Improving yard management

Sept. 1, 2007
While congestion is increasing on American highways, trucking companies also face traffic jams much closer to home in their terminal yards. Finding and minding all the trailers moving in and out of yards these days is a laborious task. But if done accurately, it can save time and money for fleets. A new version of WhereNet Corp.'s tracking system WhereSoft Yard version 5.0 was specifically developed

While congestion is increasing on American highways, trucking companies also face traffic jams much closer to home — in their terminal yards. Finding and minding all the trailers moving in and out of yards these days is a laborious task. But if done accurately, it can save time and money for fleets.

A new version of WhereNet Corp.'s tracking system — WhereSoft Yard version 5.0 — was specifically developed to improve management of medium-to-large trucking terminal yards, according to the company.

“Most of our yard operations are now on ‘auto pilot’ thanks to it,” says Jim Gordon, director of industrial engineering and systems distribution for carpet maker Shaw Industries. The company installed WhereNet Yard at its main 79-acre distribution site in Dalton, GA, along with two supporting centers.

Better management of the more than 500,000 shipments from these facilities annually has helped Shaw increased yard velocity and capacity, improve equipment utilization and door turns, reduce transportation expenses by selecting the right trailers for outbound routes based on negotiated carrier rates, decrease manual yard checks, and create automatic email notification to carriers, resulting in more effective onsite equipment management.

“We have configurable execution rules to ensure that the right trailers are brought to the right dock doors at the right time,” he says. “By automating business processes and increasing throughput, we have already realized a complete return on our investment in less than one year, and plan to implement WhereSoft Yard in at least three more distribution facilities this year.”

Steve Raymond, vp-consulting services for WhereNet, says that the company's yard management product can function effectively without using a real time location system (RTLS) based on radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. “However, when the environment dictates precise asset location as a requirement for delivering the optimal solution, we can provide a solution architecture that combines WhereSoft Yard and RTLS to get the job done, particularly for large yards,” he says.

Key functions within the system help speed up trailer flow within the yard, according to Raymond. For example, the system's “directed assignment” mode automatically assigns moves to specific drivers based on move priority, driver status, and driver location relative to the trailer that needs to be moved. This helps minimize travel distance and increase dock door turns, thereby boosting overall yard capacity, he says.

About the Author

Sean Kilcarr | Editor in Chief

Sean reports and comments on trends affecting the many different strata of the trucking industry -- light and medium duty fleets up through over-the-road truckload, less-than-truckload, and private fleet operations Also be sure to visit Sean's blog Trucks at Work where he offers analysis on a variety of different topics inside the trucking industry.

Sponsored Recommendations

Tackling the Tech Shortage: Lessons in Recruiting Talent and Reducing Turnover

Discover innovative strategies for recruiting and retaining tech talent in the trucking industry at our April 16th webinar, where experts will share insights on competitive pay...

Stop Sweating Temperature Excursions

Advanced chemical indicators give you the peace of mind that comes from reliable insights into your supply chains. Compromised shipments can be identified the moment they arrive...

Stop Sweating Temperature Excursions

Advanced chemical indicators give you the peace of mind that comes from reliable insights into your supply chains. Compromised shipments can be identified the moment they arrive...

How Electric Vehicles Help You Prolong the Life of Your Fleet

Before adopting electric vehicles for commercial/government fleets, prioritize cost inquiries. Maintenance is essential; understand the upkeep of EV fleets. Here’s what you need...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of FleetOwner, create an account today!