Holiday Storms and Parts Availability: What to Stock Before Shipping Cutoffs

Questions and answers

What dates should I ask for?

For each supplier, carrier and broker: the last day for orders to ship before the holidays, the last day for pickup, closure dates and the first day back. Ask for the year’s dates, in writing.

How do I set my last-order date?

Take the earliest supplier cutoff, subtract transit time and a buffer, and set that as the date after which you treat new orders as “after the holidays”. Tell your team.

What should I stock?

• Edges for each truck type, in the quantity you would use in a heavy fortnight, based on your logs.
• Bolts, nuts, washers and pins.
• Shoes and any parts that often fail.
• Hydraulic hoses, fittings and fluid.

What about local alternatives?

Know which local dealers or shops open during the holidays and what they stock. Keep contact details and an after-hours number.

What is the fallback?

Agree in advance what you will do if edges run out: reassign trucks, reduce plow hours on low-priority routes or borrow from a neighbour under a mutual aid arrangement.

Template: holiday readiness sheet

Steps

Holiday availability is decided in autumn, not in December.

1. Send the request for dates in early autumn.
2. Fill in the sheet and set your last-order date.
3. Count stock against your heavy-fortnight need.
4. Order what is missing before the date.
5. Brief the team and post the sheet.

Mutual aid

Agree in advance with a neighbouring depot or contractor how you would share edges in an emergency, and write it down. A short note that says who calls whom and how costs are shared avoids confusion when the time comes.

Boundary: No supplier or carrier holiday date is given; each must be confirmed in writing for the current year.