Many yard operations still run on spreadsheets, radios, and whiteboards. Did we just make you feel like you stepped back in time?
No, it is not 1999. It’s an outdated status quo that would be unacceptable in any other part of the supply chain.
But in the yard? Flying blind is normal. It shouldn't be.
Manual Processes in Enterprise Yard Operations Create Major Blind Spots
When yard operations rely on clipboards, sticky notes, or radio calls to coordinate trailer movements, it’s nearly impossible to know what’s actually happening in real time. Spreadsheets don’t update themselves and there is room for human error. Whiteboards can’t scale. A radio doesn’t generate an audit trail.
This lack of visibility leads to:
It’s like driving a truck without a dashboard. You’re moving, but you have no view of your speed, fuel, or warning lights. Yard teams are forced to make decisions without necessary information. Leadership has no visibility into what’s working or what’s broken.
The result of lack of visibility and operational clarity? A critical part of the supply chain is left unmanaged and under-optimized.
Real-World Example
Imagine this (in reality, this is probably a scenario you’ve lived):
A trailer arrives early at your yard, carrying cold inventory for a retailer, with a very short window to unload. At this manually operated site, there isn’t an automated or tech-enabled check-in process. Check-ins and check-outs are handwritten in a log. The trailer arrives, and no one marks it as a priority or communicates the early arrival to the right team.
3 hours pass. The high-priority trailer? No one knows that it’s parked in the back corner.
The customer calls to check on it. The yard is left scrambling!
What happened?
There was no real-time visibility into trailer arrivals or statuses. No streamlined technology to flag high-priority loads or track trailer location once inside the yard. No operational clarity around who’s responsible for what or when.
By the time the trailer is found and moved to a dock, the window to unload has been missed. This results in penalties and reputational damage. The customer is not happy.
With an effective yard operating system in place, that trailer would have been flagged at check-in, flagged as a priority, dispatched to a driver right away, and tracked in real time.
Technology for Enterprise Yard Operations Can Help, If Used Correctly
Adding trailer tracking sensors or gate management apps offers snippets into specific parts of the yard, but without integration and strong connectivity, operation systems become more fragmented and difficult to manage.
Technology can help bring clarity, but only if it’s designed to work with your operation and workflows, not just around your operation.
The real opportunity lies in seamless connectivity: trailer locations, driver activity, dock availability, load statuses, and more. That’s where operational clarity begins.
Don’t Be Mistaken - Technology Alone Won’t Solve the Problem in Enteprise Yard Operations
Tools thrown into the mix of yard operations won’t fix foundational problems, especially in complex enterprise yards.
Visibility isn’t a feature within a YMS. It’s the outcome of a well-built yard operating system.
A yard operating system is not software. It’s a framework designed to optimize yard operations through technology-enabled insights, focusing on people and processes at the forefront.
YMX OS is built for precisely that:
Don’t normalize flying blind. It’s an operational liability. From disconnected tools and manual chaos to integrated systems and continuous improvement, YMX is redefining how yard operations look.