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Estonia has just become home to the first fully autonomous truck fleet in Europe, which operates without safety drivers at a major commercial port, writes Forbes. At the HHLA TK Estonia terminal in Muuga, near Tallinn, German startup FERNRIDE has officially launched driverless operations of terminal tractors.
And it isn’t just another tech demo. These are real commercial operations at one of the Baltic’s busiest logistics hubs, where the autonomous trucks can now handle cargo movements 24/7. Muuga port features 29 quays totalling 6.4 km in length, accommodating vessels up to 300 meters long and processing up to 20–30 million tons of cargo annually.
To have this up and going, Estonia once again proved itself as the best test bed for next-gen industrial and tech innovations. Estonia’s Transport Administration (ETA) worked closely with FERNRIDE to approve the driverless operations, reviewing extensive safety documentation and test reports. The location is strategic, as the HHLA TK Estonia terminal in Muuga handles everything from general cargo to bulk materials and connects to international rail networks.
FERNRIDE’s approach is notably different from that of autonomous highway trucks. Instead of replacing human drivers entirely, they use “human-assisted autonomy”—remote operators can take control when needed. The Munich-based company, founded in 2020 by Hendrik Kramer, Maximilian Fisser, and Jean-Michael Georg, has raised over $60 million and spent years developing their system. Their client list includes major names like Volkswagen, HHLA, and DB Schenker.
FERNRIDE also became the first company to receive TÜV SÜD certification for an autonomous terminal tractor under the EU Machinery Directive, a rigorous safety standard that includes over 2.8 million automated software tests weekly, up to 80 physical test scenarios daily, 1,200 full-system validation tests, and more than 4,800 software test cases covering edge conditions. This testing occurred over two years of daily operations at customer sites.
Three FERNRIDE tractors are currently operating at the Estonian terminal, with structured training programs helping on-site personnel transition to fully driverless operations. “This is a defining moment not only for FERNRIDE but for the entire autonomous logistics industry in Europe,” said CEO Hendrik Kramer.
