# See every pallet on the floor, and build the next truck from it. > Cross-dock software that shows every pallet by destination and dwell time, builds each outbound truck in stop order and bills handling and storage per visit. URL: https://roadmark.ai/cross-dock Language: en Cross-docking moves freight from an inbound truck to an outbound one, usually within a day, without putting it away in storage. Roadmark follows it from the inbound door to the outbound trailer: what arrived, where it's staged, how long it's been sitting, which truck it leaves on and what the visit bills. The Planning agent drafts each load plan, and your dock lead approves it. ## The whole dock on one screen. Inbound doors on the left, the floor in the middle, outbound doors on the right. Every pallet is staged by where it's going and coloured by its dwell time, how long it's been waiting: under 12 hours, 12 to 24, and over 24, when it has usually missed its day and may be running up storage. The freight that's getting old is the first thing you see. ## Build each truck in stop order, before the forklift moves. For every outbound trailer, the Planning agent picks the pallets, places them so the last stop goes in the nose and the first stop sits at the doors, and keeps the weight inside the axle limits. The dock lead approves the plan or moves a pallet, and the floor crew works from it. - **Freight that's been waiting longest goes first,** unless a delivery window says otherwise. - **Space is held for pallets still being unloaded,** so a late inbound doesn't mean a half-empty truck. ## The floor crew scans. Roadmark tells them where it goes. Every pallet is scanned at the inbound door. The handheld says where to stage it or which door and position to load it into, and the board updates as it moves. Damage is reported from the handheld at the door, and damaged or short-shipped freight waits in the Hold lane on the board. Carriers book their own door times in the carrier portal. ## Handling, minimums and storage, drafted onto the invoice. Roadmark bills a visit the way dock rate cards are written: handling per pallet in and per pallet out, a minimum fee per visit, and storage per pallet per day once the free time runs out. The charges are drafted onto the invoice for someone on your team to approve. - **Handling in and out,** per pallet, for the work at each end of the dock. - **Minimum visit fees,** so a truck with three pallets still pays for the door, the crew and the forklift. - **Storage after the free time,** per pallet per day, so freight without a booked truck shows what it's costing. - **Drafted, then approved:** the lines land on the invoice as a draft, for someone on your team to check and approve. In the example, Northline Freight's 22 pallets from door 2 leave on Wednesday afternoon, 30 hours after unloading, with 2 rewrapped: CA$264.00 in, CA$264.00 out, 1 day of storage at CA$110.00 and CA$16.00 for the wraps, $654.00 CAD on the example rate card, or CA$29.73 a pallet. ## Start with the dock. Keep everything else. Run just the dock in Roadmark, beside the TMS or WMS you already have. Inbound notices and outbound manifests come and go by EDI, API or email, and you add quoting, dispatch or billing when you're ready. ## Questions about the dock. - **What is cross-docking?** Moving freight from an inbound truck to an outbound one, usually within a day, without putting it away in storage. It comes off at an inbound door, is staged on the dock floor by destination and is loaded onto the outbound trailer for its stop. Transloading is the related move between modes or equipment, such as from a railcar onto trucks. - **How does Roadmark know what's on the dock floor right now?** It follows freight from the inbound door to the outbound trailer. The dock board shows every pallet staged by destination and coloured by how long it's been waiting, so the freight that's getting old is the first thing you see. - **How does Roadmark build an outbound load plan?** The planning agent picks the pallets for each trailer, puts the last stop in the nose and the first stop at the doors, keeps the weight inside the axle limits, and holds positions for pallets still being unloaded so a late inbound doesn't leave a half-empty truck; the dock lead approves the plan or moves a pallet. - **How do carriers book dock appointments?** Carriers book their own inbound and outbound door times in the carrier portal, and the dock board shows each appointment's status as trucks arrive. - **How does the floor crew know where to put a pallet?** Every pallet is scanned at the inbound door, and the handheld tells the crew which door and position to load it into, updating the board as it moves. - **What happens to a short or damaged pallet?** The floor crew reports damage from the handheld when the pallet is scanned at the inbound door, and damaged or short-shipped freight waits in the Hold lane on the dock board, apart from the lanes for each destination, where it stays in view until it's sorted out. - **How long should freight sit on a cross-dock?** Ideally less than a day: cross-docking works when freight leaves on the next truck to its destination. The dock board colours every pallet by its dwell time, under 12 hours, 12 to 24 and over 24, so freight that has missed its day stands out before storage charges pile up. - **How does Roadmark bill cross-dock fees?** Per pallet in and per pallet out, with minimum visit fees and storage per pallet per day once the free time runs out. The charges are drafted onto the invoice for someone on your team to approve. - **Can a freight brokerage use Roadmark for cross-dock freight?** Yes, for a dock the brokerage runs itself: Roadmark can run just the dock, beside the TMS you already use. When the freight goes through a partner's dock instead, the partner's rate card is what you pay, and the cross-dock fee calculator shows what a visit costs against what you charge the customer. - **Can Roadmark run just the dock, beside our WMS or TMS?** Yes. Run just the dock in Roadmark beside the system you already have; inbound notices and outbound manifests come and go by EDI, API or email, and you add quoting, dispatch or billing when you're ready. ## Related pages - [Cross-dock fee calculator](https://roadmark.ai/tools/cross-dock-fees): A cross-dock visit's bill: handling per pallet in and out, the minimum, storage after the free time and extras, per pallet and against what you charge. - [Cross-docking for freight brokers: fees, load plans and OS&D](https://roadmark.ai/blog/cross-docking-for-freight-brokers): When cross-docking pays for a brokerage: rate cards, late inbounds, load plans, short and damaged pallets, and a day too long on the floor, with worked numbers. - [Warehouse and 3PL](https://roadmark.ai/warehouse): Receiving, storage and per-pallet billing - [LTL](https://roadmark.ai/ltl): Pallets, freight class and linehaul - [EDI X12 integration: 204, 990, 214 and 210 explained](https://roadmark.ai/integrations/edi): What EDI 204, 990, 214 and 210 mean, which way each goes and when it's sent, how trading partners are set up, and how tracking status becomes 214s. - [Tracking](https://roadmark.ai/tracking): The few loads that need you, with reasons Companies, people and shipment figures in product examples are fictional. They illustrate workflows and are not customer testimonials or measured results.