# Cross docking software that keeps the door plan honest through the shift

> Cross docking is a terminal operation where inbound freight is unloaded, sorted and reloaded onto outbound trailers with little or no storage in between. The building is a sorting device, measured in dock door turns and on time outbound cuts rather than inventory accuracy. A terminal with 38 doors can lose a 1400 cut for the whole shift on 1 late inbound. Neurobird holds the door assignment, the staging lane and the piece count as they actually change during the shift.

- URL: https://neurobird.com/crossdock/
- Product: Neurobird Cross Docking Operations Platform
- Niche: cross docking
- Buyer: cross dock and LTL terminal operators
- Status: in development, open for early access
- Updated: 2026-08-21

## What Neurobird Cross Docking does

- Assign doors against real inbound arrival times, not the schedule from yesterday
- Track freight from trailer to staging lane to outbound trailer by piece
- Catch a short or damaged shipment while the inbound driver is still on the dock
- Know what is on the floor without walking the floor

## How it works

1. **Plan against real arrivals** Door assignment updates when an inbound is late, so the plan reflects the yard rather than last night's schedule.
2. **Track freight by piece** Each shipment moves from trailer to staging lane to outbound trailer with a count at every step, so a shipment 2 pieces short is caught at the door.
3. **Hold the cut** Outbound lanes show what is staged and what is still inbound, so a 1400 cut is a decision made with information rather than a walk of the floor.

## From the source material

> It is a more subtle gauge of docking success than simply the distance to a crystallographic orientation.

Source: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3383317/

## Industry context

- **1910.178** Powered industrial truck operators must be trained and evaluated, with performance evaluation at least once every 3 years, under the OSHA standard. (source: OSHA, powered industrial trucks, https://www.osha.gov/powered-industrial-trucks)
- **Warehousing** OSHA publishes hazard guidance specific to warehousing and dock work, covering forklifts, dock plates, loading and unloading. (source: OSHA warehousing, https://www.osha.gov/warehousing)
- **Subpart O** The FDA sanitary transportation rule at 21 CFR Part 1 Subpart O sets temperature control and record requirements for food freight moving through a dock. (source: eCFR, 21 CFR Part 1 Subpart O, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/part-1/subpart-O)
- **Part 395** Driver hours of service rules constrain when an inbound can arrive and how long a driver can wait on your dock, which is why detention shows up in your plan. (source: eCFR, 49 CFR Part 395, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-395)
- **Establishments** Census business data is the public source for how many warehousing and terminal establishments operate in the United States. (source: US Census County Business Patterns, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp.html)

## Pricing

- Single dock: $14 per door, per month
- Terminal: $28 per door, per month
- Network: $52 per door, per month

## Questions

### What is cross docking?

Cross docking is a terminal operation where inbound freight is unloaded, sorted and reloaded onto outbound trailers with little or no storage in between. The building is a sorting device rather than a warehouse, and its performance is measured in dock door turns and on time outbound cuts rather than inventory accuracy.

### Why is door assignment such a problem?

Because it is a live scheduling problem treated as a static plan. A terminal with 38 doors sets its assignment at shift start, then the first late inbound invalidates it, and every reassignment after that happens verbally.

### What happens when freight is staged in the wrong lane?

It misses the outbound cut and ships a day late, or worse, moves to the wrong destination. Either way you carry a service failure and often a claim, and the cause is almost never discoverable after the fact.

### Are there rules that apply specifically to cross docks?

Several. Powered industrial truck operator training under 29 CFR 1910.178 requires evaluation at least every 3 years, OSHA publishes warehousing hazard guidance, and food freight moving through a dock falls under the FDA sanitary transportation rule at 21 CFR Part 1 Subpart O with its own record obligations.

### Does this replace our TMS or WMS?

No. A cross dock is a poor fit for a WMS because there is no inventory to manage. This holds the door plan, the staging state and the piece count between your inbound and outbound systems.

## Sources

- [OSHA, powered industrial trucks](https://www.osha.gov/powered-industrial-trucks)
- [OSHA warehousing](https://www.osha.gov/warehousing)
- [21 CFR Part 1 Subpart O, sanitary transportation](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/part-1/subpart-O)
- [49 CFR Part 395, hours of service](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-395)

## Contact

- office@neurobird.com
- https://neurobird.com/