FedEx is moving forward with a major automation initiative designed to tackle one of the most physically demanding and unpredictable tasks in logistics: unloading trailers.
The company plans to deploy Berkshire Grey’s new autonomous robotic system, known as Scoop, across its parcel handling operations beginning later in 2026. The rollout follows a multi-year collaboration between FedEx and the AI-driven robotics firm.
A New Era for Trailer Unloading
Trailer unloading has historically been a labor-intensive process that presents variability and physical risk for workers. Packages of many shapes and sizes shift in transit, and workers must crawl into trailers to manually move items out, a task that’s both unpredictable and physically strenuous. FedEx executives have characterized these conditions as among the most challenging within parcel hub operations.
The Scoop system, developed by Berkshire Grey, is designed to change that. Powered by what the companies describe as physical AI, the robot can autonomously navigate inside trailers, recognize diverse package types, handle them appropriately, and unload them in a continuous flow. Once a trailer is emptied, the system exits on its own.
FedEx has been piloting the technology at an undisclosed facility where multiple Scoop units are being tested. The first production systems are expected to be in operation later in 2026, with plans to expand deployment to additional facilities within the same year.
Partnership and Technology Integration
The Scoop project builds on a longstanding partnership between FedEx and Berkshire Grey. In 2021, FedEx deployed Berkshire Grey’s robotic sortation and identification systems to automate the handling of small packages. This was followed by a 2022 agreement to develop broader artificial intelligence-driven robotic capabilities for the carrier’s operations.
Key innovations of the Scoop system include:
- AI-driven autonomy: It uses advanced sensing and decision-making to safely maneuver inside trailers with mixed package loads.
- Continuous bulk unloading: Rather than handling one item at a time, the robot is designed for a continuous flow approach that improves throughput efficiency.
- Safety-centric design: Scoop supports human intervention when needed and is built for safe integration into existing facilities.
The system is also engineered for “minimal facility impact,” meaning it can be integrated without requiring significant changes to existing dock infrastructures.
Strategic and Operational Impact
For FedEx, the introduction of autonomous trailer unloading is part of a broader effort to enhance workplace safety and operational resilience. Unloading trailers is widely regarded as one of the most physically demanding and injury-prone tasks in logistics. Automating this process can help reduce workplace injuries and related costs while improving consistency and throughput in inbound package flow.
Enhanced automation also aligns with broader labor and efficiency challenges across logistics networks. With fluctuating labor availability and intensifying demand for rapid throughput, technologies like Scoop aim to supplement human workforces, allowing workers to focus on less strenuous and more value-added tasks.
Competitors such as UPS, Amazon and Walmart have similarly invested in robotics and automation across fulfillment and distribution hubs, signaling an industry-wide push toward higher automation levels. FedEx’s deployment of the Scoop system underscores the increasing role robotics is playing in next-generation supply chain operations.
Looking Ahead
As FedEx transitions from pilot to broader implementation of the Scoop system, the logistics sector will be watching closely. The success of large-scale autonomous unloading could redefine expectations for material handling performance and safety in high-volume environments.
For supply chain leaders evaluating automation investments, this initiative highlights how AI-enabled robotics can tackle not just repetitive picking tasks but also complex, variable workflows previously thought too difficult to automate effectively.
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Dan Craft
Dan Craft
