Share this aricle
Follow us on Linkedin
“Hey, where do you want this trailer?”
A question asked altogether too often, with an estimated three million tractor trailers, and 250,000 warehouse properties around the US, the impact of this recurring question is not insignificant. This is often the first bottleneck in the process, and a surprising one at that, especially to a driver who may have had to request an appointment time in advance of his arrival. Many of us have experienced this feeling after arriving somewhere that was expecting you, yet upon arrival you find yourself asking “Ok….Now what?”.
Modern supply chains are a lot like a relay race, and in a relay race the efficient handoff of the baton from one runner to the next is equally as important as the speed of an individual runner. Even with fast transport and streamlined warehousing, inefficient yard operations can create bottlenecks that stall the entire supply chain. That’s where a Yard Management System (YMS) makes the difference—this post looks at how it brings clarity and efficiency to key moments like assigning doors or directing drivers once inside the yard.
The problem: Where communication breaks down.
Breakdowns in communication with third-party drivers especially are bound to happen even at well-run facilities.
Here are some of the top issues commonly seen:
- Drivers get through the check-in but are unsure where to go after that.
- Staging areas are overcrowded, resulting in trucks waiting in even less ideal areas
- Dock doors aren’t available at the time the driver arrives
- Your workers are wasting time locating drivers or having to provide instructions repeatedly.
In a lot of cases, it starts off as just one of these issues, but the lost time is never recouped, and it ends up spiraling into all these issues which cost time and raises your team’s collective stress.
The solution: Real-time driver instructions via YMS.
How:
- Seamless Check-in process: During the check-in the system is notified of the arrival which activates a workflow for your team and collects pertinent information from the driver.
- Scenario specific instructions: The system can consider what staging areas or dock doors are available, alongside what the standard set of steps that must be completed for the combination of truck type, products and loading or unloading operations.
Driver communication is a necessary part of the yard operations, but in 2025 it doesn’t have to mean someone physically tracking down the driver to let them know where to go.
Benefits.
Implementing Westernacher’s We Yard enables you to communicate with drivers to overcome communication hurdles and unleash value in your operations:
- Operational efficiency
- Reduced congestion and idle times throughout the yard be eliminating the need to ask the “where should this truck go?” question
- Real-time communication
- Dynamic SMS updates ensure drivers know where to go next, even when the plan changes after check in
- Improved labor allocation
- Yard staff is spending less time on directing traffic and communicating to drivers face to face
- Better visibility
- Real time insights into the flow of your yard operations and any bottlenecks
- Driver experience
If your supply chain is being bogged down by that infamous question every time a truck arrives at your facilities, then please reach out to Westernacher to discover how that can be a problem of the past.
