Warehouse and Operations as a Career

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Warehouse and Operations as a Career. I’m Marty, and today let’s talk about something that sounds incredibly simple. So simple, in fact, that we probably hear it growing up from our parents, teachers and coaches. And once we enter the workforce, we hear it from supervisors, managers, customers, and coworkers. 

Do what you say you’re going to do. That’s it. Sounds easy, right? But think about how many problems inside a warehouse, distribution center, manufacturing facility, transportation operation, or production environment start because somebody said they were going to do something and then they didn’t. An associate says, I’ll be here tomorrow, then they don’t show up. A lead says, I’ll get someone over there to help you and nobody comes. And a supervisor says, “I’ll look into that but nothing happens. And here’s a good one, a manager says, we’ll get that repaired yet three weeks later, the same equipment is still tagged out. And a great example, an executive says, safety is our number-one priority. But when production gets tight, unsafe shortcuts suddenly become acceptable. See where I’m going? Today’s subject is not really about keeping promises. I feel it’s about, 3 of my favorite words. Credibility, trust, and accountability. And, most importantly for us, it’s about building a reputation that helps us move our career forward. We want people to remember that we do what we say. 

Let’s start with the newest associate walking into the warehouse. Maybe we are an order selector, a pallet runner, loader, receiver, a forklift operator, or maybe this is our first warehouse job. Our reputation begins almost immediately. During orientation, we may say I understand. I’ll be here at 7:00. I’ll wear my PPE. I’ll call if I’m going to be late. I’ll complete my pre-trip. And I’ll follow the procedures. Those may sound like little statements, But every one of them matters. If we tell our supervisor we will be there at 7:00, and we consistently arrive at 6:50 ready to work, he or she will notice. And if we say we are willing to learn receiving, and when the opportunity comes we step over there and learn it, it gets noticed. If we tell someone we’ll finish wrapping a pallet before break and we do it, people notice. And guess what? When we don’t do those things, thats noticed too. Our reputation in the workplace is often nothing more than a collection of experiences other people have had with us. Can I count on Marty? Does Marty show up? Does Marty finish what he starts? Does Marty tell me when there’s a problem? If Marty says he’s going to do something, will it get done? Those questions, or answers I guess, become our reputation. And I’ve said it before, in our industry, in many instances, your reputation walks into a building before you do. Warehousing and transportation is a surprisingly small world. Supervisors become managers. Managers change companies. Associates become leads. Vendors become customers. Customers become employers. And years later, somebody may hear your name and say, oh yeah. I remember him. 

Now here’s something else we need to talk about. Doing what we say does not mean saying yes to everything. A subject I struggle with myself!  Sometimes one of the most professional responses we can give is I can’t promise that, or, I don’t know yet, but I’ll find out. There is a big difference between being helpful and overpromising. 

Imagine a lead telling three different people “I’ll take care of it. “I’ll get somebody over there. “I’ll have maintenance look at it.” “I’ll get your schedule fixed.” “I’ll talk to the supervisor.” All that sounds helpful. But what if none of it happens? Pretty soon, those words don’t mean anything. Wouldn’t you rather hear I don’t have the answer right now, but I’ll check and get back to you before lunch. Then actually get back to me before lunch. To me, or with me, that builds credibility. 

We don’t have to know everything. We don’t have to fix everything ourselves. But if we give somebody our word, we need to follow through. And if circumstances change and we cannot follow through, we have to communicate that. 

Let’s say I tell my supervisor “I’ll have that trailer unloaded by 10:00.” Then we find damaged product. There’s an OS&D issue. The paperwork doesn’t match. Or a pallet collapsed. Now 10:00 isn’t going to happen. That does not automatically mean I failed. But what happens next matters. If 10:00 comes and goes and nobody knows what happened, I’ve created another problem. But, If I communicate at 9:15 and say “We found damaged freight on pallets six and seven. I’ve stopped the unload and I’m waiting on direction from claims. We probably won’t make the 10:00 completion.” That’s professionalism. Doing what we say includes letting people know when something prevents us from doing it. Remember a couple of weeks ago how we learned that communication protects trust. Well, silence destroys it. 

