Automation Beyond AI: The Future of the Autonomous Yard

Autonomous trucks continue to make a name for themselves in limited applications for over-the-road transportation, with companies like Waymo, Kodiak, Gatik, and TuSimple in various stages of testing and deployment. Testing of autonomous deliveries to warehouse and manufacturing facilities is already happening, often with safety drivers onboard.

The facility yard is also in the process of becoming an autonomous hub, as Outrider, Phantom Auto, Locomation, and Gaussin are building self-driving yard trucks to bring greater efficiency to yard operations. Autonomous vehicles across the logistics spectrum were featured prominently at the recent Manifest 2025 conference in Las Vegas.

As deployment of autonomous trucks and yard vehicles increases, yard automation must evolve to accommodate them. Existing systems powering self-service gate access, digital driver workflows, and e-documentation need to sync in real-time with autonomous vehicles in order to provide the maximum performance benefit, reduce operating costs and enable the overall autonomous revolution at scale.  

After all, you are unlikely to see a human being handing a paper document to an autonomous truck to enable them to enter the facility, as is common practice today.

How Yard Automation and Autonomous Vehicles Will Work Together

The expectations of what autonomous trucks are going to do upon arrival must merge with those of the facility’s operations team. This requires yard automation technology that functions as a digital operating system. Through interfacing with the truck’s OS, it translates the facility’s expectations into what the truck needs to know to execute effectively in the yard. This “translation engine” must be able to work seamlessly across yards with different requirements and various autonomous trucking platforms.

Put another way, to unlock the full value of self-driving trucks and autonomous yard vehicles,  the facility itself must become digitally intelligent.

Self-Driving Trucks and Spotters Need a Digital Yard

Autonomous vehicles don’t operate in a vacuum. They rely on precision, timing, and digital synchronization. Whether fully autonomous or a hybrid yard, advanced infrastructure is needed to support communication and automation. From the moment an autonomous truck approaches the gate, yard automation systems must guide it through access control, loading, staging, and exit.

Automated Gate Entry, Digital Load Assignments, Real-Time Navigation

Smart access control systems identify an approaching truck and trailer, validate its credentials, and initiate check-in. The YMS is notified, assigning a dock and generating route instructions. Inside the yard, AI-based navigation systems help vehicles move safely and efficiently, making real-time adjustments based on changes in traffic patterns, dock availability, and yard layout.

Geofencing, Yard Vision, and AI Communicate with Autonomous Assets

Geofencing and AI-based vision systems collect real-time environmental data. Embedded sensors or yard cameras capture data and share information on trailer location, dock status, and yard worker activity. The AI is able to make split-second decisions in order to coordinate traffic, assign yard resources, and reroute vehicles as needed.

Streamlining the Autonomous Experience

At the gate, autonomous or human-driven trucks interact with mobile devices, a digital kiosk and/or onboard telematics / operating systems to verify identity, load details, and delivery times. Through integration with TMS and WMS, the system syncs arrival data with dock and labor availability. In a fully autonomous scenario, the check-in process is entirely contactless, allowing robotic systems to take over from entry to departure.

Digital Workflows for Load Assignments and Dock Scheduling

Once inside the yard, dock assignment is determined by AI based on priority, equipment compatibility, capacity and many other variables. Flow is optimized by minimizing unnecessary trailer moves. Autonomous spotters receive instructions from the system and execute trailer movements. The result is faster turn times and more efficient use of yard space.

E-Documents for Autonomous Handoffs

With minimal human involvement, eBOLs, ePOD, and digital invoicing ensure a smooth transition between inbound and outbound logistics. Documents are instantly shared with all stakeholders via secure cloud-based systems. This paperless handoff is fast and accurate, backing up regulatory compliance and audit readiness.  

Documentation management in an autonomous world is still a moving target given all of the parties involved.  However, suffice it to say, chain of custody transfers must still occur, be surfaceable to the necessary parties (e.g. highway patrol, etc.) and the entire process must be automated and digital. 

Key Technologies Behind Yard Automation/Autonomous Truck Integration

An AI-powered YMS monitors every yard asset in real time, enhancing visibility, optimizing routes, preventing congestion, and maintaining safe distances between vehicles. Smart vision systems and LIDAR sensors enhance spatial awareness, so autonomous and human-driven vehicles can operate safely in shared environments.

Autonomous Vehicle Coordination and AI-Driven Routing

Self-driving trucks and yard spotters communicate continuously with the yard ecosystem. Using vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technology, they share data on location, ETA, and load status. AI systems analyze this data to dynamically adjust routes, prioritize movements, and balance traffic flow.

Secure Contactless Freight Handoffs

As safety and compliance standards evolve, secure digital handoffs are becoming the norm. Advanced authentication tools verify delivery and pickup credentials, eliminating manual signatures. E-documentation is time stamped and stored for immediate access, making every transaction traceable, secure, and compliant.

Overcoming Operational Challenges

Hybrid yards with both human and autonomous operators present a unique challenge, requiring tight orchestration between manned and unmanned vehicles. Geofenced zones, dynamic speed controls, and sensor-triggered alerts keep vehicles operating safely even in mixed environments. Training staff to coexist with autonomous systems helps teams understand and trust the new technology.

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance and Security

Autonomous operations don’t exempt facilities from regulatory oversight. Digital safety checks must be built into automated systems to ensure speed limits, routing rules, and access controls are followed. Documentation must align with DOT, EPA, FDA, CBP, and other relevant agency standards. Security protocols include encrypted communications and user authentication to protect sensitive freight data.

Building Scalable Infrastructure for Growth

A fully autonomous yard isn’t built overnight. It requires scalable infrastructure, cloud computing, edge processing, 5G, real-time data sharing, and API connections to integrate with legacy platforms.

Investments in AI-based intelligent yard systems helps future-proof operations. As the autonomous ecosystem evolves, facilities will need agile technology that can adapt to new vehicle models, regulations, and customer demands.

Yard Automation and Autonomous Vehicles: The Perfect Pairing

In the not-too-distant future, we will see full integration of yard automation and autonomous vehicle technology, opening the door to new levels of efficiency, economy, and precision. Companies that invest in digital workflows, automation and AI-driven scheduling will be ahead of the curve on logistics innovation.

FreightRoll’s innovative, AI-enabled yard operating system is at the forefront of this transformation, with technology that optimizes driver-yard interactions. Its solutions for self-serve gate check-in/checkout (digitalGUARD), chain-of-custody tracking (digitalBOL), driver communication (digitalCOMMS), and Dock Coordinator / yard spotter workflow automation and visibility tool (digitalYMS) simplify operations, reduce paperwork, and eliminate errors.

This solution generates efficiency now, in a human-based world, and sets yards up to transition to an autonomous world through tight carrier integrations, autonomous-proof yard orchestration and collaborative data sharing capabilities.

To learn more about how we’re powering the automated yard of the future, contact FreightRoll today.