FERNRIDE has become the first company in Europe to receive TÜV SÜD certification for an autonomous terminal tractor, marking a major milestone in autonomous logistics safety and compliance.

This certification, approved by the Estonian Transport Administration, enables FERNRIDE to market its CE-marked autonomous equipment across the European Union and internationally.

Fernride’s CEO, Hendrik Kramer, emphasized that this achievement sets new safety standards for autonomous logistics and supports the commercial viability of autonomous port operations in Europe.

The partnership with HHLA aims to make supply chains more resilient by automating dangerous and repetitive tasks, addressing driver shortages, and enhancing safety and efficiency at ports.

FERNRIDE’s approach involves supporting and training existing workers to operate autonomous trucks, fostering collaboration rather than remote operation services.

The certification process involved identifying and mitigating over 5,000 potential risks through extensive testing, safety functions like hazard zone monitoring, and independent audits.

HHLA TK Estonia’s CEO, Riia Sillave, highlighted that this development signifies a major evolution in terminal operations by integrating autonomous technology with employee engagement.

FERNRIDE’s autonomous yard trucks utilize a human-assisted autonomy approach, allowing remote takeovers to enhance safety, efficiency, and reduce emissions, without needing human drivers.

The deployment includes autonomous terminal tractors at HHLA Tallinn, with plans for a structured rollout to fully driverless operations, demonstrating a successful transition.

The certification and deployment at HHLA Tallinn serve as a proof of concept for scaling autonomous terminal trucking across Europe and beyond, with plans for dozens of terminals and thousands of trucks.

FERNRIDE’s pilot at the HHLA Tallinn terminal involves three autonomous trucks, marking a significant step toward driverless port logistics and a safe, incremental transition.

This achievement positions FERNRIDE as a leader in autonomous port vehicles, with ongoing collaboration to expand driverless operations in port environments.

The milestone could establish new safety and compliance benchmarks for autonomous trucking in ports and promote growth in the industrial autonomy market amid active competition in the U.S. and Europe.

Achieving this certification involved rigorous testing, including over 2.8 million weekly software tests, 80 physical tests daily, and 1,200 full-system validation tests over two years to ensure safety in real terminal environments.