual cartons were misplaced across other pallets, and can immediately flag the issue as a full missing load unit.
Capture timestamped photos of the empty trailer slot and remaining pallet count for your records
You don’t need to capture photos of every individual pallet on the dock, but you do need clear shots that confirm the total number of pallets received, the empty slot in the trailer where the missing pallet would have been placed, and the seal number you matched to the BOL before offload started. Save these photos to the shared drive folder tied to this shipment number, with a file name that matches the pallet ID you listed in the exception field so anyone reviewing the discrepancy later can pull the supporting documentation in seconds. You can also show the photos to the lift operator and carrier driver to confirm you’re both in agreement about the missing pallet before you ask the driver to sign the discrepancy note on the freight document. Never alter the photos or crop out context that could clarify the load layout, as this can slow down any follow-up reviews of the shortage. You can also snap a quick photo of the signed exception field for your personal records if you want a backup in case the physical document is misplaced.
Flag the entry for the inventory operations lead before you sign the carrier’s delivery receipt
Put a bright, neon sticky note directly next to the exception field you filled out, and add a short note that the discrepancy is a full missing pallet, not a carton shortage, so the operations lead doesn’t have to scan the entire document to find the issue when they review it later. Sign your name and the current time in the receiver signature block, and ask the carrier driver to sign next to the exception field to confirm they were present when the shortage was noted. You are not required to argue with the driver about where the pallet might be, or to accept responsibility for the shortage; you are only documenting the exact count of what you received when you opened the trailer, compared to what was listed on the BOL. Once both signatures are in place, give the carrier their copy of the document, and keep the original copy for your team’s records. If the driver refuses to sign the exception, add a note next to the field that says “carrier present for count, declined to sign” and proceed with processing the load as normal.
Route a copy of the updated discrepancy log to the procurement team within two hours of offload
Scan the full signed freight document and attach it to a short message to the procurement team, noting the shipment number, missing pallet ID, and total units affected, so they can follow up with the vendor as needed to adjust order counts or schedule a re-shipment if necessary. You don’t need to include all the photos in this initial message, but note that they are saved to the shared drive folder for the shipment if the team needs to reference them later. Don’t hold the document for longer than two hours, as delays in sharing discrepancy information can lead to mismatched invoice payments and inventory gaps that take weeks to resolve. If the operations lead is on shift when you finish offload, you can also hand them the physical copy of the document directly instead of scanning it first, as long as you confirm they will send a copy to procurement before the end of the day. Keep a digital scan of the document in your own folder as well, in case you need to reference it later when reconciling inventory counts.
Pull this specific logged entry when you open this same discrepancy page for next week’s matching shipment
The same vendor is scheduled to send a matching shipment of the same SKUs seven days from now, so when you pull up this same discrepancy document to record receipts for that load, you can cross-reference the missing pallet ID to make sure it is not included in the next load by accident, or that the vendor has added a note about the missing pallet to the new BOL. You can also check the entry to confirm that the discrepancy was resolved before you process the new load, so you don’t accidentally count a replacement pallet as extra overstock if it arrives without explicit notation on the new BOL. There’s no need to re-document the original shortage when you reference the entry, just add a short note next to the original exception line if the missing pallet arrives in the later load, or if the vendor confirms they will not be re-shipping it. This cross-reference ensures your inventory counts stay accurate, and that you don’t record duplicate shortages or overages for the same SKU batch across multiple shipments. It also helps you track recurring issues with the same carrier or vendor, so you can flag patterns to your operations lead if multiple full pallets go missing from the same route over time.