To support warehouse operators in their daily workflows, we’ve built a specific cross dock module into our mobile application

Configuration

When using scanning via the Mobile App, there are some functions that require setup in the Qargo software.

‼️ Updates to INTEGRATIONS is restricted to Qargo Admins. ‼️

Please contact Qargo Support for assistance.

Navigate to Configuration > Integrations > Mobile app / Subco portal.
Under the Configuration panel, the following location scan settings are available:

Setting	Description
Location scan in depot (inbound goods)	Controls location scanning when pallets are unloaded from an incoming vehicle. Options: Disabled, Enabled (optional — scan can be skipped), Required (scan must be completed before proceeding).
Location scan on vehicle (outbound goods)	Controls location scanning when pallets are loaded onto an outbound vehicle. Same three options: Disabled, Enabled, Required.
Validate location scan in depot	Toggle. When enabled, warns the operator if the scanned depot location does not match a valid bay.
Validate location scan on vehicle	Toggle. When enabled, warns the operator if the scanned vehicle location (license plate / name / code) does not match the resources assigned to the trip.

Default keep pallet on truck when unloading. With this option toggled ON, the default option there is no location or action option, it will immediately default to scanning pallets.

Location Scan Validation

Location scanning can be activated for the loading (outbound) flow as well as the inbound unloading flow.

When enabled, the workflow for loading an outbound vehicle is:

SCAN the trip loading sheet barcode to pull up the vehicle and pallet list.
SCAN the pallet barcode for each pallet being loaded.
SCAN a location — typically the vehicle's license plate barcode or bay barcode.
If Validate location scan on vehicle is enabled, the app checks the scanned value against the vehicle license plates, names, and codes assigned to the trip:
- Match found → Scan is accepted and recorded.
- No match found → A warning is displayed. The operator may acknowledge and continue, or retry the scan.

💡 Location scanning for outbound goods is available in the Load vehicle flow only. It is not available for pallet network trunk vehicles, or during direct cross-loading from inbound to outbound where the next trip is pre-assigned.

Enabled vs Required

When location scanning is set to Enabled, a Skip button is shown — the operator may proceed without scanning a location. This is suitable for operations where location scanning is encouraged but not enforced.

When set to Required, a location must be scanned before the pallet scan is accepted. The skip option is not available.

Location scan validation for inbound goods

When Validate location scan in depot is toggled on, the app checks whether the scanned depot location is a valid, expected location for that pallet's routing. If the scanned location is not recognised, a clear warning is shown before the operator proceeds.

Limitations

Outbound location validation checks only against vehicle license plates, names, and codes assigned to the trip. Bay or compartment barcodes inside a vehicle are not yet supported.
Operators can always choose to acknowledge a location validation warning and proceed.
Location scanning for outbound goods is not available for pallet network trunk vehicles.

Permissions

The module is available for the following roles: Admin, Super Admin, Qargo Admin and Warehouse operator. It’s not visible for drivers.

Navigate to CONFIGURATION > Organisation settings > Users
Scroll down and click on 'Add user' and give that user Warehouse operator as Role.

Once enabled, you’ll see an additional tab in the mobile app, i.e.

Modes

The cross dock app has 2 modes (pallet per pallet / Bulk pallets) that can be used to control the behaviour of the built in flows.

Location scanning

Scan the location pallets are put down (eg: bay in the cross dock or a delivery vehicle), which is then shown in the pallet tracking history.

Keep pallets on truck while unloading

Where depots do not have space to offload and store freight, it may stay on the trailer and is loaded directly from there to the outbound vehicle

Bulk Scanning workflow

Select scanning mode 'Pallets in Bulk'
Select option for Location or Action. (Based on configuration)
Scan location / action barcodes
Scan all pallets that are to be placed in that location / require that action

When processing multiple pallets, there is the option to switch between options for each pallet as needed. For instance, an incoming vehicle has multiple pallets, some that are to be loaded to the delivery vehicle and others that will be held pending delivery. Use the 'Choose new action' option to change the action.

