In simplest terms, cross docking is a process of receiving products through an inbound dock; then unloading, sorting, and transferring the consolidated/re-palletized loads to an outbound transportation dock.  The key attribute is having very minimal handling and/or storage time.  It is an ideal process for anything that needs to be transported quickly (e.g. temperature-sensitive cargo) or to collect loads from multiple manufacturers to consolidate and ship to their singular point of sale.