Archived Unloading the Truck More Efficiently

[mped]

I'm a pretty new GM Expert at Target (about 4 weeks). I'm working in inbound to unload the truck every morning and our goal time is supposed to be 1.5 hours but we're finishing in 2 to 3 hours most days. This seems way too slow to me and I was wondering if it's even possible to do it that quickly? Does anyone have any tips to work more quickly?

By the way, there are usually 4 of us working the line with another in the truck unloading. Is that usually how many people there are?

 

[CsideMaster]

At my store we have 1 person throwing, 1 person pushing the line, then 3 on one side of the line and 2 on the other. It usually takes about 3 to 3.5 hours. I think it all depends on the size of the trucks, but usually 1800 and above is gonna take at the very least 2.5 hours, at least in my experience.

 

[mped]

Generally our trucks have been around 1800, so I'm somewhat relieved to hear that it's just not my store that takes that amount of time for a similar load.

Slightly unrelated, but how do you find out how large the truck load is? I hear my co-workers mentioning it but I don't know where they're pulling that information from.

 

[InboundGrunt]

An hour and a half with a full truck using the new process (one thrower) is a total pipe dream. Who told you this was the goal time?

On a bad day we have 1 in the truck and only 3 on the line. These can easily take 3+ hours if the truck is large (over 2000). One a good day we'll have have 5 on the line (pusher, 2 on either side) and can knock them out a little faster, between 2 and 2.5. Just having one call in is enough to add 30-40 minutes to the truck unload. Having a dedicated pusher makes a world of difference.

 

[allnew2]

At my store we have 1 person throwing, 1 person pushing the line, then 3 on one side of the line and 2 on the other. It usually takes about 3 to 3.5 hours. I think it all depends on the size of the trucks, but usually 1800 and above is gonna take at the very least 2.5 hours, at least in my experience.

No way it should take that long with that many people . My team does a 2800 in 2 hours max. 1 thrower , one back of the line , and 3 on the front of front of the line. It supposed to be 5 people tops including the unloader.

 

[allnew2]

An hour and a half with a full truck using the new process (one thrower) is a total pipe dream. Who told you this was the goal time?

On a bad day we have 1 in the truck and only 3 on the line. These can easily take 3+ hours if the truck is large (over 2000). One a good day we'll have have 5 on the line (pusher, 2 on either side) and can knock them out a little faster, between 2 and 2.5. Just having one call in is enough to add 30-40 minutes to the truck unload. Having a dedicated pusher makes a world of difference.

1800 is not a full truck . The goal time is realistic for that size of a truck.

 

[allnew2]

Generally our trucks have been around 1800, so I'm somewhat relieved to hear that it's just not my store that takes that amount of time for a similar load.

Slightly unrelated, but how do you find out how large the truck load is? I hear my co-workers mentioning it but I don't know where they're pulling that information from.

Your line people need to get better at sorting , or you need to switch the unloader . I have 3 people that know how to throw the truck as myself too. We alternate so that way the main unloader doesn’t get fucked

 

[allnew2]

It's on Greenfield.

If you log into Workbench, navigate to the General Merch page and scroll down. You should see the Inbound Trailer Dashboard link toward the bottom. Click that and you'll see a list of trailers, unacknowledged to the left and acknowledged to the right. If you click the filter button toward the top right, you can select a trailer, then go to the Trailer Details page to see more information regarding the freight on it.

Greenfield , replenishment , inbound trailer dashboard , trailer details and filter by trailer

 

[InboundGrunt]

If it's pallet heavy? 1800 is "full" aka stuffed to the door and no more room. There can be a huge variation in how much is in a full trailer.

 

[allnew2]

If it's pallet heavy? 1800 is "full" aka stuffed to the door and no more room. There can be a huge variation in how much is in a full trailer.

My average trucks are 2600-2800 . An 1800 would be a dream and my team would be in hot water if would take us 2 plus hours to unload a small truck like that. I wonder how you guys do doubles?

 

[InboundGrunt]

My team does a 2800 in 2 hours max.

lmao I'd love to see your backroom and store layout. This isn't possible in all stores.

 

[allnew2]

lmao I'd love to see your backroom and store layout. This isn't possible in all stores.

It is possible if all your gm dbo’s are scheduled right. By the time I start unload gm dbo’s already pulled and push and backstock their autofills . Once we unload and it gets full I give them a warning that in 5 minutes they need to take the full uboat and replace it with an empty one. My Backroom is clean and current. It’s all about the right people on the sort and the schedule of your dbos.

 

[CsideMaster]

No way it should take that long with that many people . My team does a 2800 in 2 hours max. 1 thrower , one back of the line , and 3 on the front of front of the line. It supposed to be 5 people tops including the unloader.

2800 in two hours? Is Captain America on your team?lol In 4 years that I’ve been at target, with a rotating team because of turnover, we’ve never got a truck done in 2 hours that was over 1600 pieces. Maybe your store is bigger or more organized or maybe you don’t run out of U-boats or flats, but mine does lol

 

[InboundGrunt]

My average trucks are 2600-2800 . An 1800 would be a dream and my team would be in hot water if would take us 2 plus hours to unload a small truck like that. I wonder how you guys do doubles?

