Every warehouse or distribution centre needs an effective system that accurately monitors the movement of trucks and trailers within the yard. The question is, how effective is your system or is time and money being wasted unnecessarily? Here are some typical warning signs of an operation that is not functioning at optimal levels.
1: You don’t seem to have enough yard drivers
Unless your business is really flourishing and orders are steadily increasing, this is most likely a sign that your operation needs to be optimised to be more efficient. Typically, the largest expense in yard management is yard driver productivity and improving this should be a top priority.
2: Your yard checks are taking too long
If you are using a manual system, this usually involves doing several yard checks per day and entering this information into a spreadsheet. This is very time and labour intensive and the information has to be constantly updated. An automated system cuts down on this and gives up-to-the minute updates, keeping track of trailer inventory.
3: Late deliveries are common
If a driver has to wait for the warehouse employees to live-load the trailer before departing, this could cause severe delays and late deliveries. With a drop trailer program, a driver drops off an empty trailer and hooks up a preloaded one. Adopting this method ensures that the value chain remains uninterrupted avoiding delays and increasing productivity. This system requires a properly managed yard to ensure streamlined deliveries.
4: Dock staff are often waiting for available trailers
The most important aspect to a distribution business is streamlining throughput and ensuring that yard drivers prioritise the most urgent tasks and stock is not left standing. An effective yard management software system automatically notifies you when trailers become available for loading.
If any of these describe your business, there are effective management software solutions available to step up productivity in your yard.
Logistics management software for yard efficiency
These systems monitor the flow of goods in the supply chain process and can improve yard productivity by as much as 30% through:
- Accurate tracking and improved visibility of inventory within the yard.
- Quickly determining and prioritising tasks for yard drivers as they become available.
- Transport software technologies that monitor and optimise routes, and combine deliveries where possible, increasing on-time deliveries.
- Seamless communication throughout the process.
Dovetail has the Management Software Solutions You Need!