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The wrap is off. A crushed case was inside a pallet that looked fine. You set your box cutter down on the edge of the pallet, brush crinkled stretch wrap off your work boots, and squint at the crack running the full length of the corrugate where the case got smashed under a too-heavy upper load that shifted in transit. You can see sticky juice seeping through the bottom seam of the crushed case, so you know the contents inside are compromised and can’t be sent out to customers. The delivery driver already signed off on the standard delivery receipt 12 minutes ago and pulled out of the lot, so you can’t flag them down to add a note to the standard paperwork. You reach for the folded freight document tucked in the back pocket of your high-visibility vest, the one you keep on hand for unexpected issues that pop up after initial pallet inspection.
Record initial observations on your concealed damage freight form
You open the form to the first blank entry field and jot down the exact time you found the damage, the pallet ID stamped on the wooden stringer, and the location of the damaged case within the pallet stack. Do not guess at the cause of the damage, even if you suspect a forklift caught the edge of the case during loading at the origin warehouse. Stick to verifiable, factual details that you can confirm with your own eyes in this exact moment. You also note that the rest of the cases on the pallet are fully intact, with no dents, tears, or signs of impact visible from the outside. Avoid subjective language like “the carrier messed up” or “this damage is definitely from transit” because those statements can’t be verified without additional investigation, and they are not useful for the teams that will review the form later. Illustrative example: You note 12 total cases of shelf-stable organic mango puree listed for the pallet, with 1 case crushed along the bottom edge, and 8 of the 12 cans inside visibly dented through the open corrugate flap, with a small amount of product seeping through the can seams.
Capture photos tied directly to line items on the form
You grab your work phone from your other pocket and take wide shots of the full pallet first, including the label attached to the top stretch wrap that matches the shipment ID on your form. Next, take close-up shots of the damaged case from all four sides, including shots of the lot number and expiration date printed on the case label. Pull the damaged case out of the stack to take photos of the undamaged cases that surrounded it, to confirm only the single case shows signs of impact. Include shots of the full stretch wrap roll you removed from the pallet, laid flat on the dock floor, to show no signs of tears or tampering that would have indicated damage before you cut it open. Make sure all photos are well-lit, using the overhead dock lights if the natural light coming through the bay doors is too dim to read labels clearly. Do not use filters or edit the photos in any way, as unaltered images are required for any subsequent review processes. If you have a hard time getting a clear shot of the lot number on the damaged case, use the flash on your work phone, or ask a coworker to hold a flashlight for you while you take the photo.
Cross-reference shipment details pre-populated on the form
The form already includes basic shipment details pulled from the original bill of lading, so you cross-check each line against the physical pallet in front of you to confirm no mismatches. You can reference the table below to ensure you check every required field before moving forward:
| Field on form | Action to take | Verification status |
|---|---|---|
| Shipment origin zip code | Match to the shipping label on the pallet top | Complete |
| Number of units ordered | Count all undamaged and damaged units on the pallet | In progress |
| Consignee purchase order number | Match to the delivery paperwork left by the driver | Complete |
| Special handling instructions | Confirm the pallet was stored per listed temperature or orientation rules | Not started |
If any field does not match what you see on the pallet, add a handwritten note in the margin of the form explaining the discrepancy in clear, simple language. Do not cross out pre-populated fields, as you may need to reference those original entries later if the operations team follows up on the shipment. If you notice the number of units listed on the form is higher than the number of cases you counted on the pallet, note that as a separate discrepancy, even if you don’t see signs of other lost or damaged cases on the dock floor. If the special handling instructions note that the pallet should have been stored upright at all times, check for labels on the side of the damaged case that indicate it was stored on its side during transit, and add that detail to your notes if you find it. You can log the discrepancy to your team’s shared tracking system later, but for now focus only on updating the physical form in front of you, with no Dock Tally entry required until you have all details confirmed.
Submit the completed form to your operations lead for review
Once you fill out all required fields, attach the printed photos you took of the pallet and damaged case to the back of the form using the packing tape you keep on your dock cart. Do not staple the photos, as staples can tear the paper or leave holes that make text hard to read later. If you don’t have access to a printer on the dock to print your photos immediately, write the date, time, and pallet ID on the back of each photo as soon as you print them, before you attach them to the form, to ensure they are tied to the correct report. Drop the form off in the designated bin outside the operations office before the end of your shift, or hand it directly to your lead if they are on the dock floor when you finish. If the operations bin is locked when you go to drop off the form, slide it under the office door, or leave it with the front desk attendant if the office is staffed. You do not need to follow up with additional emails or messages unless your lead specifically asks for more information about the damage, and you don’t need to wait for a response or confirmation that the form was received, as the operations team will reach out if they need more details.
Pause this workflow now to handle immediate pallet triage
You can set this page aside for the rest of your shift, as all required steps for initial damage documentation are complete. There are no more steps for you to complete for this report right now, so you can fully shift your focus to the rest of your assigned tasks for the shift. Move the damaged case to the designated holding area for damaged goods, separate from the rest of the pallet stock that is ready to be put away in the warehouse. Make sure you mark the damaged case with a bright orange “damaged” sticker before you move it to the holding area, so other team members don’t accidentally put it away with the intact stock. Unload the rest of the undamaged cases from the pallet and move them to their assigned storage location per your standard putaway process. You do not need to take any additional action related to this damage report until you receive a follow-up notification from your operations team. If you see the delivery driver return to the lot later for another drop-off, you do not need to flag them down to mention the damage, as the form already contains all the information the operations team needs to follow up as needed.
Next time you pull up this page to document damage
You will find updated guidance for more complex damage scenarios, including pallets with multiple damaged cases, damage to temperature-controlled goods, and cases where the stretch wrap shows signs of tampering before you cut it open. You can also reference additional details about how to fill out special sections of the form for international shipments, or shipments that came via less-than-truckload carriers that require extra documentation for damage reviews. The guidance will be updated regularly to reflect changes to your company’s documentation requirements, so you don’t need to memorize all the steps right now. You do not need to save this page to your bookmarks, as it is linked directly from your team’s internal dock resource hub that you access at the start of every shift. You can also find links to short, 2-minute training videos that walk you through how to document different types of damage, if you learn better from visual demonstrations. If you have questions about the current damage report before your shift ends, you can ask your lead for clarification any time before the end of the business day. If you have suggestions for additional guidance that would make this page more useful for you and your coworkers on the dock, you can send those suggestions to the operations team via the internal feedback form linked on the resource hub.