More autonomy is coming to yard trucks. Outrider Technologies Inc. last month launched enterprise-class support services. The company said the new services will support the commercial rollout of its driverless Outrider System in 2026.
“Automation is not just confined to the warehouse any longer; it’s making a remarkable leap into the logistics yard,” stated Todd Lewis, senior vice president at Prologis Ventures. “Outrider is at the forefront of this revolution, delivering cutting-edge technologies and comprehensive support services that ensure our joint customers’ logistics operations run seamlessly 24/7.”
Founded in 2017, Outrider works with enterprises to eliminate hazardous and repetitive manual tasks. The Brighton, Colo.-based private company‘s said its mission is to drive sustainable freight transportation with zero-emission systems. It claimed that its customers represent more than 20% of all yard trucks operating in North America.
What does the service provide?
Outrider said its support services combine self-reliant capabilities with technical support, facilitating the adoption of autonomous trucks and yard management software.
Examples of those capabilities include locating misplaced trailers or searching for open parking spots. The system automatically notifies site personnel if any human assistance is needed, such as clearing parking spots and dock spots blocked by debris, closing dock doors for safe undocking, or performing preventative maintenance.
Outrider’s system includes self-diagnostic capabilities that monitor the overall health of the autonomous electric vehicles, including charge levels and usage. It also tracks the number of trailer or container moves between maintenance periods, which dramatically exceeds traditional yard truck telematics.
If the system encounters issues it cannot address on its own or with the assistance of site personnel, Outrider said trained specialists are standing by to provide technical support.
These specialists use the system’s advanced diagnostic tools to remotely monitor, isolate, troubleshoot, and resolve any problems. The information gathered through these technical support services is used to train Outrider’s artificial intelligence, so it can better address similar scenarios in the future, noted the company.
Outrider aims for $64B market
Autonomous yard and shuttle operations for logistics hubs is an estimated $64 billion global market, according to ABI Research. It predicted that market will experience a 52.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2030.
Driving this growth are large enterprises deploying and scaling yard automation across their logistics networks to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and improve safety.
Outrider’s electric autonomous vehicles can move trailers between dock doors and parking spots to help execute yard tasks. The process is entirely autonomous, including backing, hitching, and connecting brake lines.
The autonomous yard trucks use AI and millions of proprietary yard-specific data points to plan optimal routes for trailer moves. The system is SOC 2, Type 2-certified and meets TÜV SÜD safety review requirements.
“Robots are very good at completing repetitive, manual tasks in inhospitable environments like logistics yards,” said Bob Hall, chief operating officer at Outrider. “Humans are good at solving edge cases. Our cost-effective support model embraces these strengths while simultaneously enabling our robots to learn how to handle increasingly difficult situations.”