Peak demand seasons pose unique logistics and supply chain challenges. During high-demand periods, such as the holiday season, end-of-quarter surges, or special promotional events, supply chain pressure reaches the yard, and yard operations are stretched to their limits.
This leads to a massive influx of trucks, trailers, and products coming and leaving every hour. This is when ensuring smooth yard operations becomes crucial for overall supply chain success during peak seasons.
Effective yard management during peak seasons involves more than organizing vehicles and warehouse assets and their movements. It requires timely strategic planning, real-time visibility, streamlined communication, and adaptive technology, all working together at their best game during peak demand.
This article will discuss actionable strategies for optimizing yard management during peak seasons, increasing efficiency, and handling high demand with minimal disruption.
1. Forecasting Demand and Preparing in Advance
Knowing what to expect is the first step to preparation. This can be done via reliable demand forecasting of the volumes at the warehouse level. The demand forecasting, logistics, and warehouse teams should work closely in daily and weekly time buckets to forecast volumes. For this, the teams should:
1.1 Analyze Historical Data
Analyzing historical data is one of the first steps to effective yard management during peak seasons. Yard managers can make better-informed decisions by working closely with demand planners and understanding past volume patterns. They can also create yard-level details of arrival rates, docking delays, and yard congestion in the past comparable peak periods. They can identify peak hours, high-demand days, and typical bottlenecks in their yard. This data is invaluable for preparing resources and the workforce to handle expected surges.
1.2 Building Flexible Schedules
Once the forecast has been created, the yard managers must develop flexible schedules based on forecasted demand for their yard teams, drivers, and loading/unloading equipment. They must plan for additional workforce on standby and add or extend shifts if necessary. During high-demand periods, unpredictable delays can create backlogs that can take days to clear and normalize. Flexibility in scheduling helps accommodate these unexpected demands without severely impacting the yard's overall efficiency.
2. Strategic Yard Layout Planning
The next step is to prepare and optimize the yard layout to handle surges during peak demand periods. For this, the yard managers must:
2.1 Maximize Space Utilization
Yard layout plays a crucial role in managing congestion and optimizing vehicle movement. Maximizing space utilization without causing blockages or delays is essential during peak demand. Evaluate the current yard layout to identify areas that can be reconfigured or repurposed, even temporarily, for the peak season. For example, consider implementing additional temporary storage zones or staging areas.
2.2 Designated Staging Areas
Assign specific staging areas for trailers based on load priority, shipping times, and specific customer requirements. Organizing trailers in designated zones can reduce movement time and ensure that high-priority loads are accessible. This approach minimizes time spent searching for specific trailers and allows your team to locate them quickly.
3. Efficient Dock Scheduling and Management
Once the yard is prepared, the next step is to get your dock ready. For this, the following steps can be helpful:
3.1 Prepare Staggered Dock Assignments
During peak seasons, the docking process can become a bottleneck that can even derail your preparations in the yard. Implement staggered dock assignments to prevent overcrowding and ensure a continuous flow of loading and unloading operations. You can better manage peak-hour congestion and reduce waiting times by systematically controlling when each truck arrives at the dock, along with the planned loading/unloading time.
3.2 Prioritizing High-Demand Loads
Establish a prioritization system for high-demand loads or time-sensitive deliveries to further streamline dock operations. This can be done by first identifying high-priority shipments and ensuring they are allocated dock slots. Many companies use color-coded tags or digital labels (in YMS) to indicate priority, which helps yard operators quickly identify urgent loads.
4. Implementing Real-Time Yard Management Systems (YMS)
Setting up the yard and the dock is an excellent part of the preparation to handle the peak demand. Still, it can only be done correctly when the technology is leveraged to support the execution. There are multiple ways in which the YMS can help, including:
4.1 Real-Time Tracking
A yard management system (YMS) can greatly improve the yard's visibility and operations during peak seasons. A YMS provides real-time visibility into yard activities, like vehicle locations and dock availability. It can also alert the yard managers about any unplanned actions and help them manage priorities on the go, drastically reducing unnecessary wait times for drivers.
4.2 Automated Gate Management
Automating the gate check-in/check-out process with a YMS ensures smooth vehicle entry and exit. By integrating digital check-in kiosks, automated gate management reduces paperwork, speeds up processing times, and minimizes human error. During peak seasons, an automated system helps reduce bottlenecks at the entry points.
