YMX Logistics and Outrider have signed a five-year commercial agreement under which YMX will finance, operate, and support fleets of Outrider’s self-driving, zero-emission yard trucks at enterprise customer sites. Announced this week, the non-exclusive partnership pairs Outrider‘s autonomous yard technology with the integrated yard services of YMX Logistics, which the companies say gives shippers a turnkey path to automating trailer spotting with less deployment complexity and lower capital requirements. Outrider describes the deal as its most comprehensive channel relationship to date.
Highlights
- Five-year term: The non-exclusive commercial agreement covers deployment of Outrider self-driving yard trucks at YMX customer sites.
- Four target sectors: Initial deployments will focus on food and beverage, retail, consumer packaged goods, and automotive customers, starting this year.
- YMX-financed fleets: YMX will finance and operate the autonomous fleets and price by capacity rather than by the hour.
- Fuel cost driver: The companies cite U.S. on-highway diesel averaging $6.38 per gallon the week of September 28, 2026.
How Will YMX and Outrider Divide Responsibilities?
The agreement splits the work along operational lines:
- YMX Logistics leads customer implementations, finances and operates the self-driving fleets, and provides on-site support.
- Outrider supports deployments and provides ongoing remote monitoring and technical support.
- Both companies jointly handle site planning, deployment execution, and operating processes, with the stated aim of improving throughput, safety, and sustainability while simplifying the change management that yard automation requires.
YMX CEO Matt Yearling framed the trucks as an extension of his company’s existing platform.
“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,” said Yearling. “We selected Outrider because of its industry-leading approach to system safety, use of advanced AI capabilities across diverse yard environments, and operational maturity.”
YMX OS Adds Autonomous Trailer Moves
YMX’s Autonomous Yard Operating System (YMX OS) combines yard management technology, fleet operations, performance management, and data insights across distribution networks. Outrider’s self-driving yard trucks extend that platform by automating trailer and container movements.
What Do Outrider’s Self-Driving Yard Trucks Automate?
Outrider describes its technology as a purpose-built physical AI system for logistics yards. According to the company, its trucks and software handle:
- Navigation through mixed-traffic yards
- Trailer handling, including locating, moving, hitching, and unhitching trailers
- Precision positioning of trailers at dock doors and parking spots
- Brake-line connection through a robotic system that connects and disconnects trailer brake lines
- Inventory tracking of trailers in real time, with no additional infrastructure
- Charge monitoring of EV status
- System integration with existing yard, warehouse, and transportation management systems
Electrification and Capacity-Based Pricing
The companies position the deal around electrification as well as autonomy. YMX prices its service by capacity rather than by the hour, which the company says lets customers maximize use of EV yard equipment at distribution and manufacturing hubs. Outrider designed its autonomous system for electric yard truck platforms from the outset.
The companies cite rising fuel costs as a factor, noting that U.S. on-highway diesel averaged $6.38 per gallon the week of September 28, 2026.
Outrider CEO Andrew Smith pointed to the resource constraints large shippers face.
“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 Smith. “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.”
Safety Certification Factored Into Selection
System safety was a key factor in YMX’s choice of Outrider, according to the companies. Outrider says it developed the industry’s first safety system purpose-built for driverless yard operations, where self-driving trucks maneuver semi-trailers alongside personnel and manually driven vehicles. Independent testing and certification organization TÜV SÜD determined that Outrider’s functional safety approach aligns with the requirements of its Autonomous Vehicle Conformity Framework.
