Cross-docking is a practice in logistics of unloading materials from an incoming truck trailer or rail car and loading these materials in outbound trailers or rail cars. This may be done to change type of conveyance, or to sort material intended for different destinations, or to combine material from different origins. In purest form this is done directly, with minimal or no warehousing.

In practice many "cross-docking" operations require large staging areas where inbound mateials are sorted, consolidated, and stored until the outbound shipment is complete and ready to ship. If the staging takes hours or a day the operation is usually referred to as a "cross-dock" distribution centre. If it takes several days or even weeks the operation is usually considered a warehouse.

The four basic functions involved are Receiving, Storage, Picking and Delivery.

Cross docking results in cost deduction - it allows logistics costs by increasing the utilisation of transport modes and reducing the stock (goods are delivered in accordance with a recipient's current needs).