Outrider, a U.S.-based company specializing in autonomous yard operations, has developed what it describes as the industry’s first comprehensive safety system tailored for driverless freight movement in mixed-traffic trailer yards. The system is designed to enable scalable, unsupervised automation of logistics hubs while adhering to stringent safety requirements.
The company’s latest-generation driverless yard trucks are expected to begin deployment with select customers in the second half of 2025. The system incorporates 14 safety mechanisms designed to address over 200,000 hazards specific to trailer yard environments, including interactions between autonomous trucks, human-operated vehicles, and personnel.
Outrider’s safety framework aligns with global standards ISO 26262 and ISO 21448, and has been reviewed under TÜV SÜD’s Autonomous Vehicle Conformity Framework (AVCF). TÜV SÜD, a leading independent certification body, conducted a preliminary evaluation of the system’s hazard analysis, testing protocols, and safety cases.
The company has collaborated with technology partners including NVIDIA, Orange EV, RH Sheppard, and Yaskawa to ensure compatibility with existing electric yard truck platforms and critical hardware systems. Notably, RH Sheppard has validated its drive-by-wire steering system for use in Outrider’s autonomous trucks—described as a first in the yard automation sector.
The Outrider System integrates autonomous capabilities such as trailer hitching, backing, inventory tracking, and coupling/decoupling of brake and electric lines without requiring modifications to trailers. The system is offered as a subscription-based service, which includes the autonomy stack, cloud-based management software, and round-the-clock support.
With the new safety architecture in place, Outrider aims to address long-standing challenges in logistics yards by automating high-risk manual processes. The company states that this approach lays the groundwork for broader industry adoption of autonomous yard technologies.