Welcome to this episode of The New Warehouse Podcast, where Kevin Lawton speaks with Rock Stars Matt Yearling and Erin Mitchell of YMX Logistics, and industry analyst Bart De Muynck, live from MODEX 2026. The discussion covers technology enablement, autonomous yard operations, digital twins, safety culture, and the growing need for orchestration across the yard. The episode also highlights how YMX combines operational expertise with technology to help shippers create more value from an area many organizations still underestimate.
Yard Operations Are Becoming a Strategic Priority
For years, many warehouse operations viewed the yard as a secondary concern. However, that perspective is beginning to shift as distribution centers push for greater throughput and faster execution. Matt Yearling explains that yard operations now sit at the center of a larger operational challenge. As he notes, “There’s nobody on the planet that looks at the yard as a specific problem.” He adds, “It is between transportation and warehousing.”
That middle ground has become increasingly important as warehouse and transportation systems improve. According to Bart De Muynck, many companies optimized transportation and warehouse execution first, which exposed inefficiencies in the yard. He explains, “We’ve optimized that. We’ve created a lot more velocity. Now the yard has become an even bigger bottleneck.”
Delays in the yard can disrupt dock scheduling, labor planning, outbound fulfillment, and customer service. De Muynck compares the issue to a minor mechanical failure that stops an expensive car. As he puts it, “It’s not always the cost of something, but it’s the impact it has on your operation.”
Technology Alone Does Not Solve the Problem
YMX’s approach focuses on combining operations, technology, and execution rather than simply deploying software. Yearling explains that traditional yard management systems only solve part of the challenge. Instead, YMX focuses on orchestrating the entire operation through modeling, planning, execution, and visibility.
Yearling explains, “It’s very clear that it’s the convergence of operations and technology, focusing on what is the problem you’re trying to solve?” He continues, “It isn’t about — let’s go and hunt for the next widget and apply it and see whether or not it works.”
The company’s latest announcement at MODEX further expands that philosophy. YMX discussed its capabilities for autonomous yard operations, including digital twins, computer vision, data capture, and autonomous trucks. However, Yearling emphasized that automation still requires operational expertise. He explains, “People think it does everything, and we know it does not.”
Instead of adding more assets or labor to the problem, YMX uses operational data to model and optimize yard performance. Yearling says, “Show us some data. If you don’t have the data, we will observe, we will model it.” He also notes the company focuses on “delivering on doing more with less from day one.”
Strong Yard Operations Still Depend on People
While automation and orchestration played a major role in the discussion, Erin Mitchell highlighted the operational culture required to support large-scale yard operations. YMX operates across the country with drivers working around the clock, making communication and safety essential.
Mitchell explains, “Our customer success is our success.” She adds, “We make sure that our drivers know that their job is to make the customer successful.”
The company also uses technology to strengthen communication with drivers. YMX developed an always-on app that allows drivers to provide immediate operational and safety feedback. Mitchell explains, “Our entire leadership team reads all of those app comments.” She continues, “We get that feedback in real time.”
YMX also places a strong focus on workforce development and diversity. Mitchell explains that the company invests heavily in training opportunities and leadership development. The organization also works to create more opportunities for women drivers and women in logistics roles. As yard operations become more advanced, YMX believes success will depend on combining technology with engaged people, operational discipline, and continuous feedback loops.
Key Takeaways
- Yard operations are becoming a major operational bottleneck as warehouse and transportation systems improve.
- YMX views the yard as a strategic layer between transportation and warehousing
- Autonomous yard operations still require operational expertise and oversight.
- Digital twins, computer vision, and data capture help optimize yard performance.
- Real-time driver communication plays a major role in operational safety and culture.
- Leadership teams review driver feedback daily through YMX’s always-on communication tools.
- Workforce development and inclusion remain key priorities as YMX continues to grow.
- The yard may represent a smaller logistics spend, but it can create a significant downstream operational impact.