 

Now let’s move up to the lead position. This is where the subject becomes even more important. Because once we become a lead, people begin watching whether our actions match our words. We tell the team, “Safety comes first.” Then an associate says a pallet is leaning badly. What do we do? Do we stop and correct it? Or do we say “Just move it. We’re behind.” We tell everyone “Pre-trip your equipment before using it.” Then we jump on a pallet jack ourselves without inspecting it. What did we just teach the team? Leadership is not what we say during the startup meeting. Leadership is what people watch us do after the startup meeting. Associates are very good at spotting inconsistencies. Here’s a couple of great examples. If I say “Everybody needs to be on time, but I walk in late three days a week, I’ve lost credibility. And If I say “Communication is important,” but associates cannot get an answer from me, well, you see where I’m going. For supervisors and managers, our words carry even more weight. 

 

What else did I note here, oh, I want to throw in a word on safety, all this becomes especially important around safety. If we tell associates to report hazards, we have to respond when they do. If someone reports a broken pallet jack and nothing happens, eventually people stop reporting broken equipment. If somebody identifies a near miss and management ignores it, eventually near misses stop getting reported. 

If someone tells us a dock plate isn’t operating correctly and our answer is, “We know. Just be careful.” What message are we sending? We cannot build a safety culture through posters, or slogans, and we cannot build it through once-a-year training. Safety culture is built when employees see the company do what it says it will do. If we say “Report hazards.” Then hazards need to be investigated. If we say “Never operate defective equipment.” Then defective equipment needs to stay out of service. If we say “No load is more important than someone going home safely.” Then our operational decisions have to reflect that. That’s credibility. 

Now let’s look outside the four walls of our building for a second. Our customers are paying attention to us as well. In transportation, we tell a customer: “The truck will be there at 8:00.” Maybe it arrives at 8:00. Maybe it doesn’t. But if we know at 6:30 that the driver has been delayed and we wait until 8:15 to communicate it, we’ve damaged our trust. Again, customers understand that problems happen. Trucks break down. People call out. Systems go down. Freight gets damaged, and weather happens. What customers struggle with is surprise. Don’t surprise people with bad news they should have heard earlier. 

Sometimes doing what we say means saying “We’re not going to hit the original commitment, and here’s what we’re doing about it.” That kind of honesty can actually strengthen a relationship. 

Now let’s talk about executives. Vice presidents. Directors. Presidents. Owners. CEOs. At that level, words can influence entire organizations. We tell employees “Our people are our greatest asset.” Okay. Do our actions show that? We say “We believe in training.” But are we investing in training? We say “We promote from within.” Are we actually developing internal candidates? We say “Safety is priority one.” Are safety expenses approved? And are damaged tools replaced? Are supervisors held accountable for unsafe behavior? Culture travels downhill. And so does inconsistency. 

 

I think the little promises matter the most. Here’s where I think we sometimes get this wrong. We think trust is built with big speeches and big promises. Usually it’s built through all the little things like  “I’ll call you back.” And you call. “I’ll send that report.” And you send it. Those small moments stack up. Eventually people stop wondering whether you’re dependable. They just know you are. 

We can spend a lot of time complaining that other people don’t follow through. Our coworker didn’t do what they said. Our supervisor forgot. Management never responded. The company promised something. Some of those complaints may be completely legitimate. But let’s to turn the mirror around for a moment. What about us? Do people have to remind us? Do we commit to things and then forget them? Do we blame circumstances rather than communicate issues? Do we expect other people to keep commitments we’re willing to break ourselves? 

I feel like accountability starts with me. If I want to work in a dependable organization, I should first become a dependable employee. If I want a trustworthy supervisor, I should first become a trustworthy associate. If I want my team to follow through, I need to follow through. 

I’ll leave you with three habits. First, I try and be careful what I commit to. Before you say yes, think. Can I really do this? Do I have the authority, the time, and all the information? 

Second, write things down. Leads, supervisors, and managers get asked dozens of questions every day. Use a notebook, or your phone, a task list or your calendar. There is no prize for remembering everything. However there is value in making sure things get done. 

And third, close the loop. This may be the most important one. If somebody asks you something and you say you’ll find out, go back to them. Even if the answer is: “I still don’t have an answer.” That’s closing the loop. “I haven’t forgotten. I’m still working on it.” To me, those words and phrases matter. 

So whether we are unloading our first trailer or running the entire distribution network, this principle applies. Do what you say you’re going to do. Our job title doesn’t change that responsibility. Become the person people can count on. Do exactly what you said you were going to do. 

