The logistics experts at 3PL provider YMX know a thing or three about running an efficient fleet, but even they are feeling the nationwide shortage of qualified yard operators. To help keep the goods moving and the wheels turning, the company is turning to self-driving, zero-emission yard trucks at customer sites as part of a new pilot with AI startup Outrider.
Under a new five-year commercial agreement, YMX will operate the autonomous Outrider System on its fleet of all-electric Orange EV yard dogs in large enterprise customer yards starting this year. The updated, self-driving Class 8 heavy trucks promise to deliver safer, more productive supply chain operations to both the 3PL and its customers.
“Outrider’s self-driving yard trucks are a strategic addition to our Autonomous Yard Operating System, expanding how we use technology to execute yard operations and create value for our customers,” explains Matt Yearling, CEO of YMX Logistics. “We selected Outrider because of its industry-leading approach to system safety, use of advanced AI capabilities across diverse yard environments, and operational maturity.”
Cooking, WITHOUT gas
Orange EVs in YMX blue; via YMX.
This agreement between YMX and Outrider moves both companies forward in race to electrify their operations and shield their customers from increasingly volatile – and expensive – diesel fuel pries (sitting at a $6.38/gallon national average this week). And, because Outrider designed its self driving system on the same Orange EV electric yard truck platform already deployed by YMX, its customers have a relatively straightforward path ahead to achieve the benefits of both automation and electrification without needing to become experts in either.
“Large shippers are focused on running complex operations and often lack the time and resources to evaluate, deploy, and support new technologies themselves. At the same time, supply chain executives and site personnel are eager for safer, more productive yards,” said Andrew Smith, CEO of Outrider. “YMX has built an exceptional business around delivering turnkey, integrated technology and operating services to enterprise customers. The YMX and Outrider partnership gives enterprise shippers a simple path to deploy and scale physical AI across their yard operations.”
To get the Orange EVs to drive themselves, Outrider equips the trucks with an advanced tech suite that includes all the necessary basics – LiDAR, radar, and cameras – feeding into an AI-powered perception system running on NVIDIA DRIVE hardware. The setup gives the trucks 360-degree situational awareness and lets them identify, track and safely navigate around everything from trailers and other trucks to pallets and people, while Outrider’s proprietary software handles the actual driving.
It’s worth noting, also, that despite not necessarily needing to certify its off-highway autonomy with NHTSA, TÜV SÜD, a globally recognized (and arguably far stricter) independent testing and certification organization determined that Outrider’s functional safety aligns with its Autonomous Vehicle Conformity Framework requirements.
SOURCE | IMAGES: YMX.
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