Gideon’s TREY Autonomous Forklift Can Load and Unload Trailers

Automated Warehouse reported Nov. 11, 2026, that Gideon’s autonomous forklift TREY can load and unload pallets inside trailers from start to finish and is available in North America. In an announcement dated Oct. 7, 2026, Gideon cited docks receiving more than 30 trailers a day as a target use case and said the system can handle up to 28 pallets per hour, or 224 in eight hours.

For warehouses and manufacturing sites seeking to automate trailer loading and unloading, TREY offers an option that combines cargo-configuration recognition with pallet-handling capabilities. Gideon says the system is intended for docks receiving more than 30 trailers a day and requires no facility changes. Operators evaluating its suitability will need to compare those throughput conditions with the actual level of human intervention and safety requirements in their environments.

TREY’s focus is not only its maximum throughput of 28 pallets per hour, but also its ability to handle variations in cargo configurations inside trailers and automate the loading and unloading process continuously. Gideon says the system can handle more than 119 cargo configurations and describes features that recognize factors such as cargo orientation and dunnage inside trailers. Rather than simply following a prescribed route, the system’s ability to assess the state of the goods being handled and select its next action is likely to be a condition for dock operations. In Boston Dynamics unveils Stretch Gen 2, covered by this newspaper, the focus was on the utilization and maintenance efficiency of an unloading robot. TREY handles both loading and unloading trailers and transports goods as a forklift. Because the two systems target different tasks and use different machines, comparisons should distinguish not only throughput but also the cargo configurations they handle, the frequency of stops and human intervention, and maintenance requirements. The technology combines image recognition to identify cargo configurations and orientation with sensor fusion to enhance awareness of the surroundings, while fleet-management software coordinates dock operations for multiple machines. Gideon also describes a feature that lets TREY share congested areas and staging locations with manually operated forklifts, then resume work in areas that become available. This suggests a design that incorporates automation into sites where people and existing operations remain, rather than replacing them with facilities dedicated entirely to automated machines. Safety features, including 360-degree scanners and an emergency stop, are a separate element from cargo-handling capacity and help enable operations in environments where people and equipment are nearby. The handling of operational data is another point to watch. Gideon says the fleet-management software’s analytics dashboard records the number of loads handled, robot speed and performance, and worker interventions, and that it saves timestamped images during pallet handling. These records can be used to review performance across shifts and audit inventory, but the announcement does not say that the data is used to retrain models. Items to verify going forward include utilization at individual sites, records of stops and interventions, performance by cargo configuration, and the scope of compliance with each safety standard. How the published maximum capacity holds up under actual dock conditions will also be a measure for evaluation.

TREY comes in medium and large models. The large model has a 6,000-pound capacity and runs for 10 hours on one charge; the medium model has a 3,500-pound capacity and runs for 12 hours. Gideon says the system can identify and handle more than 119 cargo configurations and is compatible with dry vans, refrigerated trailers, drop decks and intermodal trailers. It charges automatically between work cycles. The control system combines image-based recognition and sensor fusion, using onboard binocular stereo cameras to capture depth information. For safety, two laser scanners establish a 360-degree safety zone, and an onboard safety controller monitors safety-related inputs. Gideon says the system complies with ANSI/ITSDF B56.5-2019 and ISO 3691-4:2023. The company says no costly changes to facilities, docks or trailers are needed for deployment, and that the fleet-management software can integrate with a WMS or WES or operate independently.