Well, I’ve got to go finish up what I said I’d get done today!  Until next time, be safe, be productive, communicate, follow through, and keep building that career.

Today let’s talk about something I’ve been asked many times over the years. “Why warehousing?” Or “Why transportation?” Or “Why the supply chain?” 

After unloading trailers, pulling orders, operating forklifts, supervising teams, managing operations, and on to the executive team, I’ve been asked that question hundreds of times. People usually expect me to answer with one of the obvious reasons. That there’s good money, great benefits, opportunities for overtime, or the Job security and Promotion opportunities, and how the works stable, sometimes even considered essential. And those are all true, and they’re all important. But if I had to narrow everything down to just one reason? Just one thing that makes this industry different than almost every other career? 

Well, I’d have to go with how this industry rewards the person you’re willing to become. Not who you are today or where you came from. Not what grades you made or where you went to school or who your parents were. This industry has always rewarded effort. It rewards people that keep showing up and that continue learning. It rewards people that become more valuable every year. And to me anyway, that’s something incredibly special. 

When someone asks me what they should do with their career, I often tell them that warehousing isn’t just about moving boxes and transportation isn’t just about trucks and how the supply chain isn’t just about inventory. It’s about solving problems. It’s about making businesses successful and it’s about making sure families receive what they need. Every package is delivered. Every grocery shelf is stocked. Every hospital was supplied. Every manufacturing plant receives their raw materials. Every online order arrives on someone’s porch. All of that happens because thousands of us workers choose to become professionals. One of the things I love about this industry is that there are very few ceilings. As I’ve said many times, you can literally start today sweeping floors and next year you might be operating equipment. A year later you’re training others and soon you’re a lead. Then a supervisor. Maybe an inventory analyst. Perhaps a dispatcher or transportation coordinator or a safety professional. Even an operations manager, director, or Vice President. I’ve watched people make that journey. I’ve had the pleasure of hiring several of them and the honor of promoting many of them. Not because they had the fanciest résumé. But because they earned the opportunity. 

First off, our industry notices consistency. I know I sound like a broken record sometimes. I keep repeating these things because they are that important and just that simple. Showing up everyday matters. Being dependable and taking ownership matters. If your supervisor never has to wonder whether you’ll be at work, if they know you’ll do quality work and they know you’ll help solve problems instead of creating them, you’ve already separated yourself from many others. Consistency becomes your resume. 

Then comes learning. Every new skill increases your value. Learn a second department. Learn receiving, Shipping, Inventory Control, Quality Assurance, Cycle counting, Forklift operation, the Reach truck. What else, here’s a few of my go too’s, the order picker. Yard management. Transportation planning. Warehouse Management Systems. Excel. Everyone should feel comfortable working with Microsoft word and excel. And Leadership. Communication, and of course Safety. Every skill is another tool in your toolbox. And no bad manager or company can take those skills away from you. Even if you change employers, those skills travel with you. 

One lesson I’ve learned throughout my own career, and try to share with every new boot I meet, is that companies don’t simply promote experience. They promote confidence and our confidence comes from preparation. I think being prepared comes from learning everything we can. The more you understand the operation, the more valuable you become. Eventually people begin asking for your opinion and that’s when your career really starts to grow. 

Another reason I love this industry is because every day is different. No two days are exactly alike. One morning you may have weather delays, all your trucks and loads are running late. On another day we’ll have equipment issues. A customer changes an order. A shipment arrives early. A truck breaks down. The inventory doesn’t match. The team is short-handed. Problems appear every single day!  Some people see stress. I’ve always tried to see opportunities. 

Seriously, every problem solved teaches you something. Every challenge develops another leadership skill, and every difficult day prepares you for greater responsibility. Young people often ask me how to become successful, and my answer seems to surprise them. Just Become the person people trust. Trust opens doors. Trust gets assignments and earns promotions. Trust creates opportunities. Trust is built one decision at a time. A decision from us. Being on time. Following through. Owning mistakes. Helping our teammates. Doing the right thing when nobody’s watching. Those habits are noticed. 

I also appreciate something else about our profession. You don’t have to wait for someone to allow you to grow. Growth is largely in your control. Read books. Watch training videos, there’s thousands on YouTube. Volunteer for projects. Crosstrain. Ask questions. Observe great leaders. Practice communication. Improve your safety knowledge. Become certified. Nobody can stop you from investing in yourself. The people who grow the fastest are usually the ones who never stop learning. 

