Outpost has announced the launch of its gate automation platform with the technology now available to shippers, enterprise fleets, and terminal operators across the U.S. The truck terminal and automation company has more than 20 truck terminals and drop yards.
Outpost’s gate automation platform uses computer vision and AI to reduce gate operating costs by 70% while capturing 99.9% of gate events with its data. Before bringing the platform to market, the company tested the technology, logging more than 1 million gate events at its locations.
“Outpost is taking the pain out of gate operations,” said Ryan Gass, vice president of safety, terminal management, security and facilities maintenance at Werner Enterprises, in a press release. “Our drivers get through faster, our teams have better visibility, and our equipment is more secure. Using the platform at Outpost and our own terminals gives us cleaner data, faster terminal throughput, and a unified view of our fleet across Werner and Outpost sites. They’re setting a new standard for how all modern facilities should run.”
Gate operations have long been treated as a cost center in the supply chain, with Outpost estimating that staffing a single gate 24 hours a day, seven days a week can cost around $25,000 a month, according to Outpost data. Despite the costs, most facilities struggle with accurate visibility and to measure equipment inventory and conditions.
Manual check-ins and yard checks are a mainstay for yard operations. Another challenge is guard turnover, which is estimated to be around 100% to 300%, according to the Service Employees International Union.
Nationwide, the press release notes this can cost more than $6.7 billion a year. That estimate was collected by a combination of Outpost analysis of facility labor cost benchmarks and national terminal counts derived from government and proprietary data.
Gate security and combating freight fraud are also mentioned, with one-third of cargo thefts occurring at warehouses and distribution centers in 2024, according to Overhaul’s 2024 Cargo Theft Report.
“Outpost’s mission is to build the backbone of freight. Extending our technology footprint from our own properties to our customers’ terminals is the next logical step in achieving that mission,” said Greg Akselrod, Outpost chief technology officer. “By linking carrier terminals and drop yards into a single operational network, we’re enabling a new level of visibility and coordination across the freight ecosystem, turning the gate from a cost center into a strategic control point.”
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