How to run a cross-dock - Cargoflow Support

Overview

A cross-dock is freight that arrives on one truck and leaves on another without being put away. In Cargoflow you build it by merging two dock jobs —a delivery (the truck coming in) and a pickup (the truck taking the load)— into one job for the worker, who unloads one and loads the other at the same time. Behind it there is a receipt and a shipment, like any inbound and outbound, but the goods only pass through a virtual location and the customer pays a single handling fee.

To see how jobs move between dock, yard and cross-dock, read Dock, yard and cross-dock.

Before you start

Modules: the warehouse has the cross-dock and docks modules. It works best with receiving, shipping and inventory; without them it still works, with the differences in Cross-dock without receiving or shipping.
Permissions: creating a cross-dock and closing its parts needs Create Crossdock Jobs (default: Admin and Supervisor). Seeing the list and the screen needs View Crossdock (Worker too). The worker handles the cross-dock from My Work like any other job.
Two assigned dock jobs: a delivery and a pickup, at real and different docks, not started. See Requirements to create a cross-dock.
Customer set up and, if you’ll declare products, their products in the catalog.

The full path

Both trucks arrive and the supervisor assigns them docks in Operations › Docks, like any delivery or pickup. See Create a dock job.
The cross-dock is created with the Create cross-dock button on the board: pick the delivery, the pickup, the customer and the worker. Both jobs vanish from the board and a single one remains. Detail: Requirements to create a cross-dock.
The worker works it: starts the job, captures what comes off, records what goes on, takes photos of both legs and finishes. Detail: The worker in a cross-dock.
A supervisor closes both legs: confirms the receipt (the goods enter XD-STAGE and are set aside for the shipment) and then closes the shipment (they leave XD-STAGE). In warehouses without receiving or shipping, finishing the job closes it on its own. Detail: Tracking and closing a cross-dock.
The cross-dock is Closed: the same went in and out, one handling fee was billed and the customer got their notices.

What gets created on save

The cross-dock transaction, with its own warehouse number (for example CD-2026-000006).
A single dock job for the worker, at the delivery’s dock and with the inbound driver. The outbound dock shows a read-only mirror card so it is clear that door is busy.
The receipt (inbound) and the shipment (outbound): the ones the jobs already had, adopted, or new ones if there were none. A new shipment starts Confirmed and empty, with the outbound driver’s details.
The virtual pass-through location XD-STAGE (and its zone), if the warehouse didn’t have it yet.
Any accessorials already captured on the two original jobs move to the cross-dock job.

The XD-STAGE pass-through location

Cross-dock freight isn’t put away: it passes through a virtual location called XD-STAGE, created automatically the first time. It is deliberately non-pickable: no regular shipment can reserve freight that is only passing through. It doesn’t generate storage either.

When the cross-dock finishes, XD-STAGE is back to zero for that cross-dock: the same went in and out. If a line was received into another location, it ships out from that location.

What happens in inventory

Moment	Movement
The worker captures what comes off	Nothing yet. What was captured is mirrored on the shipment as loaded.
The receipt is confirmed	Inbound into XD-STAGE for what was received. At the same moment exactly that stock is reserved for the shipment.
The shipment is closed	Outbound from XD-STAGE for what was loaded. What wasn’t loaded is released but stays in XD-STAGE (non-pickable).

Both movements appear on the cross-dock’s Overview tab, under Inventory pass-through. See The life of your stock.

How it is billed

A cross-dock is billed once, on the way out: the receipt doesn’t generate receiving handling.
If the customer’s rate card has cross-dock handling, it is billed under that service and price. If not, it is billed as outbound handling: charged once, but indistinguishable on the invoice.
No storage: the freight was never stored.
Accessorials are billed like on any dock job.

Everything goes to the unbilled pool of the customer chosen on the cross-dock. See Where each charge comes from and Customer rates.

What the customer sees

In their portal, the receipt and the shipment appear like any other, under their name.
They get the usual receipt-confirmed and shipment-closed emails, according to their settings. The shipment email only carries the loading photos.
They don’t see the cross-dock itself or the XD-STAGE location.

See What the customer sees and when.

Worked example

At 8:10 Sample Imports’ truck arrives with 26 pallets; it is assigned to dock 2 as a delivery. At 8:25 the truck taking them arrives; it is assigned to dock 5 as a pickup.
Luis Pérez clicks Create cross-dock, picks both jobs, customer Sample Imports and worker Carlos Ruiz, declares 26 of SKU SI-PAL-01 and creates CD-2026-000014.
Carlos starts at 8:40, captures 26 received into XD-STAGE, records 26 loaded and the seal, takes one unloading photo and one loading photo, and finishes at 9:35.
Luis confirms the receipt (26 enter XD-STAGE and are reserved) and closes the shipment (26 leave). The cross-dock becomes Closed with 1 h 25 m total time and 55 m labor time.
One cross-dock handling fee for 26 units is billed; the customer gets their shipment-closed email with the loading photo.

Special cases and limits

Shortages: if 24 of 26 arrive, 24 are received and 24 loaded; the gap shows in the items summary.
Different customers on the two trucks: allowed after confirming; everything is issued and billed to the chosen customer.
Cancelling: there is no button on the cross-dock screen; you cancel its dock job. See Cancel a cross-dock.
The cross-dock shipment can’t be re-allocated, released, edited or sent back to draft from the shipping module.
The loading checklist doesn’t apply; one photo of each leg is required.

Best practices

Always assign a worker: a cross-dock with no worker shows up in nobody’s My Work.
Declare the expected products if you know them: the worker gets something to capture against.
Check the customer before saving, especially if the two jobs carry different customers.
Ask the worker for photos of both legs from the start, not at the end.
Confirm the receipt and close the shipment the same day: until then, inventory and billing don’t reflect the cross-dock.

Troubleshooting

I don’t see the Create cross-dock button on the board.

The warehouse lacks the cross-dock module or your user lacks Create Crossdock Jobs.

The form says you need one delivery and one pickup, both assigned.

No jobs meet the conditions. See Requirements to create a cross-dock.

The worker can’t finish the job.

A photo of one of the two legs is missing.

The cross-dock is stuck at Loaded.

The receipt still needs confirming and the shipment closing. See Tracking and closing a cross-dock.

FAQ

Can I cross-dock between two different customers?

Yes, after confirming. The receipt and shipment are issued to the customer you picked, and that is who gets billed. It is noted in the cross-dock notes and its audit trail.

Do I have to enter the products?

Not when creating it: the form’s products are optional and only seed what is expected. What counts is what the worker captures. Even a cross-dock with no declared products can be finished and closed.

Does the loading checklist apply?

No: it isn’t requested on cross-dock jobs. What is required is at least one unloading photo and one loading photo.

Can it be done at a single dock?

No. A cross-dock goes from one door to another; if both jobs are at the same dock, the system refuses it. Jobs in the yard or in the waiting line can’t be used either.