I’ve met warehouse associates making six figures. transportation professionals earning incredible incomes. Supply chain analysts traveling the country. Operations leaders running million-square-foot distribution centers. Safety professionals influencing thousands of employees. Corporate trainers teaching nationwide. None of them started there. Most started exactly where someone listening today may be standing. The difference wasn’t luck. It was growth. 

You know, one of my favorite moments is watching someone realize they have more potential than they ever imagined. Maybe it’s the forklift operator who becomes a trainer. The selector who becomes a supervisor. The receptionist who becomes a recruiter. The dispatcher who becomes a transportation manager. And I could go on and on.  I’ve watched those transformations happen over and over again. 

The warehouse is an incredible classroom. It teaches discipline, Communication, Teamwork, Safety, Accountability, Time management, Customer service, Leadership, Conflict resolution, Problem solving. And These aren’t just warehouse skills. They’re life skills. Skills that help in every profession and every stage of life. 

People sometimes say they don’t want to work in a warehouse forever. I understand that. But don’t overlook what the warehouse can do for you. It can build confidence. Teach responsibility. Develop leadership. Provide financial stability. Introduce lifelong mentors. Open doors you never knew existed. The warehouse may not be your final destination. But it can absolutely become the foundation of an incredible career. 

As I look back over my own career, I don’t remember every shipment. I don’t remember every inventory count. I don’t remember every dock schedule. What I remember are the people. The mentors who challenged me. The associates who inspired me. The supervisors who believed in me. The teams that accomplished incredible things together. That’s another gift this industry gives us. Relationships. And those relationships often last an entire lifetime. 

So, if someone asked me today, Marty, what’s the one thing that makes this industry so great? My answer would be simple. Because this industry rewards the person you’re willing to become. It rewards effort. It rewards learning. It rewards reliability. It rewards character. It rewards ownership. It rewards growth. And the beautiful part is, every one of us gets to decide who we’re becoming tomorrow. 

Ok, I’ve got to get back to work myself now. But I wanted to add that if you’re just beginning your career in warehousing, manufacturing, transportation, or supply chain, don’t focus only on the next paycheck. Focus on becoming the person everyone wants on their team. The promotions will come. The opportunities will come. The raises will come. The career will come. It’s my opinion or my belief, in this industry, your greatest value isn’t the equipment you operate or the building or department you work in. It’s the person you choose to become.   

I’m Marty T Hawkins and I want to thank you for checking in on Warehouse and Operations as a Career today. Until next time, be safe, keep learning, help someone else grow, and never stop investing in yourself.

Hello everyone, and welcome back to another episode of Warehouse and Operations as a Career. I’m Marty, and as always, I appreciate you spending a little of your day with me. 

Today I want to talk about something that’s been on my mind for quite a while. Over the past several months, I’ve spoken with warehouse associates, forklift operators, order selectors, recruiters, supervisors, and hiring managers from all over the country. I’ve listened to the concerns of people just entering our industry, and I’ve listened to leaders trying to build strong teams. You know what’s interesting? Both groups are asking almost the same question. The associate is asking, “How do I get ahead?” The employer is asking, “How do I keep good people?” I think those questions are really two sides of the same conversation.  

Let’s start with a simple question. What do you think is the biggest concern for today’s warehouse associate? Most people immediately answer, “Money.” Yes, pay is important. We all work to provide for ourselves and our families. Inflation, groceries, rent, and fuel aren’t getting any cheaper. But after forty years in this industry, I’ve learned that money is rarely the real problem. I feel that people want to know if they’re building a future, or just collecting another paycheck. That’s an entirely different question. 

When someone walks into a warehouse for the very first time, they’re usually thinking about today’s shift. Can I do the work? Will I like the people? Can I make it through orientation? Will I get enough hours? Those are all fair questions. But somewhere along the way, another question should replace those. In my humble opinion, we should be asking ourselves, “What does my career look like three years from now?” And unfortunately, many people never ask it. Instead, they work, they clock in, they clock out, and before they know it, three years have become ten. Nothing changed except the date on the calendar. 

