The Port of Antwerp-Bruges has marked a milestone in autonomous transport with the country’s first public road demonstration of a fully autonomous heavy truck, operated by Swedish technology firm Einride.
A landmark event at the Autonomous Summit
The debut took place during the inaugural Port of the Future – Autonomous Summit, which gathered technology providers, port operators, and policymakers to showcase autonomous innovations across land, sea, and air. Over twenty live demonstrations included drones, unmanned vessels, remote-controlled vehicles, and container shuttles, highlighting the port’s role as a testbed for emerging mobility solutions.
The highlight came when Einride presented its cabless truck, operating entirely without a driver on the public road network within the port area. The vehicle relies on radar, LIDAR, and cameras for a 360-degree field of vision, supported by an AI-driven control tower capable of supervising multiple units at once. This marks the first approval and operation of a level 4 autonomous truck in Belgium, extending Einride’s previous rollouts in Sweden and the United States.
Efficiency, safety, and emissions focus
Autonomy in logistics is being positioned as more than a technological showcase. In a port environment handling vast cargo volumes daily, the push for automation is seen as a way to cut waiting times, reduce risk exposure for workers, and support sustainability goals by lowering emissions and optimizing resources.
Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of Port of Antwerp-Bruges, emphasized that autonomy is no longer abstract: “With this milestone, we show that autonomy in our port is not a distant vision. Autonomous solutions already make us smarter, safer, and more sustainable.”
Johan Klaps, chairman of the port authority, underlined the role of innovation in competitiveness: “Antwerp is more than a logistics hub: it’s also a place where tomorrow’s mobility is tested and implemented. Solutions like Einride’s prove that innovation is a driver for economic growth.”
European context and regulatory backing
The port’s efforts are aligned with broader European strategies to accelerate the adoption of connected and automated mobility. Regulatory sandboxes supported by EU, federal, and Flemish authorities provide controlled environments where such technologies can be trialed at scale.
Jean-Luc Crucke, Belgium’s Minister of Mobility, Climate and Ecological Transition, noted: “With the approval of the first level 4 autonomous truck in Belgium, we are moving toward safer transport and showing that our country can play a leading role in future mobility.”
From the European Commission’s side, Andrea De Candido, representing the Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility (CCAM) initiative, linked the development to EU ambitions: “What we see in Antwerp aligns perfectly with Europe’s goals: to develop innovative technologies that are efficient, safe, sustainable, and scalable.”
For Einride, the step into Belgium marks its second European market. Henrik Green, CTO and General Manager of Einride Autonomous Technologies, said the achievement illustrates the value of public-private collaboration: “European ports like Antwerp-Bruges are essential to decarbonizing logistics and securing supply chains. Today shows how innovation and regulation can be balanced for safer and more efficient transport.
