Booking requests get missed
Requests arrive by call, text, and email — and the ones nobody wrote down turn into surprises at the door.
Cross-dock operations platform
Keep Your Cross-Dock Moving.
From one door to a full network, Docking Buddy brings booking requests, dock assignments, arrivals, and accountability into one system. Each facility configures its workflows and roles — from gate check-in to completion and customer invoicing — so freight keeps moving and responsibility stays clear.
- One intake
- for every request
- Named owner
- on every load
- Smart dock match
- trailer, temp, hazmat
- End-of-day report
- emailed to managers
Problems we solve
The day doesn't fall apart at once. It leaks.
A missed request here, an unclear owner there, one double-booked door — and by the afternoon the yard is backed up and nobody can say why.
The schedule lives in five places
A spreadsheet, a whiteboard, an inbox, and someone's memory. None of them agree by mid-shift.
Nobody owns the load
When responsibility isn't recorded, follow-up depends on whoever happens to be standing there.
Docks double-booked
Two appointments, one door. You find out when the second truck is already backing in.
Drivers show up unexpectedly
Early, late, or unannounced arrivals stack up in the yard with no one tracking the queue.
No real visibility
Managers can't answer what's on site, what's running behind, or how the day actually went.
How it works
One flow, from request to visibility.
Follow each load from request to completion, with dock assignment and gate routing configured for the facility. Trucks can stage before a dock is assigned.
- 01
Booking Request
Requests land in one intake inbox instead of scattered calls, texts, and inbox threads.
- 02
Booking
Approved requests become confirmed bookings with dates, windows, and load details.
- 03
Dock Assignment
Docking Buddy recommends doors that match trailer type, temperature, hazmat, and weight — you confirm the assignment, and that confirmation records you as the load's owner. Each facility chooses who can assign docks; trucks can stage before assignment.
- 04
Arrival
At the gate, record arrival, verify the driver, complete the safety check if enabled, then route to staging or straight to a dock. A truck can go to staging before a dock is assigned.
- 05
Work
Crews work the load against a clear owner and door, with a live yard map showing every staged truck, plus photos and exceptions captured as they happen.
- 06
Completion
Loads close out with the details your team, customers, and carriers need after the fact.
- 07
Operational Visibility
KPIs, analytics, and an emailed end-of-day facility manager report turn the day into something you can act on.
Operational visibility
Know what's happening on the dock right now.
Doors, appointments, arrival stages, and exceptions in a single view your whole team shares. Incompatible or competing assignments surface before the truck arrives, and the end-of-day report writes itself from the work you already did.
- Live arrival stages: who is on site, verified, and working
- Compatible-dock recommendations before the appointment is set
- Exceptions, photos, and audit trails attached to the load
- Carrier scorecards and turnaround trends by dock and carrier
- Live yard map showing every staged truck, with a dock-occupancy check before routing one in
Dock board
Today · 5 docks · 11 appointments
7 on site1 conflict
6a7a8a9a10a11a12p1p
Dock 1
Midwest Freight · IB
Dock 2
Reload 4471 · OBCoastal Ltl
Dock 3
Conflict flagged
Dock 4
Transload · 22 plt
Dock 5
Ace Carriers · IB
Illustrative interface. Live product views shown during a demo.
Capabilities
Everything the facility runs on, in one platform.
Booking Requests & Intake Inbox
Incoming requests collect in a single queue so nothing gets lost in a text thread or a voicemail.
Named Acknowledgement & Accountability
Every request is acknowledged by a named employee at scheduling, and completion is attributed the same way — so it's always clear who owns a load and who closed it out.
Booking Management
All inbound and outbound appointments in one place, with the load details your team needs at the door.
CSV Import
Bulk-load bookings, customers, and carriers from a spreadsheet instead of entering them one at a time.
Intelligent Dock Recommendations
Docking Buddy recommends the right door by matching trailer type, temperature requirements, hazmat, and weight against how each dock is configured.
Live Dock Operations Dashboard
Doors and appointments move through arrival stages in real time, with exceptions surfaced instead of buried.
Live Yard Map
Every staging spot laid out visually and color-coded — empty, assigned, or occupied — so dispatch and gate staff know where a truck is at a glance instead of opening individual bookings.
Arrivals, Driver Verification & Photos
Check drivers in, verify who arrived, attach photos, and record exceptions with a clear audit trail.
Dedicated Gate Check-In Role
A dedicated role for gate staff: record arrival, verify the driver, truck, and trailer, complete the safety check if enabled, then route to staging or straight to a dock. A truck can go to staging before a dock is assigned.
Paperwork Verification at Check-In
Photograph BOLs or paperwork during check-in and get an instant Verified / Needs review flag that matches the expected order.
Customer & Carrier Portals
Give customers and carriers their own view for requests and status, so fewer answers have to come over the phone.
Driver Appointment Self-Service
Drivers get a link by text or email to confirm their appointment, report they're running late, update their ETA, or request a reschedule — no app and no login required.
Who it's for
From one door to a full network.
Cross-docking, transloading, and warehouse operations, at a single site or across multiple sites. Each facility chooses dock-assignment permissions, gate safety checks, PO validation, and API access, with role-based permissions, access approvals, and audit trails.
See if it fits your operationFAQ
Common questions
See Docking Buddy in your workflow
A 20-minute walkthrough for your site or network — booking intake, gate flow, roles, and the controls each facility chooses. We can scope integrations around your provider accounts. We follow up with next steps, not a drip campaign.