Weather the Storm: How a YMS Keeps Your Yard Safe and Operational
Severe weather is becoming more frequent and intense. Experts predict a 71% chance of La Niña this winter (October–December 2025). For yards and warehouses, even a few hours of downtime from weather events can wreak havoc. Unexpected downtime can lead to lost revenue, damaged assets, and operational chaos.
A purpose-built Yard Management System (YMS) is designed for the yard. A YMS solution can help yard managers prepare in advance. It also offers real-time visibility and tools to help you respond quickly to changes. Things that help keep you running safely and efficiently, even under extreme weather conditions.
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1. Prepare Your Yard for Severe Weather
Preparation is key to mitigating risk. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe. This includes extreme heat, wildfires, droughts, cyclones, heavy precipitation, and flooding (NASA Climate).
A YMS helps managers:
- Secure assets and inventory: Track high-value trailers, containers, and equipment. If needed, move them to safer locations or properly anchor them.
- Optimize pre-storm scheduling: Manage all inbound/outbound shipments before weather events. A YMS makes it easy to reschedule deliveries and adjust dock assignments.
- Plan staff shifts for safety: Minimize your team's exposure to hazardous conditions. Identify in advance who is on-site, when, and in which areas.
Pro Tip: Use your YMS alongside two key resources to stay prepared:
- Assess your readiness with the Yard Managers Extreme Weather Readiness Checklist.
- Get your yard storm-ready with the 7 Ways to Prepare Your Yard for Severe Weather white paper.
2. Maintain Real-Time Visibility
Even the best preparation can’t predict every disruption. YMS dashboards provide live visibility into your yard operations. This enables teams to:
- Track trailers, shipments, and assets in real-time.
- Identify operational bottlenecks caused by delayed trucks or blocked gates.
- Monitor dock usage and yard congestion to adjust priorities on the fly.
Example: During a snowstorm, your YMS can alert you when a dock door is blocked, allowing you to reroute trailers and keep operations moving.
3. Automate Response Activities
Modern YMS solutions allow you to automate key operational decisions during emergencies:
- Reroute shipments and adjust schedules with ease.
- Notify carriers and staff of delays or changes instantly.
- Dynamically manage gate and dock access to reduce confusion.
Automation ensures your yard continues to operate safely.
4. Minimize Financial Loss
Severe weather has a real financial impact. In 2024, the U.S. experienced 27 individual weather and climate disasters causing at least $1 billion in damages. This is just shy of the record-setting 28 events in 2023. As of July 2025, U.S. weather disasters had already caused $134 billion in damages.
A YMS can help you reduce loss by:
- Tracking detention and demurrage to prevent unnecessary fees.
- Prioritizing high-value or time-sensitive shipments.
- Forecasting potential losses and adjust operations proactively.
By combining operational efficiency with predictive analytics, yards can reduce downtime and protect the bottom line even during disruptive events.
5. Build Climate Resilience
Weather patterns are becoming increasingly volatile. A YMS supports long-term resilience by:
- Leveraging data to inform layout, scheduling, and staffing decisions.
- Helping yards adapt operationally to storms, flooding, or heat events.
- Aligning operational efficiency with sustainability and continuity goals.
Investing in YMS technology today helps protect your yard from both current and future weather risks.
6. Protect Your Workforce
Your people are your most valuable asset. YMS can help keep staff safe by:
- Automating shift planning to help limit exposure to dangerous conditions.
- Sending alerts for hazardous areas or extreme weather updates.
- Coordinating communication between onsite teams and remote workers.
Safe employees mean your operations stay on track without compromising health or compliance.
7. Strengthen Communication Strategies
Effective communication is critical when every minute counts. A YMS centralizes communication to:
- Notify staff, carriers, and vendors in real-time.
- Share updates on gate status, dock availability, or rerouted shipments.
- Keep logs of operational decisions for post-event analysis.
Real-time communication reduces confusion. This helps your yard team respond quickly and confidently.
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The Bottom Line
Severe weather doesn’t have to paralyze your yard. With a purpose-built Yard Management System, managers can prepare in advance, maintain real-time visibility, automate responses, protect staff, minimize financial loss, and build long-term resilience.
Investing in the right YMS ensures your operations stay safe, efficient, and operational — even in the worst weather.
Discover how YardView’s YMS can help your yard weather any storm.
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