Overage.
More arrived than the paperwork calls for: an extra pallet, or one carrying more cases than its label states.
Reference · Receiving discrepancies
Overage, shortage, and damage: documenting what actually arrived.
A receiving discrepancy is the gap between what the paperwork says arrived and what came off the trailer. On the dock it's still called OS&D: overage, shortage, and damage. Each fails differently and needs its own evidence, captured at the door instead of rebuilt from memory weeks later.
The definitions
What counts as a receiving discrepancy.
OS&D covers three classic categories, plus a fourth that hides inside them.
Shortage.
Less arrived than the paperwork calls for: a missing pallet, a short case count, or material that never made the trailer.
Damage.
It arrived, but not in shippable condition: crushed cases, torn wrap, a leaning pallet, water staining.
Substitution.
The count and the freight are fine, but it's the wrong item: a different item number, a different lot, or a label that doesn't match what's under the wrap.
A fifth kind hides inside the other four: the label that won't read. Treat it as its own discrepancy and document it at the door. See GS1-128 label compliance for every field on the label.
The anchors
Tying the discrepancy to the load.
Every discrepancy is two numbers, expected against received, and where each came from. Record the received count before it's reconciled: the original, the correction, and the reason are three separate facts.
An unattached discrepancy is a rumor. These identifiers pin it to one load, one door, one time.
Purchase order and ASN.
What was ordered and what was announced. The discrepancy lives against these numbers, not a feeling about the supplier.
Bill of lading and carrier.
What the carrier accepted at origin. A shortage that began before your door is a different conversation than one that began at it.
Trailer and seal.
The seal number, read and photographed before it's cut. An intact seal narrows where a shortage could have happened.
Dock door and time.
Which door, when the trailer was spotted, and when the unload started and finished.
Pallet identity.
The SSCC on each label, the serial that names one logistics unit. See the SSCC section of the GS1-128 reference.
The triage
Three findings, three procedures.
Overage, shortage, and damage fail differently and get disputed differently. Run the matching procedure at the door, not at the desk afterward.
Overage.
Stage the extra unit separately. Photograph its label and record the item, lot, and quantity against the PO it doesn't belong to, then hold it for disposition.
Shortage.
Don't close the receipt on the count alone. Record expected, counted, and shortfall as three values, photograph the seal and the empty trailer space, and flag it the same shift.
Damage.
Photograph the whole pallet, then the specific damage, then the label. Note the affected case count and whether it was refused, accepted with exception, or accepted clean.
Substitution.
Photograph the label and the item under the wrap. Record both item numbers, expected and received, and route it before it's put away.
Camera inspection of freight condition as it comes off the trailer is what Trainsight does. To flag a shortage as an exception the same shift, see dock door scanning.
The packet
What a complete discrepancy packet holds.
Assemblable in minutes, without a search through three systems and a camera roll. It should stand on its own for a reader who wasn't there.
The identifiers. Purchase order, ASN, bill of lading, carrier, trailer, seal, dock door, and the pallet identity for each unit.
The two counts. Expected and received, with the source of each, and the shortfall or overage stated plainly.
The finding. Which OS&D category, in the words the floor used, with affected quantity rather than a whole-unit generalization.
The pictures. The label, the unit, the seal, and the damage if there is any, each carrying the time it was taken.
The people and the history. Who counted, who verified, and any corrections kept alongside the original value.
The disposition. Refused, accepted with exception, or accepted clean, and what was communicated to the supplier or carrier.
A packet like this is the difference between telling a supplier their loads run short and showing them. See a customer deduction for what those disputes ask for.
Common questions about receiving discrepancies.
What should a receiving discrepancy report include?
The identifiers that pin it to one load: purchase order, ASN, bill of lading, carrier, trailer, seal, dock door, and pallet identity. Then the expected and received quantities, the OS&D finding, pictures, capture times, who counted and verified, and the disposition.
Who should verify a shortage or overage?
Someone other than the person who counted it, before the trailer is released and the freight is put away, usually the receiving supervisor. Record who verified it and when, not just that it was verified.
How should damaged material be documented?
Photograph the unit before it moves, since condition degrades the moment freight starts through your building: the whole pallet, the specific damage, and the label, tied to one identified unit. Note whether it was refused or accepted with an exception before the driver leaves.
Can a receiving record be corrected after closeout?
Yes, and corrections should be appended, never substituted. Keep the original value, the corrected value, who changed it, when, and why, so the history stays visible instead of replaced.
The discrepancy record, assembled at the door.
Every read is paired with its picture and the exact time it crossed, so the identifiers, the count, and the image are already together when a discrepancy turns into a question.