Here’s something I tell every young associate I meet. Your employer hired you to fill a position. Only you can build the career. The company can provide the opportunity. It can’t provide ambition. It can offer training but it can’t force someone to learn. It can post an opening for a Lead, Trainer, Dispatcher, Inventory Control, Safety Coordinator, Supervisor, or Manager but someone has to decide they’re ready to take those steps. 

I hear people say all the time “They never give me a chance.” Of course sometimes that’s true. But sometimes we haven’t given ourselves one either. Have we volunteered to learn another department duties? Have we asked to operate another piece of equipment or a different production machine? Have we asked to learned what those inventory people actually do? Do we understand receiving, Shipping, Quality Control, Cycle counts, Warehouse Management Systems, Transportation, Planning, Customer Service? Every one of those skills makes you more valuable. And as we’ve learned, valuable employees don’t stay in the same position forever. 

One of the biggest mistakes I see is confusing experience with growth. Someone says “I’ve been here five years.” Well that’s wonderful. But have you had five years of experience, or one year of experience repeated five times? Those aren’t the same thing. Growth happens when we’re learning something new. When we’re uncomfortable and challenged. When we’re solving problems instead of waiting for someone else to solve them. 

Here’s a big one, let’s talk about automation for just a minute. I hear it all the time. “Robots are taking our jobs.” Here’s my perspective. Automation doesn’t replace great employees. It can replace repetitive tasks. Someone still has to maintain the equipment. Program the systems. Analyze the inventory. Manage the workflow. Lead the team and interpret the data. Solve the problems technology can’t solve. The more skilled you become, the more valuable you become in an automated world. Technology should motivate us to learn more. Not scare us into standing still. Another thing I hear all the time is, I don’t have time to learn things and online classes take so many hours, or my company wants us to stay over to learn something new. I always ask what are you doing that keeps you from having that time to invest in yourself? What did you watch on tv last Tuesday night and what was the plot of the program? lol. Just a thought. Now where was I. Ok, now let’s talk about something every supervisor notices. Dependability. If I asked ten warehouse managers who their most valuable employee is, almost every one of them would describe someone who shows up every day, on time, and ready to work. Not necessarily the fastest or the strongest. But dependable. And what have we said before? Dependability creates opportunity. Opportunity creates trust. And trust creates promotions. It really is that simple. 

Here’s another lesson I learned years ago. Don’t wait for the title before acting like the leader. Lead from wherever you’re standing. Help the new employee. Pick up the trash nobody else noticed. Volunteer for the difficult assignment. Stay positive when everyone else is complaining. Ask questions. Share ideas respectfully. Those things, ladies and gentlemen, are leadership behaviors. And people notice them. 

One thing I absolutely love about our industry is that careers are still earned. Think about that. There are very few industries where someone can begin unloading trucks, become a forklift operator, learn inventory, move into training, become a lead, a supervisor, a manager, a director, or a Vice President. I know that’s possible. Because I lived it. Nobody handed me those opportunities. Each one required another step up the ladder. And yes, sometimes those steps were uncomfortable. Sometimes they were exhausting. And many times I wondered if I was ready. But I climbed anyway. 

Here’s something else to think about. Every certification you earn is another rung on that ladder. Your Powered Industrial Truck certification. First Aid, CPR, and AED. CRASE. STOP THE BLEED. OSHA training. Leadership classes. The Microsoft Excel and Word programs. Warehouse Management Systems. Inventory Control. Public speaking. Communication. Every one of those skills separates you from the crowd. Because when opportunity comes, preparation wins. 

You know what rarely earns promotions? Complaining. Excuses. Drama. Blaming everyone else. Those things might get attention. But they don’t build careers. Solutions build careers. And Managers remember people who solve problems. They remember people who volunteer and there going to remember people who make everyone’s job easier. 

Ok, we’ve been closing with a challenge for the week so here’s this weeks. When you walk into work tomorrow don’t ask yourself “What do I have to do today?” Ask yourself “What can I learn today?” One question changes your schedule. The other changes your future. Anything counts. Maybe you ask to learn shipping paperwork, or you spend fifteen minutes talking with inventory control, or maybe you ask your supervisor why something is done a certain way. I think curiosity builds careers. 

And here’s another challenge for us. Write down the job you want three years from now. Not tomorrow, but three years from now. Then ask yourself “What skills does that person have that I don’t have yet?” Now you have a roadmap. Our careers aren’t built by accident. They’re built intentionally. By us.  One skill. One lesson. One opportunity. One day at a time. 

