AUTOMATION

FedEx and Dexterity Expand Physical AI Deployment for Autonomous Trailer Loading at Hagerstown Hub

Insider Brief

  • FedEx and Dexterity are expanding deployment of Dexterity’s Foresight world model and Mech trailer-loading robots at the FedEx Hagerstown Hub in Maryland, moving the technology beyond an earlier pilot into larger-scale operations.
  • The companies said the program will evaluate how physical AI performs in trailer loading and how it integrates with destination planning, trailer assignment, maintenance and workforce processes across broader hub operations.
  • Dexterity’s dual-armed Mech robot uses the Foresight world model to combine vision, depth and touch and optimize package placement for space, stability and speed inside trailers.

FedEx and Dexterity are expanding their collaboration to deploy Dexterity’s Foresight world model and Mech trailer-loading robots at the FedEx Hagerstown Hub in Maryland, moving the technology beyond an earlier pilot into larger-scale operations.

According to the companies, the deployment builds on several years of joint development, testing and operational validation. The Hagerstown program will focus on safety, consistency and performance as the systems are used at a significantly larger operational scale.

“FedEx has a long history of using technology to make our network safer, smarter, and more resilient,” said FedEx’s executive vice president, planning, engineering, and transformation Kawal Preet. “This expanded collaboration with Dexterity reflects our commitment to advancing capabilities that improve how we operate today while helping prepare our network for the future. As we continue evaluating and deploying physical AI in real-world environments, we see opportunities to enhance the speed, reliability, and flexibility of our network, creating long-term value for our business and customers.”

The companies pointed out that trailer loading is one of the most physically demanding aspects in parcel logistics, and it requires strength, endurance and real-time problem-solving. The companies said the process has historically been difficult to automate using traditional systems and FedEx loads tens of thousands of trailers each day across its U.S. network.

The expanded program is intended to evaluate not only how physical AI performs in trailer loading, but also how it fits into other parts of hub operations including destination planning, trailer assignment, maintenance and workforce processes.

Dexterity’s Mech robot, a dual-armed system designed for heavy industrial operations while remaining compact enough to work inside trailers, is powered by Foresight, a world model designed to make real-time decisions in dynamic environments. It does this by combining vision, depth and touch to predict how robot actions will affect the physical world. For trailer loading, the system reasons across three spatial dimensions and time to optimize package placement for space, stability and speed across a range of operating conditions, according to FedEx and Dexterity.

“FedEx has been an extraordinary partner, bringing deep operational expertise, an unwavering focus on safety, and a clear vision for how physical AI fits into the future of logistics,” noted Dexterity founder and CEO Samir Menon, PhD. “Hagerstown represents an important milestone in demonstrating how physical AI can operate reliably in a high-volume logistics environment, creating a blueprint for network expansion. This technology is not just a future promise; it can perceive, decide, and act in the real world today.”

Image credit: Dexterity

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