Yard Management Systems Are for More Than Just Truck Yards

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Yard Management Systems (YMS) mainly serve to manage loading and unloading, but they don’t have to stop there. The biggest trend in added features for a YMS encompasses automatically letting vehicles into a yard based on their license plates and reporting on which vehicles are currently within it. The system then both saves time and lets you avoid the kind of unpleasant situation where vehicles that have no reason to be in your yard are moving around there, or they’re parked there for too long.

License plate recognition is based on a system where, in most cases, the same transporters and individual vehicles are always supplying the yard; however, new data can also be added at any time. An authorised employee supplements the YMS records with the transport company name, the license plate number and the driver name for the driver who has permission to ride into the yard, along with the time slot needed for loading or unloading goods. So if at the warehouse they know that a specific truck will come at 2 p.m. and needs one hour for handling, you can set that vehicle to have access to the yard from 1 to 4 p.m. As the vehicle passes through the boom gate, a camera photographs its license plate, the system converts the photograph to text and pairs it with the data in the YMS, and if it finds a match, it opens the gate. A similar system is also used for exits from the gate.

Data Can Be Entered Right at the Gatehouse

 If a truck arrives outside of its reserved time, or a vehicle isn’t registered in the system for some reason, the gatehouse worker can simply enter the needed data into the YMS directly. The most convenient approach here is for the worker to have access to a touch terminal; they can process everything more easily there than on a computer. The data is automatically passed on to the system, where it’s viewable for management – and also for warehouse operators, who see it on screens right by the gates.

YMS - planning table.

Automatic License Plate Recognition Also for Passenger Vehicles

 Another possible use of license plate recognition is for the personal vehicles of a company’s employees. They can be let into and out of the premises automatically, with the management also having access to a report telling who is inside and who is not. This report is available for trucks as well. It improves the service level – and also increases security by ensuring that no cars that don’t have to be there (yet) are there.

 The benefits of using a YMS for automatic vehicle admission

• Vehicles are handled at the gatehouse faster.
• Gate and personnel load levels can be planned optimally.
• Reality vs. the plan can be checked right at the ramp.
• Carrier reliability can be assessed easily.

One of the providers of Yard Management System is also company Aimtec. It has enhanced its YMS with features for automatic license plate recognition, and it already has a YMS pilot project for a customer under its belt.

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