I’ll leave you with this. The career ladder in warehousing, Production, Transportation, Manufacturing and Distribution. It hasn’t disappeared. In fact, I’d argue it’s stronger than it’s ever been. Companies need leaders and trainers. They need technicians, safety professionals, dispatchers, machine operators, inventory specialists, and operations managers. 

The opportunities are there. The ladder is standing exactly where it’s always been. The question is, are you still climbing, or did you stop on the first rung? 

If today’s episode encouraged you, challenged you, or reminded you that your future is still being written, I’d appreciate it if you’d share it with a coworker, a friend, or someone who’s just getting started in our industry. Until next time, keep learning and improving, keep showing up every day. And remember. Your job may get you through today, but your commitment to learning is what builds tomorrow. 

Everyone have a safe shift and I hope to see you back here in two weeks!

Today we’re talking about something that can literally save lives, protect equipment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, prevent product damage, eliminate downtime, and even set you up for success outside the warehouse. It’s called the pre-trip. Now, I know what some of you are thinking, Yeah, yeah check the forklift and move on. But today I want to challenge that thought. A pre-trip isn’t just paperwork, and it’s not something regulatory agencies dreamed up to slow us down. It’s one of the greatest habits successful people ever develop. I’m Marty with Warehouse and Operations as a Career. And I thought we’d look at the pretrip a little differently today.  

Aviation, railroads, trucking and manufacturing all adopted inspection checklists because investigations repeatedly showed that many accidents weren’t caused by equipment failures, they were caused by failures to discover problems before using the equipment. 

Our pre-trip really answers only four questions. Is it safe? Is it operational? Is it legal? And am I ready? That simple framework works for every machine in the building. And as we’ll learn in a few minutes several other positions!  

Think about one of the most talked about pieces of equipment. The counterbalance forklift. We’ll check out the forks, mast, chains, and look for any hydraulic leaks. We’ll inspect the tires, the steering and brakes, seat belt, horn, backup alarm, lights, the capacity plate, LP tank or battery and our overhead guard.  

Another biggie is the Reach Truck. We’ll have a few more things to check here like the load wheels and outriggers, the reach mechanism, joy stick or lever controls, more hydraulic hoses, the battery connection and stability.  

Let’s see, we don’t have to hit them all but I did want to talk about a few or our more common ones. I’ll skip these, let’s see, oh here, the Rider Pallet Jack. Many people underestimate the pallet jacks. First up, the belly button reverse switch, its brake operation and plugging, the fork tips, the drive wheel, its battery, steering arm, and horn. How many foot injuries have you seen here because operators become too comfortable? I hope we’d all agree that even one is too many right?  

And the Floor Scrubber. People laugh until it floods an aisle. We’ll need to Inspect things like the squeegee, pads, brushes, the water tanks, and the recovery tank. And its battery, warning lights and dashboard.  A bad scrubber creates slip hazards instead of removing them. 

Oh, and I wanted to mention the cardboard and shrink wrap Baler. We need to check the emergency stop, safety gate, interlocks, and look for any hydraulic leaks, and inspect the chains and door latches. The most dangerous baler isn’t the broken one. It’s the one someone bypassed something on. 

And of course, any type of Manufacturing Equipment will need a pre-trip, checking the guards, emergency stops, sensors, air pressure, lubrication points, tooling, and the product path. The first product shouldn’t be the test piece. The inspection should be. 

And there’s dozens and dozens of other pieces of equipment or machines. Like our conveyor systems, the yard jockey, another important piece is the clamp attachment and slip sheet attachment. Pretrips are a must for all of them.  

So, what if you don’t operate equipment? Guess what? I think you still need a pre-trip. 

What if you’re an Office Employee? I feel you should be asking yourself. Do I have today’s priorities? Laptop? Chargers? Calendar? Checking for my Meetings? Deadlines? Did I answer yesterday’s emails? 

Or if I’m a Recruiter? Have I prepared Today’s interviews? Applicants confirmed? Backgrounds complete? Job descriptions ready? Do I know the Hiring managers expectations? 

And I think there’s a few questions every associate can pretrip themselves with.  Our minds deserve a pre-trip too. Am I distracted or tired? Am I frustrated or am I bringing yesterday’s problems into today’s shift? Those questions may be more important than checking tire pressure. 

