The trailer is at the door and the bill is still on the clipboard. Dock Tally is for that one unload: the bill of lading in your hand, the count you are writing, and the exception note if the count or the carton does not match.
The Bill is the face of the bill of lading: pro number, shipper, consignee, pieces, and weight. The Tally is the count at the door. The Exception is the short line you write when a piece is missing, crushed, or refused.
Each page finishes one document. A piece count or a weight marked as an illustrative example is a teaching number, not the freight on your dock.
The bill of lading, the piece count, and the exception note.
the-tally
A crushed carton is off to the side. The tally does not mention it. You kneel to run a gloved finger along the splintered corrugate seam where a forklift tine caught it mid-unload, and you can see the sealed inner plastic bag…
May 16, 2026
the-tally
Two purchase orders are on the bill. Your sheet has one of them. The flatbed driver leans against their cab door, watching you flip between the…
May 13, 2026
the-tally
You counted pallets. The bill asked for cartons. You’re hunched over the freight bill on the edge of the dock counter, rain spotting the paper from…
May 10, 2026
the-tally
The driver is gone. Your first total does not match the bill. The bay door rumbles to a close half a foot from your work boots,…
May 8, 2026
the-tally
The scale printed a ticket. The tally has its own weight line. You hold both slips side by side, the crinkled thermal edge of the scale…
May 5, 2026
the-tally
One carton has no label. You have not decided which row it belongs on. Fork trucks beep two bays over, rain streaks the overhead door glass…
May 2, 2026
the-tally
One pallet has more than one item. The tally row is still a single line. You prop the freight document flat on the edge of the…
April 30, 2026
the-tally
The seal is already open. You have not started the tally. The driver stands off to your left, holding their delivery manifest and scrolling through their…
April 27, 2026
the-tally
The seal is in your hand. The bill has a seal number. You can feel the raised embossed serial on the plastic seal you just snipped…
April 24, 2026
the-tally
You have more pieces than the bill. The tally total is still the old number. A half pallet of unmarked corrugated boxes sits at the far…
April 21, 2026
the-tally
Your count is lower than the piece count on the bill. The sheet is still in your hand. The semi-truck driver is scrolling on their phone…
April 19, 2026
the-tally
The sheet has a carton column and a pallet column. You have been counting one of them. The freight behind you is half unloaded, the lift…
April 16, 2026
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