Putting the Yard First
FOURKITES YMS: CONNECTING ALL CORNERS OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN Yard operations serve as the critical connection point between warehouse operations and transportation networks, requiring the ability to balance well- thought-out plans with seamless adaptation to delays and congestion in the warehouse. Success requires a single execution platform that correlates real-time arrival ETAs with warehouse capacity and yard conditions, enabling synchronized operations across the entire supply chain. Many companies use trailers in the yard as cost-effective storage—cheaper than leasing additional warehouse capacity. When inventory sits in yard trailers, it’s critical that this inventory remains visible and that principles such as rst-in, rst-out (FIFO) can be executed across WMS, ERP planning systems, and yard operations. By eliminating blind spots between warehouse and transportation systems through AI-powered automation, ef cient yard operations reduce detention costs, improve dock utilization, and enable better inventory management. “This represents one of the best opportunities for meaningful return on investment—a critical reason to act given the yard’s role as the pacing item in the cash-to-available cycle,” says Dyke at FourKites. IDENTIFYING RED FLAGS How do you know it’s time for a better yard management system? There will be signs, Dyke notes. Key indicators of dock underperformance include high team turnover and unplanned overtime caused by appointments running longer than scheduled. Missed appointments also have an impact, as high driver dwell times ripple through the entire operation. Another red ag is dif culty understanding which dock doors are
ef ciency via increased visibility and process optimization. Implementing a YMS can address rising operational costs and detention charges, which are signals that there is room for improvement through increased visibility and process optimization. Yard management technology is often overlooked compared to warehouse or transportation management systems; it plays a critical role in streamlining operations between the two. Limited YMS functionality may be a feature from some WMS providers or as a third-party application from an independent vendor. The YMS can be the fulcrum to unify warehouse and transportation yard management systems to deliver substantial operational and nancial bene ts. A YMS can transform your yard from a source of frustration into a competitive advantage for cost savings and supply chain visibility. Here are exclusive insights from some leading YMS providers that offer solutions incorporating the latest technological advances to help drive ef ciency and service innovations to meet ongoing supply chain challenges. Quick Tip Are you satisfied with how your yard operates? If you still use spreadsheets, clipboards, and radio to keep track of what’s going on, you’re missing out on the benefits of a yard management system. The YMS can serve as a link between what happens in the warehouse and what happens outside the gate, improving e ciency and keeping assets on schedule.
available or about to be freed up, leading to inef cient resource allocation. “Short-term solutions can address delays at dock doors by segregating doors by product type, while longer- term solutions can optimize schedules based on real-world timing with a uni ed platform,” Dyke says. ENABLING A SEAMLESS FLOW OF INFORMATION A yard management system should create seamless information ow between transportation management systems and warehouse management systems. Integration should enable automatic updates—when a trailer arrives (identi ed through computer vision or sensors), the scheduling system con rms the appointment, and the warehouse management system gets updated automatically. Automated processes eliminate manual handoffs and phone calls. “The integration should also leverage real-time transportation visibility data to anticipate arrivals and adjust yard priorities dynamically based on actual ETAs rather than scheduled times,” Dyke says. YIELDING MEASURABLE RESULTS Recent FourKites Dynamic Yard deployments highlight the value of putting the yard rst. Kimberly-Clark fully digitized its yard orchestration and reduced detention fees by 52%—a $448,000 savings— and reduced the number of trailers entering detention by 20%. Even more exciting, Kimberly-Clark achieved these impressive results in just 30 days. “We can set up the shipping coordinators to know when a trailer requires immediate attention with alerts that allow them to be more proactive in avoiding detention altogether,” says Taylor Rotella, strategy and analytics manager, Kimberly-Clark. Facing $2.69 million in annual detention charges, building technology and energy solutions company Trane
80 Inbound Logistics • September 2025
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