Peak season planning

Peak season planning for pallets and freight: the six weeks before Christmas.

Peak does not fail on the busiest day. It fails three weeks earlier, when the pallet stock was not ordered, the carrier's cut-off was not checked and the casuals were not inducted. This is the plan an operations manager runs from mid October, and the one we run with our own customers.

Book pallets and freight for peak The ten minute health check

Or call Jayden on 0494 820 639, 7am to 5pm weekdays.

Quick answer

How do I plan pallets and freight for peak season?

Six decisions, six weeks out: the volume in pallets a day from last year's records plus growth; pallet stock for the peak days plus a week, ordered in October; carrier cut-offs and receiving windows in writing on the despatch wall; casuals inducted two weeks early; slow stock out of the pick faces before the inbound arrives; and a committed dedicated vehicle where the sums beat December shared rates. Then watch six numbers daily, starting with orders released against orders picked.

Six weeks out

What has to be decided six weeks before peak?

01The volume, in pallets a dayLast year's peak weeks from the despatch records, plus this year's growth, in pallets despatched per day. Not orders, not dollars: pallets, because pallets are what the dock, the trucks and the racking are measured in.
02Pallet stock on the floorPeak days of despatch times pallets per day, plus a week, delivered before the volume arrives. Pallet suppliers run out in December too; a standing order placed in October lands when you need it, one placed in the first week of December competes with everyone else's.
03Carrier cut-offs and windowsEvery carrier publishes a last despatch date for pre-Christmas delivery by lane, and every receiving DC narrows its windows in December. Get both in writing and put them on the wall by the despatch desk.
04Labour, inductedCasuals who start on the busiest day are a cost that week. Inducted and on the pick two weeks early, they are capacity. Forklift licences checked, not assumed.
05The racking and the floorPeak stock arrives before peak orders leave, so the shed is fullest in late November. Move the slow stock out of the pick faces in October and the space is there. The five counts on the warehouse pages tell you where it is hiding.
06A dedicated vehicle, if the sums say soShared freight rates and windows tighten in December. A vehicle on a committed lane for the six weeks costs the same every day and leaves when you say; for a shipper filling most of a truck a day it is usually cheaper than December shared rates and it does not get bumped.

The numbers

Which numbers should I watch every day in peak?

Number	Why	When to act
Orders released against orders picked, per hour	The earliest sign the pick is falling behind.	When released runs ahead of picked for two hours in a row.
Picks waiting on replenishment	Replenishment is the first process to break under peak volume.	When any wave has more than a handful waiting.
Pallets despatched against the plan	The only number the carrier and the customer both see.	When the day finishes below plan twice in a week.
Dock time per truck	Waiting time is on the invoice and it hides a loading problem.	When trucks are on the dock longer than the unload needs.
Empty pallets on the floor	Inbound pallets pile up fastest in peak and take the space you need.	When the stack passes sixty in Greater Sydney, book the free pickup.
DIFOT from the POD	Peak is when the promise is tested; measure it from the proof of delivery, not the despatch screen.	Weekly, with the causes sorted.

All six are in the health check and on the DIFOT page; a week of counting in October is the cheapest peak insurance there is.

EOFY

Does the same plan work for the end of financial year?

Yes, with two differences. EOFY peak is driven by buyers spending budgets and sellers clearing stock, so it lands on the inbound as much as the outbound: more pallets arriving, more empties to move, more returns. And it ends on a hard date, 30 June, after which the shed is quiet for a fortnight, so the pallet order and the casual roster taper rather than stop. Run the same six decisions from mid May.

Pallets and freight for either peak: a standing order for the pallet count, a committed lane for the daily run, and the empties collected on the delivery truck so the floor stays clear. Pallets for 3PLs and the dedicated vehicle page set out how each one is priced.

Getting ahead of it

Send last year's peak weeks and this year's growth.

Pallets a day, the lanes and the windows. The pallet standing order and the committed lane come back priced on the volume, the same business day when you ask before 2pm, and the empties collection is written into it.

Book pallets and freight for peak The ten minute health check

Questions about peak season

When should I order pallets for Christmas peak?

In October for the six weeks from mid November. A standing order placed early lands when you need it; December orders compete with everyone else's and the grade you want may be gone.

How many pallets do I need for peak?

Peak days of despatch times pallets despatched per day, plus a week of buffer, from last year's records plus this year's growth. Count in pallets, not orders.

Is shared freight reliable in December?

Shared freight runs, but windows tighten and consignments get bumped when trailers fill. A shipper filling most of a truck a day is usually better on a committed dedicated vehicle for the six weeks; the quote prices both.

What breaks first in a peak warehouse?

Replenishment. Picks wait on stock that is in the building but not in the pick face, and the pick rate falls while everyone is working harder. Count picks waiting on replenishment every wave.

What do I do with the empty pallets piling up?

Sort them and send a count. Sixty or more reusable pallets anywhere in Greater Sydney is a free pickup, often on the delivery run already coming to you, so the floor stays clear through peak.

Can you help plan peak at our site?

Start with the free ten minute health check; it names the weakest of six areas. The operational review is a day on site with your numbers and an action plan with owners and sequence, priced on the consultancy page.

Prefer to talk? Call Jayden on 0494 820 639. The five counts to run before you buy equipment are on the health check page. The pallet count for the run-up: how many pallets to order before Christmas.

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