- Home
- Systems
- Supply chain
- YMS
Trucks with an appointment, an assigned dock and measured yard time
A YMS (yard and dock appointment management) schedules each truck's arrival, assigns a dock and records how long it stays on site. Diego analyses your operation, helps you choose the tool and connects it with your warehouse.
38 questions · result by dimension · free
From the queue at the gate to a confirmed slot
A YMS offers suppliers and carriers appointment slots by dock, checks entry at the gate, shows which truck is at which dock and records every timestamp until exit.
Without it, trucks all arrive first thing, wait while the warehouse looks for a free dock, and detention is paid without knowing whose delay it was.
- 01Appointment booking
- 02Gate control
- 03Dock assignment
- 04Yard time
Processes it covers
Indicators that call for a YMS
When these signs coincide, the cause is usually the lack of a dock appointment schedule shared with suppliers and carriers.
- Truck queues form at the gate at certain hours
- Suppliers arrive without an appointment
- Detention charges are paid for vehicles
- Nobody knows which truck is at which dock
- Receiving can't prepare because it doesn't know what is arriving
- Carriers complain about waiting times
Company profile for a YMS, and when it is not a fit
Good fit
- Distribution centres with several docks and truck queues early in the morning
- Companies paying carriers detention charges they cannot dispute
- Plants where raw materials come in and finished goods go out through the same gate
Poor fit
- A warehouse with a single dock and few receipts a day: a shared calendar is enough
- Receiving fully coordinated by a logistics provider at its own site
- Operations without purchase orders in the system: the appointment would have nothing to match
Cost of detention charges and unscheduled docks
Detention and overtime
Without timestamps, a detention invoice cannot be challenged or traced to a cause.
Poorly used docks
All trucks at the same hour leave docks swamped in the morning and empty in the afternoon.
Improvised receiving
If the warehouse doesn't know what each truck carries, it doesn't prepare space, staff or quality checks.
YMS analysis method
The assessment follows a truck from booking a slot to leaving through the gate: reserved slot, check-in, dock, unloading or loading and exit, with a timestamp for each step.
Online assessment
38 questions on appointments, docks, gate control, times and detention. The result separates scheduling problems from yard control problems.
30-minute review
Diego reviews the result with you and asks for one week's gate log and a recent detention invoice. From that he locates where waiting time builds up.
Yard and dock workshop
Half a day with receiving, shipping and security: number and type of docks, slots per supplier, arrival tolerance and rules for trucks without an appointment.
Selection and integration
Comparison of two to four appointment tools or YMS using your yard layout and slots, and connection of the chosen one to the purchase order and to receiving in the WMS or ERP.
Dimensions of the YMS assessment
Appointments and dock assignment
Example: How is a truck's arrival slot booked and confirmed?
Docks, carriers and plates
Example: Are your docks recorded with their capacity and the load types they accept?
Yard control
Example: How are a truck's entry and exit recorded?
Integration with purchasing and warehouse
Example: Is the truck appointment linked to the purchase or sales order it brings or collects?
Dwell time and detention
Example: Do you measure how long a truck spends on your site?
Coordination with third parties
Example: Do suppliers and carriers know and follow the appointment rules?
Gate security and incidents
Example: How do you check who is allowed in?
Your company's inputs to a YMS project
Data
- Yard layout with docks, vehicle types each one accepts and waiting areas
- Frequent suppliers and carriers with their weekly volume
- Gate log or entry book for recent weeks
People
- Receiving or warehouse manager
- Security or gate supervisor
Access and documents
- Open purchase orders in the ERP
- Recent detention invoices or carrier complaints
Diego's services in a YMS project
Yard survey
We measure one week of arrivals with you: appointment time, check-in, dock, unloading and exit of each truck.
Deliverable: arrival curve by hour and times per stage
Appointment rules with suppliers
We draft slots, tolerance and the handling of trucks without an appointment with you, and present them to your main suppliers.
Deliverable: appointment policy agreed with suppliers
Scheduling tool selection and integration
We compare online scheduling tools and YMS against your yard layout and connect the chosen one to purchase orders and receiving.
Deliverable: appointment created from the order and receiving prepared
First week of dock appointments
We check on real trucks that the appointment, gate check-in and dock assignment record every timestamp.
Deliverable: average yard time measured before and after
Scope
Dmunoz Group does not implement YMS platforms: the vendor configures them. Diego works on your company's side in the analysis, the choice, the ERP integration and checking the result.
Platforms we compare for a YMS
Odoo
Odoo has no module for this process. The option is a specialised tool connected to your ERP, whether Odoo or another.
Other recognised platforms
- Manhattan Yard Management
- Blue Yonder Yard Management
- C3 Reservations
- Descartes Dock Appointment Scheduling
- Opendock
Comparison criteria
- Dock appointment schedule with rules by supplier, load type and duration
- Gate check-in by plate, with plate reading or the appointment QR code
- Yard board showing the truck at each dock and its dwell time
- Link between the appointment, the purchase order and receiving in the WMS or ERP
The order of the list implies no preference. The choice of a YMS comes from your yard layout, your docks and your hourly arrival curve.
Systems a YMS exchanges data with
YMS assessment result in 38 questions
This assessment measures how trucks are scheduled, admitted and served at your distribution center. The questions describe what happens at the gate, waiting area and docks, from the logbook to a system schedule.
Scored dimensions
- Dock appointment schedule. It observes whether each supplier or delivery truck arrives with a confirmed slot, assigned to a dock by load type and shift capacity.
- Docks, plates and drivers. It observes whether docks, carriers, vehicles and drivers are recorded with their restrictions and valid documents, and whether that record is used at the gate.
- Yard status per shift. It observes whether each truck's milestones are recorded, from gate arrival to exit, and whether someone coordinates moves between the waiting area and the dock during the shift.
- Link with receiving and dispatch. It observes whether the appointment is tied to the purchase order, the sales order or the route, and whether the dock closing updates the warehouse and the delivery note.
- Dwell time, detention and incidents. It observes whether the time each truck spends waiting and at the dock is measured, how much is paid in detention and whether yard incidents are recorded with evidence and an owner.
What you receive
When you finish you receive your level in five yard dimensions and the gap in each. Each gap comes with the first verifiable step for your gate and docks.
18 scored questions and 15 context questions (type of operation, size, current system). Context questions are not scored: they let us read the result against similar operations.
Common questions about a YMS project
If the problem is queues, an online appointment tool often solves it. If you also need to know which truck is at each dock and control the yard, a YMS makes sense. The assessment shows which case is yours.
Appointment rules are agreed before they are enforced: slots, tolerance and what happens to late arrivals. Diego helps draft them and present them to your main suppliers.
The vendor configures it. Diego defines requirements with you, compares options, connects the tool with your WMS or ERP and checks the result.
The online YMS assessment and the 30-minute review are free. If a workshop or a project makes sense afterwards, you get a proposal with scope and deliverables before deciding.
Only Diego Muñoz sees your answers on dock appointments, gate control and yard times, to prepare the review. They are not shared with third parties or used for bulk mailings.
A 30-minute YMS review with Diego
Take the assessment and book the review with one week's gate log. Diego Muñoz replies in person, on Lima time.
WhatsApp +51 919 488 260 · damunoz@dmunozgroup.com