Dock Signature, a Supersession, and a Forklift Near Capacity

Never sign clean. A clean signature transfers the damage to you and forfeits the freight claim.

1. Count and inspect in front of the driver - break down all 12 cartons, not just the crushed ones, and count pieces.
2. Notate the bill of lading before signing: "2 cartons crushed, 3 pcs damaged, count 137 usable of 140 received, 4 pcs short - subject to inspection." Photograph the pallet, the crushed cartons, and the damage.
3. Keep the damaged pieces in a quarantine area with the paperwork; do not put them into saleable stock.
4. Sign as noted, get the driver's copy, and file the freight claim within the carrier's deadline (often 9 months for concealed damage, but report immediately).

Posting the receipt:

• Receive 140 pieces (137 good + 3 damaged) - that is what physically arrived.
• Put the 3 damaged in a non-networked hold location, not into sellable bin stock, so on-hand is not overstated.
• Raise a short-ship of 4 pieces against the PO with the supplier, and a damage claim with the carrier. Two separate documents, two separate remedies - do not net them together.
• Invoice the 137 only after the claim is resolved; damaged goods you pay for and cannot sell are pure loss.

The advance ship notice is your authority - a documented supersession is not a receiving error, so do not reject it and do not accept it silently either.

Steps:

1. Verify the supersession in the supplier's catalogue or the ASN reference, and confirm interchange (same fitment, same thread/size/spec). If the ASN is not in hand, hold the carton and call the supplier before putting it on the shelf.
2. Receive it as Y, not as X. Receiving Y into X's bin creates a phantom on-hand for X and a part that cannot be picked.
3. Set up the cross-reference in your system: X → Y, so any lookup or old invoice for X pulls Y. If the system supports it, mark X as superseded rather than deleting it, so old invoices and customer records still resolve.
4. Sell out X first, per the supplier's instruction and to avoid dead stock. Put Y behind X in the same bay with a clear label on both, or in an adjacent bin labelled "Y - replaces X."
5. Check the price. Supersessions frequently carry a new cost and sell price; confirm before the first sale rather than discovering it at the counter.
6. Notify the counter staff and note it in the shift log - the person who sells the first one needs to know the two numbers are the same part.

Derate for load centre. Capacity is rated at a 24 in. load centre; the pallet's centre of gravity sits at 48 in., which halves the allowable load on a simple proportional basis:

4,500 lb × (24 ÷ 48) = 2,250 lb capacity at 48 in. load centre

The load is 3,800 lb - about 1,690 lb over the derated capacity (69% overload). The truck will tip forward, and at 200 in. of lift the resulting moment is far worse than at floor level. A 4,500 lb rating at 24 in. says nothing about this lift.

Decision: do not lift it.

Options, in order of preference:

1. Check the data plate for the actual derate curve - the proportional formula is an approximation, and the manufacturer's chart is the authority. If the chart still shows insufficient capacity, stop.
2. Split the pallet into two loads within the derated capacity, or break it down to case picks.
3. Use a larger truck or one fitted with an attachment rated for the load and the height.
4. Store it at floor level or first level in a bulk location, where the height and the moment are reduced.

Also confirm the rack's capacity for that beam level, the aisle width, and that no one is under the load before any lift. Speed is not a tiebreaker on a lift like this - the driver's schedule never outranks the data plate.