Yard management is often overlooked when thinking about the key performance indicators (KPIs) essential to supply chain management. Part of this problem derives from yard management challenges involving drivers, trailers, and activity taking place outside of your actual warehouse. If paired with an across-the-street annexed yard, the challenges are increased. However, a yard management system (YMS) can simplify the process and boost yard productivity by 30 percent, says Justine Brown of Inbound Logistics. However, first, you need to be tracking the right yard management KPIs, explains YardView.

Standard Yard Management KPIs Relating to Trailer Count

Having a few basic insights into the activities of your yard involves a simple set of metrics, known as standard trailer metrics. These include the following:

• The total number of trailers in the yard, including specific KPIs for the number of trailers loaded and empty.
• The complete number of damaged or out-of-service (OOS) trailers on the yard, as well as their reasons.
• For damaged OOS trailers, track the OOS duration.
• The number of inbound trailers passing through the gate per day, week, month and year.
• The number of outbound trailers passing through the gate per day, week, month and year.
• The type of trailers in the yard.
• The number of drivers waiting to be processed.
• The number of available dock doors.

These standard metrics do not require calculations either. If desired, yard managers can use similar data points and KPIs to track increasing or decreasing yard management performance.

For example, maintaining a weekly or daily average of specific outbound trailer types and/or carriers and comparing it to today’s number can reveal increasing or decreasing durations of time spent in the yard.

Standard Yard Hostler Metrics

it is also important to understand the yard management KPIs relating to hostlers (aka yard jockeys) moving trailers. These include the following:

• The number of move requests performed today, this week, this month, and this year, as well as the same totals per hostler.
• An average number of moves made per hour by the driver and as a whole across all drivers.
• The number of re-positioning due to poor initial trailer positioning and the driver making the original move.
• The number of move requests canceled by a user.

Door and Warehouse KPIs to Track in Yard Management

The speed of delivery hinges on the amount of time it takes to load and unload a trailer. As a result, yard management KPIs should also focus on intervals involving the door and warehouse itself, which include the following:

• Amount of time elapsed from door arrival to departure.
• Amount of time elapsed from gate arrival until the trailer is moved to the door.
• Elapsed unloading and loading time.
• The total number of loads and unloads per day, and per door.

Each door and warehouse KPI tracked should also contain employee-specific data as well.

Other Key Yard Management KPIs

In a broad sense, the yard is a mini distribution center, and accurate visibility to trailers and their locations, available dock doors, and expected appointments can help reduce overall yard management costs. Therefore, yard management KPIs should include a few others too.

• The average number of arrivals and departures made on time and late by drivers.
• Detention and demurrages fees by vendor and driver and the reason.
• The amount of time spent on drivers “waiting” in the yard or at the gate.

Your Yard Is an Extension of Your Business; Treat It as Such

Did you know drivers could post reviews to Google or other social media about their experiences in your yard? Although it may not affect your consumers directly, negative yard reviews are still a bad image for your business. Get control over your yard with an effective YMS that tracks these KPIs today. Plus, the savings from better yard management mean more revenue to put back into your company, to reduce product price points and improve overall operations. Find out how your organization can take advantage of better YMS through metrics by visiting Veridian Solutions online today.