Yard Management System (YMS) Resource Guide

Set Up Yard Management System for Your Warehouse

Yard Management System (YMS) allows your operations team to track trailers in the yard, assign parking locations, and manage movements between yard spots and dock doors.

YMS works together with Gate Management. When drivers check in at the gate, their arrival automatically appears in the Yard Management dashboard where your team can assign them to a yard location.

1. Create Yard Areas

Yard Areas represent sections of your yard where trailers can be placed, helping your team visualize and manage yard activity at any time.

Examples include:
Staging Area, Trailer Parking, Empties, Dock Doors, and Overflow Parking

These areas act as organized sections that hold individual yard spots where trailers will be placed.

Path: Yard Management → Yard View → + Area → Enter Area Name → Save Area

After creating an area, you’ll be prompted to add yard spots.

2. Add Yard Spots

Spots represent the individual parking or docking locations within each area. After creating an area, you must add spots so trailers can be assigned to them.

Add a Single Spot: Use this option to create a single, specific yard spot.

Required fields:

  • Spot Code: 1–5 characters, letters and numbers only (A–Z, 0–9)
    Examples: A1, P2, D10
  • Spot Type: Parking or Docking

Path:
Yard Management → Area → + Add Spots → Single

Note: When setting up your first area, you may be prompted to add spots automatically. Additional spots can also be added later from the Area view.

Add Multiple Spots: Use this option to quickly generate multiple spots at once.

Required fields:

  • Number of Spots: Total number of spots to generate
  • Start From Number: Starting number in the sequence

Example:
Start at 1 with 10 spots → generates 1–10

  • Fixed Leading Character (Optional):
    Adds a prefix to the spot numbers
    Example: P + 1–10 → P1, P2, P3
  • Spot Type: Parking or Docking

Path:
Yard Management → Area → + Add Spots → Multiple

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I edit yard areas or spots after setup?
You can update yard areas or spots at any time by navigating to the Area view, selecting the area, and making your changes.

Can I change a spot from Docking to Parking (or vice versa)?
Yes, spot types can be updated at any time by editing the individual spot.

Can I rename yard spots?
Yes, spot names can be edited individually within each area.

Can I update multiple spots at once?
Spot updates are typically made individually. For larger updates, we recommend planning your naming structure during initial setup.

Still have questions? Please reach out to your Account Manager for support.

Understand How Gate Check-In Feeds Into Yard Management

YMS and Gate Management work together to give your team real-time visibility and control over yard activity.

When a driver checks in through the Gate Management form, they select the purpose of their trip (for example: unload, load, drop, or hook). Once submitted, their arrival automatically appears in Yard Management.

The arrival will appear in the Waiting Assignment queue, where your team can assign the trailer to a yard location.

To learn more about configuring Gate Management, visit the Gate Management Resource Guide.

Assign an Arrival to a Yard Spot

When a driver checks in, their trailer appears in the Waiting Assignment panel.

To assign the trailer:

  1. Locate the arrival in the Waiting Assignment queue
  2. Drag the arrival to an available yard spot
  3. Confirm the assignment

Once assigned, the trailer will appear in that yard spot on the Grid View map.

If SMS notifications are enabled, the driver will automatically receive a text message with parking instructions.

Alternative: Assign from Trailer Details

You can also assign a trailer by clicking into it and selecting a yard spot using the “Assign to” field.

Track Yard Activity in Grid View

Grid View provides a visual map of your yard layout.

Operations teams can use this view to:

  • See which spots are open or occupied
  • Track trailer locations
  • Monitor yard capacity
  • Quickly move trailers between locations

Clicking a trailer reveals details such as:

  • Asset ID
  • Appointment details
  • PO number
  • Arrival time
  • Current status

You can also open the associated appointment from this panel.

Path: Yard Management → Yard View (Grid View default)

Monitor Yard Activity in List View

List View provides a table-based overview of all assets currently in the yard.

This view is useful for:

  • Searching for specific trailers
  • Monitoring dwell time
  • Viewing arrival timestamps
  • Exporting yard activity data

Features include:

  • Search for specific asset IDs
  • Export yard activity data
  • View asset status and time in yard

Path: From Grid View, scroll down and select List View

Create Yard Tasks for Trailer Movements

Yard Tasks allow warehouse teams to assign trailer moves to yard drivers and track execution in real time.

The Yard Tasks dashboard, located at the top left of the page, provides a centralized view where you can track tasks that are to-do, in progress, completed, or canceled.

