Yard congestion eats productivity. If trucks are circling for staging instructions or waiting at the gate for a manual check, your timeline slips and your costs climb. The fix is simple to explain and powerful to execute. Combine geofencing, License Plate Recognition, and telematics so your yard can make decisions in real time without a single driver swipe or guard lookup.

At SSP, we help transportation and logistics teams turn busy depots into zero touch environments that move faster and document every step. This guide explains how geofenced yards work, what to integrate, and how to measure the payoff.

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What a geofenced yard is and why it matters

A geofence is a virtual boundary you place around specific areas such as approach roads, gates, staging lanes, docks, and exit lanes. When a telematics unit or mobile device crosses a boundary, the system logs the event and triggers the right workflow.

Tie that event to LPR at the gate and you have a closed loop. The plate read confirms the vehicle. Telematics confirms the unit, driver, and route. The yard rules assign a lane, a dock, or a holding area automatically. No clipboards. No radio chatter. Just clear instructions and an auditable record.

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The core pieces you will integrate

1) License Plate Recognition at entry and exit

  • Capture front and rear plates at the approach

  • Match to allow and deny lists in real time

  • Write a time stamped event tied to the correct camera clip

2) Telematics and GPS

  • Confirm vehicle identity, route, and ETA

  • Detect geofence crossings for approach, gate, staging, and dock areas

  • Flag exceptions such as early arrival, route deviation, or extended idle

3) A simple rules engine

  • If plate matches allow list and geofence shows scheduled arrival, assign staging lane A

  • If early by more than 30 minutes, route to overflow and notify dispatcher

  • If watch list plate detected, hold at intercom and show live video to security

  • If weather or incident status is active, prioritize essential loads and hold non essential traffic

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How zero touch staging works in practice

  1. The truck crosses the approach geofence

  2. LPR reads the plate before the stop bar

  3. Telematics confirms the unit that is due at your site

  4. The rules engine checks appointment data and current capacity

  5. The barrier opens and the driver receives staging instructions on an overhead sign, kiosk, or mobile message

  6. The system logs the assigned lane and start of dwell time

  7. When the truck enters the dock geofence, the system marks in service and signals the dock team

This is the same flow in reverse on exit. Your reports now show accurate dwell time, dock time, and yard time by carrier and lane.

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Benefits you can quantify in week one

  • Shorter gate cycle time
    LPR and geofence events replace manual checks, which cuts peak hour lines dramatically.

  • Fewer misroutes and yard calls
    Drivers get automatic instructions. Dispatch and operations do not need to chase status.

  • Cleaner investigations
    LPR events, telematics points, and video clips are already linked for any incident.

  • Better utilization
    Real time staging data helps you balance open lanes, docks, and labor.

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Designing your geofences

  • Approach
    A large geofence on the access road gives you early warning and time to prepare a lane.

  • Gate
    A tight geofence around the barrier aligns with the LPR read zone and prevents false starts.

  • Staging lanes
    Narrow geofences per lane enable automatic assignment and accurate dwell tracking.

  • Docks
    Dock geofences mark in service and complete. You can trigger alerts for aging loads.

  • Exit
    Exit geofence and LPR provide a clean departure timestamp for detention and billing.

Tips

  • Keep geofences simple and easy to maintain

  • Test with varied vehicle sizes and speeds

  • Validate GPS accuracy at your site, especially under canopies or near tall structures

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Data and KPIs to track

  • Gate cycle time by lane and by hour

  • First read success rate for LPR

  • Percentage of zero touch passes versus holds

  • Staging dwell by carrier and by lane

  • Dock turn time and total yard time

  • Exception categories and resolution time

These metrics tell a clear story to operations and leadership. They also feed continuous improvement for your rules and staffing.

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Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

  • Poor lighting or camera angle at the gate
    Fix with consistent light and a plate friendly angle. Place reads before braking zones.

  • Overlapping or noisy geofences
    Keep boundaries clean and distinct. Use a short dwell threshold to confirm a true entry.

  • Rules that are too strict on day one
    Start with simple pass and hold logic. Add complexity once the baseline is stable.

  • Disconnected systems
    Make sure your VMS, access control, and notification platform are tied to the same event bus. Operators should see the right camera view and a single source of truth.

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Security outcomes that operations will support

Geofenced yards strengthen transportation facility security without slowing the schedule. Every entry and exit is verified. Tailgating and piggybacking attempts trigger alarms with evidence attached. High risk vehicles can be routed to secondary verification automatically. Your team focuses on exceptions rather than routine lifts.

This is where physical security serves the mission. Faster flow. Fewer errors. Better accountability.

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Where SSP fits

SSP designs and supports geofenced yard solutions that link LPR, telematics, access control, VMS, and emergency communication into one workflow. We build for 24 by 7 reliability with health monitoring, SLAs, and co managed support so your team has coverage at all hours.

Discover how SSP keeps transportation systems secure and operational.
Contact us to schedule a zero touch staging assessment for your depot or transit yard.