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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 seal is already open. You have not started the tally. The driver stands off to your left, holding their delivery manifest and scrolling through […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

The last carton is on the dock. The tally sheet is not totaled yet. The air around you still smells like diesel and corrugated cardboard, […]