Dispatch cut-off times work when they are set backwards from the moment the carrier's truck leaves, not forwards from the order queue. This guide is for dispatch supervisors in Victorian warehouses who need a cut-off they can keep and a crew that can meet it.
A cut-off set by habit, such as "orders in by 3 pm", rarely matches how long the last order takes to reach the trailer. The supervisor then chooses between a short-packed truck and a missed one.
Start from the truck, not from the order queue
The carrier's collection time is the one fixed point in a dispatch afternoon. Orders arrive when customers place them, pickers work at the pace the aisles allow, and the packing bench absorbs whatever lands on it. Plan as if the truck leaves at its booked time whether the benches are ready or not.
Planning from the truck backward means the supervisor knows, before lunch, the latest minute at which each step can start. That turns a cut-off from a hope into a calculation, and it is the core of end of day dispatch planning.
That makes this a plan for one late-day peak, not for the week. Building a weekly roster from hourly demand is a separate job, and so is choosing between batch picking and wave picking. Here the only release that matters is the last one.
Work backwards to a cut-off you can keep
Start at the collection time and step back through everything the last order has to pass. Time each step in your own building on a normal day instead of guessing, and write the numbers down.
- Collection time. The time the carrier is booked to leave. Confirm whether the trailer must be closed by then.
- Loading time. How long it takes to load the last pallets and close the trailer.
- Checking time. Counting pallets, checking labels against the consignment paperwork and handing it to the driver.
- Pack time. How long the last order takes at a packing bench.
- Pick time. How long the last order takes from release to the bench.
- Buffer. A margin for the pallet that is wrong or the order that is redone.
Add those together and subtract the total from the collection time. The result is the last pick release: the latest minute an order can be released to the pickers and still make the truck. Publish an order cut-off a little before it, so the supervisor has time to release the final orders.
Example: a 4 pm collection worked back to a last pick release
Here is an example with illustrative round numbers. Time your own steps and replace them. The carrier collects at 4:00 pm.
- 3:45 pm. Trailer closed, leaving a 15 minute buffer before the truck is due.
- 3:15 pm. Loading starts, because loading takes 30 minutes.
- 2:55 pm. Checking starts, because checking takes 20 minutes.
- 2:30 pm. The last order reaches the bench, because packing takes 25 minutes.
- 2:10 pm. The last pick release, because picking takes 20 minutes.
In this example the order cut-off is 2:00 pm, which leaves 10 minutes to release the final orders. If customers have been told 3:00 pm, the example shows an hour of promise the building cannot keep. The supervisor can move the published cut-off or shorten a step, for instance by staging finished pallets at the dock door so loading takes less time.
Size the pack benches hour by hour
A packing bench count that stays the same all day wastes people in the morning and runs short in the peak. To size benches, count the orders expected to reach the benches in each hour, divide by the number of orders one packer finishes in an hour, and round up, with one packer to a bench.
The rate has to be your own. Time several packers on a normal day, include the walk for cartons and the label printing, and use a figure an average packer reaches rather than your fastest. The illustrative rate in this example is 15 orders per packer per hour, and the hourly arrivals are also illustrative.
- 12 pm hour. 30 orders reach the benches, so 2 benches.
- 1 pm hour. 60 orders reach the benches, so 4 benches.
- 2 pm to 2:30 pm. 20 orders reach the benches before the last one arrives at 2:30 pm, a pace of 40 an hour, so 3 benches.
The 1 pm hour sets the size of the crew, and it shows when the extra people are needed: from that hour, not from the start of the shift. A bench only counts if it is stocked, so check cartons, tape, label paper and a clear path to the staging lane before the peak.
Stagger starts to cover the late-afternoon peak
The example needs two packers at midday, four in the 1 pm hour and three until the last order reaches the bench at 2:30 pm. Rather than rostering four for a full shift, stagger starts so a second group reaches the benches before the peak, or add a short afternoon crew for the peak alone.
Casual or labour hire pick packers suit this kind of peak because the need is short and predictable. Give them the pack routine, the label standard and the cut-off rule when they arrive. Chandler Personnel runs site inductions on behalf of clients, so a client can ask the provider to cover the cut-off rule and the late-order rule in the site induction. If the afternoon peak repeats every day, you can ask about warehousing and logistics staffing and request staff once you know the start time and numbers.
The dispatch area is also where time pressure meets forklifts and pallets. According to WorkSafe Victoria's forklift guidance, a traffic management plan is a system to protect people at the workplace from powered mobile plant, and exclusion zones with physical barriers can restrict forklifts or people from entering the zones. Extra packers arriving for the peak should be shown those zones before they start.
Write down what happens to a late order
A cut-off only works if everyone knows what happens at one minute past it. Without a written rule, the loudest customer decides. Put the rule on one page at the dispatch desk.
- What counts as late. Any order released after the last pick release, not after the published cut-off.
- The default. A late order goes on the next collection unless someone with authority says otherwise.
- Who can approve an exception. Name one person per shift, and say what they must check first, such as whether a packer is free and whether the carrier will wait.
- How it is recorded. Note the order, the time it was released and who approved it, so the pattern shows whether the cut-off is wrong.
- Who tells the customer. Decide this in advance, not when the order is already missed.
Rushing a late order onto the trailer does not change the load restraint checks or the loading records. The posts on load restraint at dispatch and loading records cover both, so the late-order rule only decides which orders reach the dock.
Related Resources
- Warehousing and logistics staffing
- Request staff
- Pick packers
- Load restraint at dispatch
- Loading records
- WorkSafe forklift guidance
Common Questions About Dispatch Cut-Off Times
1. How do I set a dispatch cut-off time?
Start at the carrier's collection time and subtract the buffer, loading, checking, packing and picking time for the last order. The result is the last pick release. Set the published order cut-off slightly before it, using times you have measured in your own warehouse on a normal day.
2. How many packers do I need in the last hours of the day?
Count the orders expected to reach the benches in each hour, divide by the number of orders one packer finishes in an hour, and round up. Measure that rate yourself rather than borrowing one. The busiest hour sets the crew size.
3. What should happen to orders that miss the cut-off?
They should go on the next collection unless a named person approves an exception. Write the rule down, say what the approver checks first, and record the order, the release time and the approver. The log shows whether the cut-off is set too late.
4. How do I cover the last hours before the truck leaves?
Stagger starts so a second group reaches the benches before the peak, or add a short afternoon crew for the peak alone. Start times, overtime and minimum shift rules differ by award, so check your award on the Fair Work Ombudsman site before you set the hours. Brief every new packer on the cut-off rule and the late-order rule.
5. Can I add casual packers for just the afternoon?
Yes, if the peak is short and predictable, casual or labour hire packers can cover it. Check the minimum engagement and shift rules in your award before you set the hours. Give them a short induction covering the pack routine, the label standard, the cut-off rule and the forklift exclusion zones.
Work back from the truck
A dispatch cut-off you can keep starts with the carrier's collection time and ends with a last pick release written on the wall. Time your own steps this week. Size the benches for the busiest hour, and write the late-order rule on one page for the dispatch desk.