Terribly. Every double since the new process has a been a absolute nightmare.

It is possible if all your gm dbo’s are scheduled right. By the time I start unload gm dbo’s already pulled and push and backstock their autofills . Once we unload and it gets full I give them a warning that in 5 minutes they need to take the full uboat and replace it with an empty one. My Backroom is clean and current. It’s all about the right people on the sort and the schedule of your dbos.

Most of our DBO don't get in until 7 or even after 9. .
🤣

Your store is run about 120% more efficiently than mine. Putting in my transfer brb

 

[allnew2]

2800 in two hours? Is Captain America on your team?lol In 4 years that I’ve been at target, with a rotating team because of turnover, we’ve never got a truck done in 2 hours that was over 1600 pieces. Maybe your store is bigger or more organized or maybe you don’t run out of U-boats or flats, but mine does lol

I do not run out of vehicles. My unloaders are all pretty much gym rats and if one gets tired the other one jumps in. I was talking about the 1800 not being done in less than two hours . The 2800 takes about 2 and half . We don’t stop the unload . We are done by 6:30 am with a 2800, . We start at 4

 

[allnew2]

Terribly. Every double since the new process has a been a absolute nightmare.
Most of our DBO don't get in until 7 or 8. .
🤣

Your store is run about 120% more efficiently than mine. Putting in my transfer brb

Pp1 dbo’s comes in at 3:30 am , pp2 at 8 am. I acknowledge truck they go straight to pulls,In an hour they are on the line grabbing their uboats and replacing them with empty ones.

 

[CsideMaster]

I do not run out of vehicles. My unloaders are all pretty much gym rats and if one gets tired the other one jumps in. I was talking about the 1800 not being done in less than two hours . The 2800 takes about 2 and half . We don’t stop the unload . We are done by 6:30 am with a 2800, . We start at 4

We all come in at 4am but never seem to start until about 4:30 because the line is never cleared the night before. So it takes a half hour just to clear the line. Today we unloaded a 2000 and we didn’t finish until 8. And we do run out of vehicles quite often to where we have to just throw boxes on the floor. I’m a guy in his late twenties, but today for example on the line we had me, an overweight middle aged woman, an elderly woman, a TL with a gimpy leg, and another guy who’s fit and in his 40’s.

Your store sounds awesome though wish i worked there lol

 

[ShortTM]

When it was cold out and the trailer wasnt 100+ degrees we typically met the goal time. We also had expierenced TMs on the line who knew were boxes went without having to read every pick label, and a TM pulling PIPOs off the truck and pushing. Now the trailer is already really hot when we start, we have new TMs on the line, and the thrower is taking PIPOs off. We have 3 TMs on PP1 side and 2 on PP2 side.

 

[allnew2]

We all come in at 4am but never seem to start until about 4:30 because the line is never cleared the night before. So it takes a half hour just to clear the line. Today we unloaded a 2000 and we didn’t finish until 8. And we do run out of vehicles quite often to where we have to just throw boxes on the floor. I’m a guy in his late twenties, but today for example on the line we had me, an overweight middle aged woman, an elderly woman, a TL with a gimpy leg, and another guy who’s fit and in his 40’s.

Your store sounds awesome though wish i worked there lol

So your line doesn’t get set before you leave for the day? Are your uboats labeld with the custom block and the dbos name? The line should set on its own with the dbos . They return the uboats back on the line with the appropriate custom block .

 

[InboundGrunt]

I guess my point is, this isn't necessarily an effort issue. You can have a very experienced line with hard working TMs and smaller trucks than youre describing and still run into all kind of snags. We could throw 2 more people on my line and we're not finishing and 2800 piece truck in 2 hours. We'd barely do that with 2 throwers back in the day, let alone now with 3-5 less TMs on the line.

Basically, ASANTS. *shrug*

 

[allnew2]

When it was cold out and the trailer wasnt 100+ degrees we typically met the goal time. We also had expierenced TMs on the line who knew were boxes went without having to read every pick label, and a TM pulling PIPOs off the truck and pushing. Now the trailer is already really hot when we start, we have new TMs on the line, and the thrower is taking PIPOs off. We have 3 TMs on PP1 side and 2 on PP2 side.

Put a fan in the truck for the unloader. I did

 

[InboundGrunt]

double post

 

[allnew2]

Im afraid to ask now . Do any of you have a secondary sort?

 

[ShortTM]

And an ETL who has to throw even a small truck will kill the goal time even more. Heard it happened recently at a store a friend works at

 

[InboundGrunt]

2800 in two hours? Is Captain America on your team?lol In 4 years that I’ve been at target, with a rotating team because of turnover, we’ve never got a truck done in 2 hours that was over 1600 pieces. Maybe your store is bigger or more organized or maybe you don’t run out of U-boats or flats, but mine does lol

This is much closer to what I experience day to day. We constantly struggle to find vehicles. There are days when PP2 and half of Dry Market go untouched and we're scrambling for u-boats all morning just to unload.

Also our backroom isn't setup to handle more than 3 or 4 PIPOs so it turns into a shitshow if the trailer is heavy on paper or large amounts of transition.