The weekly picture
| Item | What to write |
|---|---|
| Pallets in per week | A count, even rough |
| Size mix | For example 80 percent 48 x 40, rest mixed |
| Condition mix | Share that is Grade A, B or broken |
| Dock | Number of doors, raised or at grade |
| Yard | Space, gate, turn-round room |
Why a standing description helps
A dock manager who sells a trailer's worth of pallets once has to rebuild the picture each time. A recurring description sets the baseline: this is what a normal week looks like. Variation is easier to talk about against a baseline.
Where recurring sellers are
- Distribution centres in the Northwest Quadrant and on the I-80 corridor.
- Third-party logistics tenants at Business Depot Ogden.
- Parcel and fulfillment operations in West Valley City.
A note on the seasons
Winter and the weeks around the holidays change both the count and the condition of the stack. From November, Salt Lake City averages snow until about mid April, so a stack that stands in a yard needs covering. The storage guide covers it.
Many of these docks also buy; if you are both, say so, and look at truckload orders.
Ask for a buyback
Write the weekly count and the mix, and say where the dock is.
Making a weekly flow predictable
The easiest recurring surplus to take is the one that is regular. A dock that stacks empties in the same place, sorted by size, in the same weekday window, gives a collector a rhythm. A dock that dumps whenever the bay is full does not.
- Pick one spot for empties and keep it clear.
- Pre-sort by size if your crew can.
- Keep a count in a notebook; it becomes the number in the request.
- Say what happens at holidays and the end of a quarter.
Telling a buyer about change
If volume grows in November or drops in January, say so up front. Seasonal flow is normal, and a description that includes it is more useful than one that pretends the number is flat.
A short routine for the dock
A recurring seller does well to build a habit. Pick a corner of the dock for empties. Stack them evenly to a safe height. Keep a notebook with the weekly count. Mark any special pallets that should be kept back for your own outbound loads. After a month the notebook is the best description of the flow you could write.
Holiday weeks and shutdowns
A weekly flow has gaps: a plant shutdown, a holiday and a weather closure. Mention the ones you know about so a collector can plan around them, and say what you will do with pallets in the meantime. A dock that stacks neatly during a gap is easier to restart.