[Animats]

> It's actually strange that we don't seem to have any system for just dropping containers at the destination until the contents have been processed.

There are big forklifts for taking containers off trucks and stacking them. Some recipients buy in bulk, store for later use, and stack their own containers. But most distribution centers want to get the contents into pickable inventory and start selling it.

The US military does a lot of container stacking, because they want reserves, not a "just in time" supply chain. "Moving Mountains", by Gen. Gus Petronis, covers this. He handled logistics for the Gulf War.

[Animats]

Another common solution is to have the driver park and leave the container and chassis. Long-haul driver and tractor leave. Local movement is done with a "terminal tractor" or "yard goat", a mini tractor built for short trips. Those have a tight turning radius, good visibility, and low speed.[1] Like most buffering systems, it adds latency and consumes buffer space, while allowing more backlog.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V_b2Rqe4Ug