5.0 Receive-Ready Trailers - Partner Portal (2024)

5.0 Receive-Ready Trailers

5.1 Trailer Requirements – Truckload (TL) and Less‐than‐Truckload (LTL)

• Applicable to Truckload and LTL.This section does not pertain to parcel delivery through the Courier Door.
  • Truckload (TL) = A loaded, over-the-road (or intermodal) trailer that retains an intact shipper-applied seal all the way through arrival inspection at the Best Buy Guard House.
  • Less-than-truckload (LTL) = Mode of transport that runs on a “hub and spoke” operational network of interconnected of terminals (as well as long-and-short haul trailers) meant to transport small freight.
• Only Best Buy compliant trailers will be accepted. Trailers must be either Dry Vans or Containers of standard length. Refrigerated, Lowboy, Flatbed, Conestoga, Lift-Gate, or any other trailer types are not compliant and will be refused.
• For both TL and LTL, trailers must meet the following qualifications:
  • Swing doors or Rollup doors (No lift-gates)
  • ICC Bumper Bar
  • Trailer cannot contain a pintle hook (also known as a tow or pintle hitch), or anything that will obstruct dock locks from appropriately engaging the ICC bumper.
  • Inside trailer height must be at least 100 inches
  • Trailer bed floor must be:
    • Between 46-to-52 inches high (from the ground).
    • Free of debris, damage, and no protruding nails.
• Other than product classified as ORM-D, no hazardous material should be on a delivering trailer.

5.2 "Receive-Ready" Trailer-Loading

• Do not ship loose floor-loaded product.
• Shipping configuration must be either palletized or approved bundles. [Reference 4.0]

5.2.1 Product Order

• At the tail-end of the trailer, destination (and if multi-stop delivery order) specific product must be immediately accessible for unload. If other product breaks up the continuous (destination-specific) product order, any nonaccessible product (discontinuous in order, or non-like destination top-stacking) is present, Best Buy may consider the remainder of the trailer’s contents unfit for receiving, potentially resulting in documented shortage.
• Avoid stacking non-like-PO product on top of each other.
• From the tail-end and up through the nose-end of the trailer, product adjacencies need to be in-order grouped:
  • First by Like-Logistical Unit (Pallets vs. Floor-loaded Bundles). If trailer is to be loaded with a mix of logistical units, load palletized product in the nose-end of the trailer and afterwards load floor-loaded bundles.
  • Next by Like-PO (Purchase Order) Number.
  • Lastly by Like-Model/UPC.
• The two trailer-loading examples below have proper product adjacencies.

5.2.2 On-Trailer Location of Documents

• When building Truckload trailers, and if packing slips are not at the pallet-level, Packing Slips (and applicable documentation) must be immediately visible at the tail-end of the trailer, with the following trailer-loading methodology:

• When shipping via LTL, vendors/shippers should position all Packing Slips, at least one of the Shipping Labels, and any applicable “Mixed Pallet” placards along one of the short (40”) sides of each pallet.
• When building LTL trailers, the (pallet-level) Packing Slips side of each pallet should face towards the tail-end of the trailer, with the following trailer-loading methodology:

5.2.3 Product Orientation & Spacing

• On each pallet (or individual floor-loaded logistical unit), at least one shipping label must face towards the tail-end.
• For floor-loaded and/or bundled product:
  • Immediate no-touch/quick-clamp product orientation needs to exist all throughout the trailer.
  • Wall-to-wall (left-to-right, and through the entire length of the trailer) loaded product must have a minimum of 3 inches of space.
  • Without required space, undue risk of product damage and excessive labor/detention can result.
• For palletized product:
  • Without need of repositioning, pallet-orientation must allow immediate forklift access for ease of offloading.
  • Without this, safety risk to BBY employees (manual repositioning) and undue risk of product damage is incurred.
• Shipments may not be separated vertically by dividers.
• Securement (such as load straps, airbags, etc.) should be made with considerations to mode of transit, navigating high-altitudes (ex: appropriateness of airbags), and specific product handling requirements. Nailing securement into the floor of a trailer is not permitted. Of note, Best Buy is not liable to return trailer securement back to vendors.
• Required vertical trailer clearance between the product and the top of the trailer:
  • Swing Door Trailers = At least 4 inches of clearance. TVs shipments require 8 inches of clearance.[Reference 8.4]
  • Roll Door Trailers = At least 10 inches of clearance.