The pre-trip isn’t about checking things off on a sheet of paper or program. It’s about respecting what could happen if you don’t. Professionals don’t inspect their stuff because they expect something to be wrong. They inspect because they refuse to be surprised.  

We all know that most accidents don’t begin with the accident itself. They begin with a decision. I’m in a hurry, I’ll check it later, It worked fine yesterday, or It’ll probably be okay. 

Every incident investigation, insurance claim, equipment failure, damaged product, or near miss has a starting point. Many times, that starting point was someone choosing not to spend five minutes looking over their equipment. 

A pre-trip isn’t just looking for what’s broken. It’s looking for what’s changing. That tire that’s lost a little air. The hydraulic hose beginning to rub against the roller. A chain that’s becoming loose. A battery cable that’s starting to fray. Problems rarely appear all at once. They grow little by little. The pre-trip is our opportunity to catch them while they’re still small. 

And we need to remember that finding a problem isn’t the end of the pre-trip. It’s actually the beginning. We may need to Lock it  Out and Tag it Out. Or remove our favorite piece of equipment from service, and notify supervision, calling maintenance and using another truck if available. Professionals understand production never comes before safety. 

A pre-trip protects People, Product, Customers, our Buildings, the Company’s reputation, our Production schedules, Inventory accuracy, Budgets, and well, our Careers.  

Ok, I need to get back to work myself but tomorrow morning, No matter what your job is, let’s Perform a pre-trip. Not because someone tells you to. But because professionals prepare before they perform. Inspect your equipment or machine. Inspect your workspace. And look over your schedule. Let’s check our attitude and our priorities. Inspect your day. Success rarely depends on what happens after productivity starts. It depends on what you did 5 minutes before that time.  

So, I won’t go on and on here. We hear about the pretrip every day, I hope we put a different spin on it today and gave you a little different way to look at it. Yall be safe out there, in both your personal and professional lives.

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Warehouse and Operations as a Career. I’m Marty, and as always, thank you for spending a little time with us today. You know, it’s funny how some of the most important jobs in our industry happen in the smallest places. Think about the size of a distribution center. Maybe it’s 300,000 square feet or maybe it’s a million square feet. Hundreds of employees. Thousands of pallets. Forklifts buzzing around in all directions. Trucks backing into dock doors all day long. Now picture the smallest building on that property. It’s probably no bigger than a backyard storage shed. Maybe a desk, a computer, a couple of monitors, a radio, and a coffee pot that has seen better days. That’s the guard shack.

Most of us have driven past one. Every truck driver has stopped at one. Most employees wave as they drive through the gate each morning. Yet very few people realize just how much responsibility sits inside that little building.

Today, I want to talk about the guard shack, not the building itself, but the people inside it. Because in many ways, that’s where every shipment, every visitor, and every workday truly begins.

When someone says they work in a guard shack, people often picture someone raising and lowering a gate all day. They imagine a quiet job where you’re simply checking people in and out. Nothing could be further from the truth. A guard shack attendant wears several hats. They’re part security officer, part customer service representative, part traffic coordinator, part documentation specialist, and often the communication link between transportation, receiving, shipping, and operations. Every truck that enters the property starts with a conversation. Good morning. Company name? Load number please?” Appointment time?” Driver’s license, please.” “Bill of Lading?” “Trailer number?” “Seal number?” Those questions may sound routine, but every answer matters. One incorrect trailer number could send the wrong freight to the wrong dock. One incorrect seal number could indicate a security issue. One missed appointment could throw off an entire day’s receiving schedule. The guard isn’t just asking questions, they’re protecting the operation.

One responsibility that has become incredibly important over the last twenty-five years is trailer seal verification. If you’ve never paid attention to that little plastic or steel seal hanging on the back of a trailer, you may not realize how important it really is. That seal represents accountability. When a trailer is loaded, a numbered seal is placed on the doors. That unique number is documented on the shipping paperwork. When the trailer arrives at the distribution center, the very first person to compare that number with the paperwork is often the guard shack attendant. If the numbers don’t match, everything stops. Not because anyone is trying to make life difficult for the driver, but because the integrity of that shipment has been compromised. Sometimes it’s nothing more than a paperwork mistake or the wrong trailer showed up, or maybe someone accidentally recorded the wrong seal number. But it could indicate unauthorized access to that trailer. Finding that discrepancy before the trailer ever enters the yard protects the customer, the carrier, and our facility. That’s a tremendous responsibility for someone sitting in a small building at the front gate.

