frequently asked questions

Floor-loaded freight is stacked directly onto the trailer or container floor with no pallets underneath it at all. The method maximizes available space and fits more product, but it also requires slower and far more labor-intensive unloading at the other end.

A bill of lading records what was shipped, who sent it, and who receives it, functioning as both a receipt and a transportation contract. It is the one document that every count and every claim ultimately gets checked against.

Freight consolidation combines several smaller shipments heading in the same direction onto a single trailer. Better trailer utilization lowers the cost of each individual shipment while also reducing the number of separate trucks running a nearly identical route.

Dwell time measures how long freight or equipment sits idle between movements, whether at a dock, a terminal, or inside a warehouse. Long dwell time usually signals a scheduling problem, and it almost always ends up costing somebody money.

Just-in-time inventory keeps stock levels deliberately minimal, with goods arriving only as production or customer orders require them. The approach reduces inventory carrying costs considerably, but it also leaves very little room for a shipment that runs late.

A dock appointment is a scheduled window for a truck to load or unload at a receiving facility. Appointments keep doors from being overwhelmed, but missing one can leave a driver waiting days for the next available slot.

Freight class is based on density, stowability, ease of handling, and liability factors such as fragility or overall value. Lower classes cover dense, durable goods, while lighter or more fragile freight falls into higher and more expensive classes.

Intermodal shipping moves cargo using two or more transportation modes, typically combining rail for the long distance with trucking on either end. The cargo itself stays inside the same container the whole time while the equipment carrying it changes.

Careful stacking, correct wrapping, appropriate dunnage, trained operators, and minimizing how many times a load gets touched. ADC Warehouse keeps handling counts low in Middleburg Heights, OH, because every extra step is another opportunity for something to get crushed.

A chassis is the wheeled steel frame that a shipping container sits on so a truck can move it over the road. Chassis availability at a terminal frequently determines how quickly a container can actually be collected from there.

Proof of delivery is the signed documentation confirming a shipment arrived, including the date, the time, and the condition noted by whoever received it. It settles disputes about whether goods showed up and what state they were in.

Inventory shrinkage is the gap between what the records say should be on hand and what is physically there. Damage, miscounts, misplacement, and theft all contribute to it, which is exactly why accurate receiving counts matter so much.

Cycle counting audits portions of inventory on a rotating schedule instead of shutting everything down for one big annual count. Errors surface early, while the paperwork and the people involved in it are still available to explain them.

File as soon as damage or a shortage is discovered, ideally noted on the delivery paperwork at the actual time of receipt. ADC Warehouse documents damage with photographs and written counts in Middleburg Heights, OH for exactly that reason.

A warehouse management system records what inventory exists, where each item currently sits, and how it moves through the building. That record is what turns a retrieval request into a quick pull rather than a lengthy hunt through the building.