Example tasks include:

  • Moving a trailer from a dock door to a yard parking spot
  • Moving a trailer from the yard to a dock door
  • Repositioning trailers in staging areas

Create a Move Task

  1. Click Create Task
  2. Select the asset to move
  3. Choose the current spot
  4. Select the destination spot
  5. Assign the task to a Yard Driver
  6. Set priority or due time (optional)

When a task is created:

  • The origin and destination spots are reserved
  • A task icon appears on the yard map
  • The task appears in the Yard Tasks dashboard

Assign Yard Drivers to Complete Tasks

Yard Drivers log in through a dedicated Yard Driver interface to view and complete tasks.

To set up a Yard Driver:

  1. Navigate to Users
  2. Add a new user
  3. Select the Yard Driver role

Yard Drivers will then:

FAQ

What if my organization has multiple warehouses?
Make sure the correct warehouse is selected at the top of the page before assigning tasks or drivers.

Track Trailer Departures

When a trailer leaves the yard, the asset can be departed from its yard spot. If the carrier checks out, the asset is automatically marked as departed. If SmartGate is enabled, the asset can also be departed automatically.

To manually depart a trailer:

  • Click on the desired trailer
  • Select Departed in the bottom right of the screen

Once departed:

  • The yard spot becomes available again
  • The associated appointment is automatically marked Completed

This ensures your yard map always reflects current trailer locations.

Action:
Yard Management → Yard View → Select Trailer → Departed

Yard Layout Best Practices

When setting up Yard Management, organize your yard into clear areas that reflect how trailers move through your operation. This helps your team quickly assign locations and maintain visibility across the yard.

Start with a few simple areas

Most warehouses begin with three core areas:

  • Dock Doors – where trailers are actively loading or unloading
  • Staging – temporary parking for trailers waiting to be moved to a dock
  • Trailer Parking – longer-term parking for trailers not currently at a dock

You can always add more areas later as your operation grows.

Separate different types of trailer activity

As your yard operations expand, many warehouses add additional areas such as:

  • Inbound Staging for arriving trailers
  • Outbound Staging for trailers ready for pickup
  • Empties for empty trailer storage
  • Overflow Parking during peak volume periods

Separating these areas helps teams quickly understand the status of trailers across the yard.

Use clear and consistent spot names

Spot codes should be short and easy to communicate between drivers and yard operators.

Examples include:

  • D1, D2, D3 for dock doors
  • S1, S2, S3 for staging
  • T1, T2, T3 for trailer parking

Keeping spot codes simple helps prevent confusion when assigning trailers to locations.

Keep spot codes short

Spot codes must be between 1 and 5 characters and can only contain letters and numbers. Short codes are easier for operators to reference when moving trailers around the yard.

Start simple and expand over time

Most teams begin with a basic yard structure and refine it as they gain experience managing their yard in Opendock. Additional areas and spots can be added at any time without impacting existing operations.

Still have questions? Please contact your Account Manager.

Day-to-Day Use

Handle Unplanned Arrivals

If a trailer arrives without an appointment, you can still manage it in YMS.

Options:

  • Assign the trailer directly to a yard spot
  • Create a new appointment and link it to the trailer
  • Update drop-off or pickup details as needed

This ensures all yard activity is tracked, even for unplanned arrivals.

Link Trailers to Appointments

Trailers in YMS can be tied to appointments for better visibility and tracking.

  • Open the trailer details
  • Add or link an appointment
  • Update drop-off or pickup details

Linking trailers ensures accurate status tracking from arrival through departure.

Move Trailers Using Drag and Drop

You can move trailers directly within Grid View.

  • Click and drag a trailer
  • Drop it into a new yard spot

This allows teams to quickly adjust yard positioning in real time without creating a task.

Monitor Yard Performance

YMS provides visibility into how your yard is operating over time.

Path:
Insights → Yard Insights

In this view, you can track:

  • Time in yard
  • Dwell time
  • Yard utilization
  • Movement trends

Use these insights to identify bottlenecks and improve yard efficiency.

Customize Asset Details

You can configure what information is collected for each trailer.

  • Add custom fields to capture key details
  • Tailor forms based on your operation

This helps standardize data collection across your yard.

Undo or Correct Actions

If a mistake is made:

  • Reassign the trailer to a different spot
  • Update trailer details
  • Adjust tasks as needed

YMS allows flexibility to quickly correct issues without disrupting operations.

Access Additional Resources

For more guidance, visit the Opendock Community page for:

Have Feedback or Questions?

We welcome your feedback to continue improving your experience.

Please reach out to your Account Manager with any questions or suggestions.