It is not possible to switch between scanning options for a single pallet and bulk pallets.

Use cases

We’ve identified 3 major use cases which we’ve built into the app:

Use case 1: unloading an inbound vehicle
Use case 2: loading an outbound vehicle
Use case 3: free scanning

Use case 1: unloading an inbound vehicle

This use case fits in the “unloading” and “store” events of Cross dock events.

The unloading action will:

tell warehouse operators what to do with a pallet they’re unloading. This is the digital equivalent of the pallet label. All relevant routing information is visualised in the app, which allows them to put the pallet onto the correct outbound vehicle, or tells them to store it in the cross dock when the outbound truck has not been assigned yet.
register following scans:
- “scanned in” when the pallet is scanned, as from that point we know the pallet was brought into the depot
- “scanned out” when the outbound vehicle is known at the moment in time the scan takes place (doesn’t happen when Keep pallets on truck while unloading is enabled)
- “stored” when the outbound vehicle is not yet known at the moment in time the scan takes place (doesn’t happen when Keep pallets on truck while unloading is enabled)

Use case 2: loading an outbound vehicle

This use case fits in the “loading” event of Cross dock events.

The loading action will:

support the warehouse operator with an extra verification that all pallets that should be on that trip are also present on the truck
- this functionality is only relevant when the trips are also planned in the TMS. For outbound trunks that are not planned in the TMS the verification doesn’t happen.
register the “scanned out” scan for each scanned pallet
- note that this already may have happened if the “unloading” and “free scanning” flows were executed for the pallets, since those also may generate a “scanned out” scan when a pallet is moved from the inbound vehicle or from the cross dock (only happens when Keep pallets on truck while unloading is enabled).

Pallet barcode reference.
Scan action status. In this case the pallet was scanned loaded onto the vehicle.
Trip details for the scan activity. Depending on the activity this may also show a vehicle ID or location. Also includes the user details (email).

When loading freight at the cross dock we understand that all the required pallets may not be loaded at the same time; often just a pallet on one truck, only to return later to load more.

Colour-coded indicators show which pallets have already been loaded, along with additional alerts indicating potential errors.

Dark Green: Pallet is successfully scanned to the vehicle, confirmed loading.
Pale Green: Pallet previously scanned to vehicle, already loaded.
Orange: Warning - Pallet cannot be verified, checks required.
Red: Error alert - Pallet could not be found or should not be loaded.

Use case 3: free scanning

This use case fits in the “loading” and “store” events of Cross dock events.

The free scan action will:

support the warehouse operator to handle a pallet that is present in their cross dock
- they can verify if routing information is available, and load the pallet if that is the case
- it also allows them to move a pallet from one location in the cross dock to another
register following scans:
- the “scanned out” scan for each pallet that is loaded on an outbound truck
- the “stored” scan for each pallet that is moved inside the cross dock

💡PRO TIP: It is possible to free scan pallets to a location.

Use a 3rd party website like THIS to produce in-house barcode labels that can be used to identify pallet locations.

Free Scan to assign an order to a trip

Reduce friction in warehouse workflow and use the free scan option to assign available pallets to a pre-existing trip.

This functionality is enabled by default, however it is possible to disable this feature if this is not required.

💬 Disabling the function to assign an order to a trip is a QARGO ADMIN FUNCTION ONLY.

Please contact Qargo Support to update this feature.

The order must be in a 'To Plan' status and have the available leg created for the depot location.
Using the crossdock scan app, click 'Loading' to load pallets
Scan the vehicle loading sheet, or manually type the trip number to bring up the details
- The vehicle loading sheet details will display, including Driver and Vehicle details.
- If pallets have already been scanned onto the vehicle, these will be indicated with a light green check.
Scan a pallet and a message will display to indicate that the pallet is not planned to the trip. The User must confirm to continue loading the pallet.