Yard Spot Case Study
Yard Visibility Solution
Integrated Tools to Increase Throughput and Efficiencies
Problem
Service Transfer, Inc. (STI) had seen its business spike. The trucking and drayage provider serving ports on the U.S. East Coast was in high demand as container imports surged in 2021. At its facility in Chesapeake, Virginia, the number of containers in its yard reached previously unthought levels. The location, made up of four separate yards and almost 16 acres, was bursting at the seams.
High volumes posed several problems that threatened STI’s competitive position and risked losing market share.
Shuttle and Truck Drivers
Trucks could not easily maneuver within the yard. In a fast-changing yard with little excess room, the trucks would waste time navigating their way through the yard.
Operation Managers
Containers were getting lost and the operations team needed greater control as velocity of trucks and cargo accelerated faster than their systems could manage.
Truck Drivers
Drivers were frustrated by imprecise directions on where to drop and pick up containers. A container was taking too long to find, and one poorly dropped container could block access to many others.
Accounting
Reconciling the movement of containers in and out of the yards was too slow. Slow reconciliation put STI at risk of per diem fees.
Yard Operations
Yard checks were taking too long. Yard checks using pen and paper or a laptop with a spreadsheet consumed the morning, leaving dispatch in the dark.
STI needed visibility, data management and controls, and importantly a faster and automated yard check process.
Solution
