Packaging & Logistics worked example

Dock Door Capacity at 61% door utilization: a worked example

This worked example runs the dock door capacity numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 61% door utilization instead of the typical 85%. Estimate net loads a dock can handle from loads per door per hour and door hours, after utilization and schedule losses.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Loads handled per door per hour: 1.5 loads / hr (held at the documented default)
  • Door operating hours available: 80 hr (held at the documented default)
  • Door utilization: 61 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 85)
  • Schedule adherence: 90 % (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Gross load capacity = loads per door per hour × door hours available.
  • Net loads handled works out to 65.88 loads at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Gross load capacity works out to 120 loads at these inputs.
  • Door utilization loss works out to 46.8 loads at these inputs.
  • Schedule slippage loss works out to 7.32 loads at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where door utilization sits at 85% and the headline result is 91.8 loads, this scenario comes in 28.24% below the baseline at 65.88 loads.
  • Use it when planning dock door counts, building appointment schedules, or investigating a bottleneck where trailers are queuing in the yard. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Net loads handled: 65.88 loads (headline result)
  • Gross load capacity: 120 loads
  • Door utilization loss: 46.8 loads
  • Schedule slippage loss: 7.32 loads

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Dock Door Capacity calculator, set door utilization to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.