The freight is easy. The receiving dock is not.
Consumer packaged goods — household staples, personal care, paper goods, packaged snacks, school and office supplies — are some of the simplest freight to put on a trailer. Boxed, palletized, stackable more often than not, and nearly always a 53-foot dry van. The difficulty is at the other end. A retail distribution center or wholesaler receives hundreds of trucks a day on a fixed schedule, and it holds vendors to its own rules about when, how and with what paperwork freight arrives.
Most CPG shipments move one of three ways:
- Plant or co-packer to retail DC — the vendor ships against a purchase order into a scheduled appointment.
- Plant to wholesaler or distributor — usually a little more flexible on timing, but still PO-driven.
- Plant to your own or a third-party warehouse — replenishment and inventory builds, often on a recurring lane.
PO and appointment compliance
At a retail DC, the delivery appointment is tied to specific purchase orders. If the PO number on the bill of lading doesn't match what the receiver has scheduled, or the truck arrives with a different pallet count than the PO expects, the load can be refused or worked late. Before a CPG load is dispatched, we confirm:
- Every PO number and the pallet and case count for each
- Who books the delivery appointment — the vendor, the carrier or a consolidator — and how (portal, email or phone)
- The appointment window and the receiver's late-arrival policy
- Delivery reference numbers that need to appear on the bill of lading
- Whether the receiver requires a live unload or allows a drop
Pallet specs and load quality
Receivers often publish pallet requirements in their routing guides: pallet type and grade, maximum height, no overhang, stretch-wrap and corner-board expectations, and labeling on specific faces of the pallet. Damaged or non-conforming pallets can be refused or reworked at the vendor's expense. These rules vary by retailer and change over time, so we work from the receiver's current guide for your shipment rather than assumptions — and we ask about pallet height and stackability up front because they decide how many positions the load uses.
OTIF fines, in plain terms
Many large retailers measure vendors on on-time-in-full: did the full order arrive inside the scheduled window? Some charge a percentage of the order value or a flat fee for misses, both early and late. Transportation is one input; order accuracy and readiness are the others. Our part is to give you realistic pickup windows, carriers who understand appointment times are fixed, and updates early enough that a delay can be rescheduled instead of simply missed.
Seasonality and promotional spikes
CPG volume is lumpy. Back-to-school, holiday builds, summer beverage season and one-off promotions can double a lane's weekly loads for a few weeks. Capacity in many markets also tightens at the same times. The fix is boring but it works: share the forecast early, even if it's rough, so the plan includes trucks before the spike rather than a scramble the week product ships. For steady weekly freight, see our recurring lanes page.
Partial vs. full truckload
| Option | Usually fits | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Full truckload | Roughly 12+ pallets or heavier loads; time-sensitive DC appointments | Paying for space you don't use on very light loads |
| Volume partial | Mid-size orders with flexible timing | Extra stop, shared trailer, appointment alignment |
We focus on lanes across the Southeast, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, the Midwest and California — send your lane and we'll confirm before quoting. For the full receiving checklist, read our Retail DC Delivery Guide, or start a quote now.