The guard shack is also the first impression your company makes. Think about the truck driver arriving after driving six or seven hundred miles. They’ve fought traffic, weather, road construction, and tight delivery schedules. Maybe they’ve been away from home for several days. The very first employee they meet is usually the guard. A smile. A professional greeting. Clear directions. Respect. Those few moments set the tone for the entire visit. And Drivers remember facilities that treat them well. They also remember facilities where they were ignored, treated rudely, or left wondering what to do next. The guard isn’t simply controlling traffic, they’re representing the company’s culture.

I like to think of the guard shack as communication central or the command center! A busy distribution center might have fifty, seventy-five, or even a hundred trailers arriving throughout the day. The guard isn’t making those trucks disappear. They’re communicating constantly. They may be speaking with inbound dispatch. “Hey, the Driver for ABC Trucking has arrived. And the Inbound dispatcher or Receiving might respond, “Send him to Door 18.” The guard relays the information and the driver moves safely to the assigned dock. Simple enough, right? But now multiply that by one hundred trucks. And add in the yard jockeys moving those transfer and local trailers or our backhauls around. Maybe Fuel deliveries. Contractors. Visitors. Maintenance vendors. Employee deliveries. Food service vendors. Emergency responders. Suddenly that little guard shack becomes one of the busiest communication centers on the property. It’s almost like being an air traffic controller, except instead of airplanes, you’re directing trucks, trailers, and people safely around a busy warehouse yard.

Remember 2001. For many people, September 11 changed air travel forever. For our industry, it changed supply chain security. Distribution centers across North America began strengthening gate procedures. Visitor logs became more detailed. Identification requirements increased. Trailer seals became more important. Photography restrictions became common place. Access to warehouse property became much more controlled.

Many government programs encouraged companies to secure every step of the supply chain, beginning at the front gate. Almost overnight, the guard shack evolved from a simple check-in station into the first line of defense protecting products, customers, and employees. Today, millions of dollars in inventory pass through those gates every single day. The guard shack helps ensure those products arrive safely, leave correctly, and remain secure while they’re on the property.

One thing I’ve always admired is how experienced guards develop some amazing long term relationships. They begin recognizing drivers by name. Remember how we mentioned their the first contact? Things like “Morning, Nelson. Back with another produce load?” or “Good to see you again, Cindy.” And “Hey John, Door 22 is ready for you.” Those conversations may only last thirty seconds, but they build trust. The driver knows they’re welcome. And the guard knows who belongs on the property. And when something doesn’t seem right, experienced guards notice it immediately. That’s professionalism developed through experience.

If you’re looking for a career in warehousing or transportation, don’t overlook the guard shack. You’ll learn shipping paperwork. Transportation terminology. Appointment scheduling. Trailer identification and develop some great communication skills. And we’ll learn a lot about customer service, problem solving, computer systems, and radio communication. You’ll work with dispatchers, warehouse supervisors, transportation managers, and security personnel every day. I know many transportation coordinators, dispatchers, and operations supervisors that began their careers in positions just like this. I’ve learned to never let the size of the building fool you. Some of the biggest careers begin in the smallest offices.

As we wrap up today’s episode, I’d like you to think about something. Tomorrow morning, when you drive into work, take a second look at that guard shack. Think about every truck that will arrive today. Every visitor, contractor, and vendor that will sign in. And how many trailer seals that’ll be verified and the number of loads that’s documented and how many questions there are to be answered and how many potential problem that’s caught before they reach the dock. Smile at your guard as you drive through, maybe even bring him or her a donut and thank them for what they do.

Our forklifts may move the freight. The warehouse may process the orders. The transportation department may deliver the products. But before any of that happens, someone in that little guard shack quietly makes sure the day starts the right way. It may be the smallest building on the property, but it protects one of the biggest operations.

Until next time, remember that every position in warehousing, manufacturing, distribution, and transportation has value. Learn something new every day, respect every role you encounter, and never stop building your career one opportunity at a time.

Y’all be safe out there, someone is waiting on, and depending on us after our shift.