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Driver Check-In, Seal Verification, and Gate Control

Gate and driver management procedure covering the single controlled entry point for carriers, identity and appointment verification before a trailer comes on site, inbound seal verification against the shipping paperwork with a seven-point trailer inspection where the facility performs one, seal removal witnessed and recorded, the driver waiting area and the rule that drivers do not walk the warehouse, outbound seal application and recording on the bill of lading, controlled seal stock with a numbered issue log, and the discrepancy stop-and-escalate rule that applies the moment a seal number does not match.

Audience
The gate or guard staff, the dock and shipping supervisors, the receiving and shipping clerks who verify and apply seals, the yard spotter, and every carrier driver entering the site
Review cycle
semiannual
Last reviewed
2026-08-29
Revision
1

What is in the procedure

8 sections. Regulatory language is fixed and passes through verbatim. Sections marked customized get rewritten around your facility, your equipment, and your job titles.

  1. 01

    Purpose

    Fixed

    This procedure controls the gate: who and what comes onto this site, what is verified before a trailer is worked, and how the integrity of a sealed load is established on arrival and preserved on departure.

  2. 02

    Scope

    Customized

    This procedure applies to every carrier arrival and departure at this site: inbound loaded trailers and containers, outbound loaded trailers and containers, empty trailer drops and pulls, parcel and courier vehicles...

  3. 03

    Responsibilities

    Customized

    The gate or guard staff verify identity, check the appointment and paperwork, record the arrival, verify and record the seal on an inbound loaded trailer, issue the driver badge and the site rules, and direct the driver...

  4. 04

    Procedure: Arrival, Identity, Appointment, and Paperwork

    Customized

    1. Every vehicle enters through the single designated entry point.

  5. 05

    Procedure: Inbound Seal Verification, Trailer Inspection, and Seal Removal

    Customized

    1. An inbound loaded trailer or container arriving sealed is checked at the gate before it is spotted at a door.

  6. 06

    Procedure: Driver Conduct, the Waiting Area, and Trailer Control at the Dock

    Customized

    1. Drivers do not enter the warehouse. This is the single rule that most reduces pedestrian risk and cargo exposure at a dock, and it holds for the regular driver everyone knows as much as for a stranger.

  7. 07

    Procedure: Outbound Sealing, Documentation, and Seal Stock Control

    Customized

    1. A loaded outbound trailer is sealed before it leaves the door, by the named authorized person, immediately after the load is verified complete and the doors are closed.

  8. 08

    References

    Fixed

    The gate log recording every arrival and departure with driver, carrier, tractor, trailer or container, seal numbers, and times.

Best practice

Driver Check-In, Seal Verification, and Gate Control: no regulation to cite

No public-domain regulation governs this procedure, so it cites nothing rather than inventing authority. It documents the process discipline customers, insurers, and auditors ask to see in writing.

Compliance checklist

What an inspector looks for

  • Every vehicle entered through the single designated gate, and all other gates were found closed and secured

  • Every arrival on the gate log records driver name verified from photo identification, carrier, tractor, trailer or container number, purpose, and time, and every departure is closed out with a time and the outbound seal number

  • Each arrival was verified against an appointment, tender, pickup number, or matching paperwork before admission, and unmatched arrivals were held at the gate for supervisor confirmation

  • Every driver received the site rules and a badge, wears high-visibility clothing outside the cab, and no driver was found in the warehouse

  • Every inbound sealed trailer had its seal physically checked and its number read and compared to the paperwork before being spotted at a door, with the number recorded on the gate log and the receiving record

  • No trailer with a seal discrepancy or a missing seal was opened; it was held, photographed, and escalated to the supervisor and the customer within the required timeframe

  • Where the facility or a customer requires a trailer or container inspection, it was performed systematically and recorded on the form for that trailer, with anomalies escalated before unloading

  • Seal removal was authorized, witnessed, and recorded with the number, the door, the person, and the time, and the removed seal was retained until the receipt reconciled

  • Empty trailers presented for loading were inspected for cleanliness and structural condition and refused at the gate if unfit

  • Trailers at a door are under dock control with chocks or a restraint applied, and no trailer was moved or released without the dock supervisor's release

  • Every outbound loaded trailer was sealed at the door immediately after load verification, with the seal type the customer requires, and the number recorded on the BOL, the shipping record, and the gate log

  • Seal stock is stored locked, issued by number against a log naming the recipient and shipment, reconciled on the stated cadence with every gap explained, and void seals are recorded and destroyed

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This page is informational and is not legal advice. Have a qualified safety professional review any procedure before it goes into service at your facility.