4.3 Appointment Scheduling and Prioritization
Modern YMS platforms have appointment scheduling features, allowing suppliers and carriers to book specific times for pick-ups and drop-offs. This helps balance the workload throughout the day, preventing congestion and ensuring a steady flow of vehicles. During peak times, prioritize critical shipments and allocate resources accordingly.
4.4 IoT and GPS Tracking for Trailers
Using IoT and GPS tracking devices on trailers provides real-time data on the location and movement of assets within the yard. This technology enables yard managers to track trailers, monitor idle times, and respond swiftly to delays. GPS tracking is especially useful during high-demand periods when vehicles are more likely to be misplaced or face longer idle times.
4.5 Automated Alerts for Critical Events
YMS can help with automated alerts for critical events such as missed dock appointments, unexpected delays, or low inventory levels in the yard. These alerts allow managers to take immediate action, minimizing disruptions. For instance, if a trailer remains idle for an extended period, an alert can notify the manager to reassign it to an available dock.
4.6 Better Communication with Carriers and Drivers
Effective communication with carriers and drivers is essential for managing yard operations during peak times. Before they arrive, share arrival instructions, gate codes, and assigned docking areas with drivers. Pre-arrival coordination can help drivers prepare for entry, reducing wait times at the gate and enabling smoother yard operations.
5. Optimizing Yard Equipment and Resource Allocation
Managing the yard operations during the peak season requires the best efficiency levels from all parts of the yard. Hence, there are a few actions that the yard managers can take to make the process smooth, like:
5.1 Assigning Dedicated Yard Jockeys
Assigning dedicated yard jockeys or trucks to specific tasks during peak seasons can streamline operations. These specialized workers move trailers between docks, staging areas, and parking spots, reducing idle times. Having dedicated personnel in the yard minimizes drivers' waiting times and ensures efficient use of yard equipment.
5.2 Regular Maintenance and Equipment Checks
Ensure that yard equipment, such as forklifts, yard trucks, and loading machinery, undergoes regular maintenance before peak season hits. Equipment breakdowns during high-demand periods can cause major delays, leading to operational chaos. Perform preventive maintenance and stock up on spare parts to keep all equipment functioning optimally throughout the season.
5.3 Cross-Docking to Reduce Storage Needs
Cross-docking is a strategy where incoming goods are directly transferred to outgoing vehicles with minimal storage time. This approach can be highly effective during peak seasons to reduce the pressure on yard storage capacity. Cross-docking enables quick movement of goods, helping to minimize congestion and freeing up yard space for other operations.
5.4 Implement Just-In-Time (JIT) Inventory
For businesses that deal with high-turnover items, implementing a Just-In-Time (JIT) inventory strategy can help prevent yard overcrowding. By closely aligning inventory arrivals with demand, you can reduce the need for excessive storage and avoid yard congestion. JIT is especially useful during peak times, as it allows you to focus resources on critical items without overloading the yard.
6. Monitoring Performance Metrics and KPIs
Last but not least, yard managers should emphasize measuring the output of all efforts to ensure smoother operations.
6.1 Key Metrics for Yard Management during peak seasons
During high-demand periods, closely monitor performance metrics, including dock wait times, vehicle turnaround time, trailer idle time, and inventory levels. Tracking these KPIs helps you identify bottlenecks and implement corrective actions in real time. Use data analytics tools to visualize these metrics and make data-driven decisions for efficient yard management.
6.2 Continuous Improvement and Post-Peak Analysis
Once the peak season is over, conduct a post-peak analysis to review performance and identify areas for improvement. Assess the effectiveness of strategies implemented, such as dock scheduling, resource allocation, and communication practices. Continuous improvement efforts allow your team to refine processes and prepare better for the next high-demand period.
Improve your Yard's Peak Period Performance with C3 Solutions
Managing yard operations during peak seasons requires a mix of planning, technology, and agile strategies. Businesses can handle high demand without sacrificing efficiency by forecasting demand, leveraging real-time tracking systems, and optimizing dock and resource allocation. From automating access control to prioritizing high-demand loads and fostering open communication, each strategy improves yard operations.
C3 Solutions understands the unique challenges of peak season yard management. Our cutting-edge yard management solutions are designed to provide maximum efficiency out of your yard operations at any time of the year.
Contact us today to learn how we can support your peak season strategies and enhance your yard management operations year-round.
