Warehouse security guide
What your morning security summary should tell you
Every truck, visitor and patrol from the night, before your first meeting. What to expect, and how to tell a real summary from a status update.
Most warehouse managers get one of two things from their security company: nothing, or a wall of texts. Neither tells you in two minutes whether last night went right.
Here's what a morning summary should cover, what a useful one looks like next to a useless one, and how to grade the one you get now.
What a morning summary should cover.
- It arrives on time. In your inbox before your first meeting, every day, weekends included.
- Every truck in and out. With times, and any truck that didn't match your records called out, with what happened next.
- Every visitor. Who came, who they saw, when they signed in and when they left.
- Patrol times by area. When the fence line, the trailer rows and the docks were walked. A missed round stands out.
- Anything unusual. A door found open, a seal that didn't match, a trailer moved, a light out.
- Incidents, with the report. Written the same shift and locked, ready to forward to your insurer or customer.
- What needs you today. The short list of things to follow up on, so nothing sits until next week.
A status update vs a summary you can use.
All secure. No incidents. Officer on duty all night.
Nothing you can check, nothing you can hand to anyone. If something went wrong, you'll hear about it from your customer first.
Trucks14 in, 12 out. Every one checked against your records.
Didn't match1 truck at 11:40 PM. Pulled over, not released until your dispatch confirmed.
Visitors3 signed in and out. Last one left at 8:15 PM.
Patrols9 rounds, every area. Last round 5:45 AM.
UnusualDoor 14 found open at 2:10 AM. Closed and noted.
IncidentsNone.
For todayLight out over the trailer row.
Example entries. Your summary is built around your site.
Hourly texts, a summary, or a live view?
| What it covers | Hourly check-ins | Morning summary | Live view and summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tells you what happened overnight | Scattered texts | Yes | Yes |
| Readable in two minutes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Trucks checked against your records | No | Yes | Yes |
| See it as it happens | If you read every text | No | Yes |
| Something to hand your boss or insurer | No | Yes | Yes |
Why the morning matters.
A problem you find at 7 AM can still be fixed. The trailer may still be in the yard. The carrier can still be called. The door can be checked before the next shift.
A problem you find on Friday from a weekly report is a claim. That's the difference a morning summary makes.
Grade your current summary.
Five questions. Answer each one.
01 Does it arrive before your first meeting, every day?
02 Does it list every truck in and out?
03 Does it call out any truck that didn't match your records?
04 Does it show when each patrol happened?
05 Does it include incident reports you can forward?
Answer the five questions.
Your night on record, in your inbox by morning.
With Galaxy, every truck, visitor and patrol goes on record as it happens. You can watch it live, and a summary of the night is in your inbox before your first meeting.
- 7:00 AM Night summary In your inbox
- 11:05 PM Truck out Matches the approved trailer On its way
- 10:40 PM Visitor Signed out
- 10:12 PM Truck in Doesn't match your records Pulled over
- 9:58 PM Visitor Signed in
- 9:41 PM Truck in Matches your records Let in
Trucks logged in
Checked against the records you give us. Matches go in. The rest get pulled over.
Visitors signed in and out
You know who is on site, and when they left.
Live, any time
Watch it as it happens, from your phone or laptop.
A morning summary
The night, in your inbox before your first meeting.
Incidents on record
Written up and locked, ready for your insurer.
The owner on the line
A direct line to the owner. Not a call center.
Questions managers ask.
What should a security guard's shift report include?
Every truck and visitor in and out with times, any truck that didn't match your records and what happened, patrol times by area, anything unusual, and any incident written up and locked.
Is a daily activity report (DAR) the same as a morning summary?
Often not. A daily activity report is usually the officer's own notes, sent whenever the shift ends. A morning summary pulls the whole night into one short read that arrives at a set time, before your day starts.
How often should a security company report to a warehouse manager?
A summary every morning, a live view whenever you want to look, and a call right away when something serious happens. Weekly reports are too late to act on.
What if something serious happens overnight?
You shouldn't have to wait for the summary. A good security company calls you as it happens, then puts the full report in the summary.
What is a Blind Spot Hunt?
A free walk of your gate, yard and docks with Galaxy. You keep a written Blind Spot Report: every blind spot, the top three fixes and draft post orders, even if you never hire us.
Show us your operation.
We'll walk it with you, hunt down every blind spot and show you what you'd see live.
- Every blind spot, handoff by handoff
- Ready to hand to your boss, a customer or your insurer
- Yours to keep, even if you never hire us
- Prefer to pick a time?Book on our calendar
- Rather talk now?Call (888) 304-2529
Galaxy takes on a limited number of new clients at a time. Each site needs vetting and site-specific training.
Logistics + manufacturing security ยท PPO #120873
Not ready to talk? Score your site first.
Ten questions, two minutes. See where your gate, yard, docks, seals and nights stand, handoff by handoff. No call needed.
Take the Gate Scorecard- GateOn record
- YardPartly
- DockPartly
- SealSlipping
- After hoursPartly