diff --git a/client/alloc_runner.go b/client/alloc_runner.go
index 54ed06f98cb2..1a396ac058ea 100644
--- a/client/alloc_runner.go
+++ b/client/alloc_runner.go
@@ -921,7 +921,6 @@ func (r *AllocRunner) handleDestroy() {
 	// Final state sync. We do this to ensure that the server has the correct
 	// state as we wait for a destroy.
 	alloc := r.Alloc()
-	r.updater(alloc)
 
 	// Broadcast and persist state synchronously
 	r.sendBroadcast(alloc)
@@ -936,6 +935,11 @@ func (r *AllocRunner) handleDestroy() {
 		r.logger.Printf("[ERR] client: alloc %q unable unmount task directories: %v", r.allocID, err)
 	}
 
+	// Update the server with the alloc's status -- also marks the alloc as
+	// being eligible for GC, so from this point on the alloc can be gc'd
+	// at any time.
+	r.updater(alloc)
+
 	for {
 		select {
 		case <-r.ctx.Done():
diff --git a/client/gc.go b/client/gc.go
index 79ff7cb1a122..7946d36d4db8 100644
--- a/client/gc.go
+++ b/client/gc.go
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ type AllocGarbageCollector struct {
 func NewAllocGarbageCollector(logger *log.Logger, statsCollector stats.NodeStatsCollector, ac AllocCounter, config *GCConfig) *AllocGarbageCollector {
 	// Require at least 1 to make progress
 	if config.ParallelDestroys <= 0 {
-		logger.Printf("[WARN] client: garbage collector defaulting parallism to 1 due to invalid input value of %d", config.ParallelDestroys)
+		logger.Printf("[WARN] client.gc: garbage collector defaulting parallism to 1 due to invalid input value of %d", config.ParallelDestroys)
 		config.ParallelDestroys = 1
 	}
 
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ func (a *AllocGarbageCollector) Run() {
 		select {
 		case <-ticker.C:
 			if err := a.keepUsageBelowThreshold(); err != nil {
-				a.logger.Printf("[ERR] client: error garbage collecting allocation: %v", err)
+				a.logger.Printf("[ERR] client.gc: error garbage collecting allocation: %v", err)
 			}
 		case <-a.shutdownCh:
 			ticker.Stop()
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ func (a *AllocGarbageCollector) keepUsageBelowThreshold() error {
 		// Collect an allocation
 		gcAlloc := a.allocRunners.Pop()
 		if gcAlloc == nil {
-			a.logger.Printf("[WARN] client: garbage collection due to %s skipped because no terminal allocations", reason)
+			a.logger.Printf("[WARN] client.gc: garbage collection due to %s skipped because no terminal allocations", reason)
 			break
 		}
 
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ func (a *AllocGarbageCollector) destroyAllocRunner(ar *AllocRunner, reason strin
 	if alloc := ar.Alloc(); alloc != nil {
 		id = alloc.ID
 	}
-	a.logger.Printf("[INFO] client: garbage collecting allocation %s due to %s", id, reason)
+	a.logger.Printf("[INFO] client.gc: garbage collecting allocation %s due to %s", id, reason)
 
 	// Acquire the destroy lock
 	select {
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ func (a *AllocGarbageCollector) destroyAllocRunner(ar *AllocRunner, reason strin
 	case <-a.shutdownCh:
 	}
 
-	a.logger.Printf("[DEBUG] client: garbage collected %q", ar.Alloc().ID)
+	a.logger.Printf("[DEBUG] client.gc: garbage collected %q", ar.Alloc().ID)
 
 	// Release the lock
 	<-a.destroyCh
@@ -199,6 +199,11 @@ func (a *AllocGarbageCollector) CollectAll() {
 // MakeRoomFor garbage collects enough number of allocations in the terminal
 // state to make room for new allocations
 func (a *AllocGarbageCollector) MakeRoomFor(allocations []*structs.Allocation) error {
+	if len(allocations) == 0 {
+		// Nothing to make room for!
+		return nil
+	}
+
 	// GC allocs until below the max limit + the new allocations
 	max := a.config.MaxAllocs - len(allocations)
 	for a.numAllocs() > max {
diff --git a/client/gc_test.go b/client/gc_test.go
index b09ca3fe5ba3..0db3c8196f75 100644
--- a/client/gc_test.go
+++ b/client/gc_test.go
@@ -310,8 +310,11 @@ func TestAllocGarbageCollector_MakeRoomForAllocations_MaxAllocs(t *testing.T) {
 	defer client.Shutdown()
 	waitTilNodeReady(client, t)
 
+	callN := 0
 	assertAllocs := func(expectedAll, expectedDestroyed int) {
 		// Wait for allocs to be started
+		callN++
+		client.logger.Printf("[TEST] %d -- Waiting for %d total allocs, %d GC'd", callN, expectedAll, expectedDestroyed)
 		testutil.WaitForResult(func() (bool, error) {
 			all, destroyed := 0, 0
 			for _, ar := range client.getAllocRunners() {
@@ -319,14 +322,19 @@ func TestAllocGarbageCollector_MakeRoomForAllocations_MaxAllocs(t *testing.T) {
 				if ar.IsDestroyed() {
 					destroyed++
 				}
+
+				// assert is waiting
+				// 2017/10/26 21:38:01.649166
 			}
 			return all == expectedAll && destroyed == expectedDestroyed, fmt.Errorf(
 				"expected %d allocs (found %d); expected %d destroy (found %d)",
 				expectedAll, all, expectedDestroyed, destroyed,
 			)
 		}, func(err error) {
-			t.Fatalf("alloc state: %v", err)
+			client.logger.Printf("[TEST] %d -- FAILED to find %d total allocs, %d GC'd!", callN, expectedAll, expectedDestroyed)
+			t.Fatalf("%d alloc state: %v", callN, err)
 		})
+		client.logger.Printf("[TEST] %d -- Found %d total allocs, %d GC'd!", callN, expectedAll, expectedDestroyed)
 	}
 
 	// Create a job