YMS UPDATE
engine moves the yard while highlighting exceptions, notifying users of potential cost-causing issues before they happen. YMS also offers AI Eagle Vision, a fully autonomous AI gate entry software that covers everything from data capture to driver check-in and check-out—saving an average of $400,000 annually. No More Hunting for Trailers A common theme among YMS’s new clients is that “they come to us because they’re bleeding money but can’t tell where it’s happening,” Mans eld says. Michelin, a YMS client, saved $450,000 at one site in their rst year with the company’s software, Mans eld says. In addition, Michelin’s yard drivers stopped doing extra moves hunting for trailers because the YMS told them exactly where to go. The result was a 50% reduction in jockey driver travel distance, driving up ef ciency and driving down emissions. Another YMS client, BGDC Distribution, a 3PL, serves a leading grocery company. BGDC had a carrier come to their yard, pick up a trailer of meat for the grocery, and then travel from Georgia to Virginia—where it was discovered that the load had spoiled. The carrier blamed BGDC, but by using the YMS tools, BGDC could demonstrate that the trailer had been set to the right temperature and in
good shape when it left the yard. The importance of that kind of veri able, precise data to a company’s reputation can be incalculable, Mans eld says. The YMS platform also lets the customer build their business rules in the product. For instance, a customer might say that any reefer that arrives below temperature needs to be agged and routed to a particular bay and then a certain staff member needs to be alerted via text. “Those sorts of details really matter,” Mans eld says. “No two yards run the same way. You usually either have to bend your operation to t software, or you have to pay for custom development and wait. In our case, we hand the customer the keys because we’re big fans of empowering our customers to get done what they need to get done.” YMX LOGISTICS: A Holistic Approach to Optimization YMX Logistics’ proprietary Yard Operating System is designed to deliver the highest level of service and optimize yard operations through technology and AI-enabled insights and execution. It seeks to bring the sophistication seen in warehouse management to yard management. “The thesis of what we’re doing— and what the Yard Operating System
YMS TECH EVOLVES Over the past several years, Yard
Management Solutions’ Colin Mansfield has observed several key evolutions in how shippers employ and view yard management tech solutions. One is that it has gone from a single site project to more of an enterprise program. Instead of one location looking to improve its operations, “now we see a lot more corporate initiatives where they look to standardize on a single platform and roll it out,” he says. A second major change is a shift from an emphasis by shippers on visibility to execution, looking to technology not just to provide a clear view on operations but to help with how to respond to that view. Similarly, Derek Pedersen of Kaleris says a major shift in the field is that organizations no longer want a YMS that only manages what happens inside the fence line—they want visibility into what’s coming next. “Historically, YMS solutions were focused on tracking trailers, automating gate processes, and improving yard execution,” Pedersen says. “Today, customers expect their YMS to become part of a broader operational ecosystem that provides upstream and downstream visibility across the supply chain.” If an inbound container is arriving through a port, a railcar is moving toward a facility, or a transportation event will impact yard operations tomorrow, organizations want that information available today so they can plan proactively. “Ultimately, customers are asking how they can make better decisions before a problem reaches their facility,” Pedersen says. “That’s where we’re seeing the market move.” AI also has transformed from a marketing term into a genuine interest area. “A few years ago, customers were asking things like, ‘Do you have AI in your system?’ But now we’re being asked to provide predictive analytics. ‘What models are we using? How will it help their bottom line?’” Mansfield says. “That frankly is a much better conversation,” he adds, “and it favors companies who are constantly building and iterating.”
Yard Management Solutions’ YMS includes Eagle View, a digital twin of the yard that gives a live, top-down map of the facility. It also oers a fully autonomous AI gate entry software.
86 Inbound Logistics • September 2026
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