Yard Gets Smart: YMX Pushes EV Trucks, But Is Outsourcing the Real Play?

As major logistics players lean into decarbonization, YMX Logistics is hoping to put electrified yard operations at the center of the conversation. CEO Matt Yearling is set to speak later this month at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo, where he’ll make the case that electric yard trucks aren’t just cleaner — they’re smarter business.

“EV yard trucks are emerging as a strategic necessity rather than a luxury,” Yearling says, ahead of his ACT panel in Anaheim. “For enterprise shippers looking to optimize yard operations without taking on the burden of fleet ownership, outsourcing to a specialized yard logistics provider that deploys EV yard trucks offers a scalable, cost-effective path to efficiency and sustainability.”

The panel, “Warehouse Sector: Logistics from Storage to Shipment”, takes place April 30 and will cover how yard trucks, pallet jacks, and forklifts are going electric — and what that means for facility operations. But while the carbon savings and maintenance reductions are clear, YMX’s pitch reveals something deeper: the company isn’t just selling EVs, it’s selling control. At the core of its strategy is YMS OS, a proprietary operating system that powers YMX’s yard services. In a sector where many enterprises still track trailer movements on whiteboards, digitization is overdue — but critics might argue that locking into a single outsourced provider is a different kind of risk.

“There’s real innovation in electrified yard tech, but also a power shift,” said one industry analyst we spoke with off the record. “Companies need to be careful they’re not trading fleet complexity for vendor dependency.”

AI on the Inside Track

Yard electrification is just one piece of a broader movement toward smarter, leaner logistics. TOPTEN, a fast-growing Israeli fashion brand, recently adopted Buffers.ai to optimize inventory and shorten replenishment cycles. The AI platform helped the brand minimize overstock while staying agile in its product launches — a must in the volatile world of fast fashion.

Elsewhere in the Ecosystem

Meanwhile, Maersk announced it will retrofit dozens of warehouses with robotic picking systems from RightHand Robotics, signaling a major bet on AI-enabled fulfillment in its contract logistics division. The move reflects growing pressure on 3PLs to not just move goods, but move them faster — and smarter.

ACT Expo: A Stage for the Supply Chain's Green Makeover

With over 12,000 attendees expected, ACT Expo has become the key venue for clean transportation vendors, OEMs, and logistics providers to showcase not only tech — but strategic intent. YMX’s presence there signals that yard operations are no longer a back-office function. They’re becoming the next frontier for decarbonization, optimization, and digital control. Whether electrification becomes standard across the sector remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the yard isn’t invisible anymore.