Packaging & Logistics worked example
Unloading Time at 11% dock and delay allowance: a worked example
This worked example runs the unloading time numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 11% dock and delay allowance instead of the typical 15%. Estimate trailer unloading time from pallets to unload and your unloading rate, plus a dock and delay allowance.
The inputs for this scenario
- Pallets to unload from the trailer: 26 pallets (held at the documented default)
- Forklift unloading rate: 1.8 pallets / min (held at the documented default)
- Dock and delay allowance: 11 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 15)
Working through the calculation
- The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Base unloading time = pallets to unload รท unloading rate.
- Required unloading time works out to 16.03 min at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
- Base unloading time works out to 14.44 min at these inputs.
- Dock and delay allowance works out to 11 % at these inputs.
- Unloading rate works out to 1.8 pallets / min at these inputs.
How this compares with the baseline
- Against the tool's baseline example, where dock and delay allowance sits at 15% and the headline result is 16.61 min, this scenario comes in 3.48% below the baseline at 16.03 min.
- Use it when scheduling inbound dock doors, setting carrier appointment windows, or planning receiving crew coverage. 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
- Required unloading time: 16.03 min (headline result)
- Base unloading time: 14.44 min
- Dock and delay allowance: 11 %
- Unloading rate: 1.8 pallets / min
Run it with your numbers
- To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Unloading Time calculator, set dock and delay allowance to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.
Last reviewed 2026-05-12.