Breaking

Class I Railroad Deploys 130+ Autonomous Yard Trucks by 2027

A major Class I railroad will operate more than 130 driverless container trucks across eight intermodal facilities by 2027, marking significant expansion of autonomous yard operations in North America. Boston-based Venti Technologies successfully operated driverless vehicles at Singapore's PSA port for nearly three years before adapting its technology for U.S. terminals. The company developed autonomous backing capabilities—a complex maneuver that Singapore's circular traffic pattern never required. The railroad greenlit full deployment after a three-month pilot at two of its busiest facilities demonstrated all performance metrics within six weeks. Venti's vehicles will load, move, and unload containers during live yard operations without operators in the cab. They navigate railroad crossings and traffic signals independently, treating signals just as human drivers do. The deployment addresses chronic driver shortages in intermodal yards, with some regions experiencing monthly turnover rates near 20 percent. Venti projects the fleet could exceed 600 trucks by 2030.