Finding
Autonomy reached commercial scale in fenced yards decades before public roads, because one operator controls the map, the speed and every rule
Rotterdam's ECT Delta terminal has run driverless AGVs since 1993; Rio Tinto has run autonomous haul trucks in the Pilbara since 2008; Shanghai's Yangshan Phase IV and Qingdao's Qianwan terminal opened fully automated in 2017. Waymo's first driverless public service began in 2020. Fenced sites have controlled access, fixed maps, low speeds and no traffic law to negotiate.
Electric fleet depots now have the same conditions plus a reason to automate: every vehicle has to be moved to a charger, plugged in and moved out. Driverless electric yard trucks from Outrider and ISEE in the US, Fernride in Germany, Kalmar in Finland and Westwell in China already shuttle trailers in distribution yards and terminals. Automated charging closes the loop - robotic connectors from Rocsys at ports, conductive underbody couplers from Easelink, and the inductive pads Tesla has said Cybercab will use. Aurora runs driverless trucks out of terminals in Dallas and Houston, covered on the AustinIO page on Texas autonomous freight deployments.
Robotaxi depot maneuvers, charger interfaces and safety standards for driverless vehicles inside a depot are covered on Fleet Autonomy Depot Integration; this page covers yard autonomy as an industry: where it runs, who supplies it and how depots adopt it.
Deployments
Reference deployments
Ports and mines combine electric drive, automation and on-site energy at scale; airports and distribution yards are following.
| Site | Country | Autonomy | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maasvlakte II (APM Terminals, Rotterdam World Gateway) | Netherlands | Automated cranes, battery-electric lift AGVs | Automated battery exchange or plug charging |
| Yangshan Phase IV | China | Fully automated terminal; ZPMC cranes and AGVs | Lithium-battery AGVs, shore power |
| Qingdao Qianwan automated terminal | China | Automated cranes and AGVs | Electric AGVs; hydrogen-powered cranes trialed |
| Tianjin Port Section C | China | Autonomous electric horizontal-transport trucks | Wind and solar on site, marketed as a zero-carbon terminal |
| Pilbara iron ore mines (Rio Tinto, Fortescue, BHP) | Australia | Autonomous haul trucks, drills and trains; Gudai-Darri operated remotely | Battery-electric haul trucks in trials; large solar and storage |
| Inner Mongolia open-pit coal mines | China | Autonomous electric mining trucks (Waytous, EACON) | Battery-electric and swap trucks |
| Hong Kong International Airport | China (Hong Kong) | Autonomous electric baggage tractors (UISEE) | Airside charging |
Use cases
Yard tasks and who automates them
| Use case | Status | Suppliers |
|---|---|---|
| Trailer moves (yard trucks) | Commercial in distribution yards and terminals | Outrider, ISEE, Fernride, Kalmar, Westwell |
| Container horizontal transport | Mature at automated terminals | ZPMC, Konecranes, Kalmar, Westwell |
| Automated parking and staging | Robotaxi depots; pilots elsewhere | AV developers' own software |
| Robotic and wireless charging | Pilots moving to production | Rocsys, Easelink, Tesla (inductive), WiTricity |
| Inspection and support robots | Pilots | Boston Dynamics Spot, Unitree, ANYbotics |
Adoption
How depots adopt yard autonomy
| Stage | Characteristics | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Assisted | Human drivers with cameras, guidance and digital yard maps | Most electric depots today |
| Zoned autonomy | Driverless vehicles on defined routes or zones | Autonomous yard trucks; AMRs in warehouses |
| Mixed-mode | Humans and driverless vehicles share lanes under zoning rules | Robotaxi depots with technicians on site |
| Autonomy-dominant | Nearly all moves automated; humans supervise and repair | Automated container terminals |
Sources
Sources and scope
- Scope
- Autonomous Yards
- Sources
- Port of Rotterdam; Rio Tinto; Shanghai International Port Group; Qingdao Port; Tianjin Port; company announcements
- Updated
- October 2026