A cab-less autonomous truck from Swedish firm Einride is transporting goods in Germany between a Lidl warehouse and distribution centre and a Lidl store.

This is the first cab-less SAE level-four autonomous truck carrying out daily operations on a public road in Germany.

The truck, with no driver or safety operator on board, is now transporting goods under an official permit from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA).

The permit reflects an extensive safety validation process conducted with the KBA, confirming that the technology can operate reliably and safely under real-world conditions on public roads. For Einride and Lidl, it is a step towards bringing forward-looking technology, once confined to pilots and niche use cases, into the mass market and everyday retail.

“Einride is already running real autonomous deliveries, with real volumes on real schedules with customers in the USA and Europe,” said Roozbeh Charli, Einride CEO. “Germany is one of Einride’s key markets, and we’re excited to now bring this technology to public roads in Europe’s largest road transport market, and to prove its value together with Lidl. Germany’s approval process is among the toughest in the world, and obtaining clearance there gives us a foundation to scale with confidence.”

The truck connects a Lidl warehouse and distribution centre directly to a Lidl store. Einride and Lidl in Germany will continue to expand the route towards a full multi-stop milk run model and further deployments are being discussed. The initiative is part of a broader effort to address driver shortages, secure continuity in the flow of goods and strengthen supply chain resiliency across Lidl’s network.

“Intelligence creates efficiency, and that is the backbone for permanently reliable product availability,” said Thomas Dangelmayer, head of operational logistics at Lidl in Germany. “We ensure that the products for our customers are always at the right place, at the right time, and in the right quality.”

The aim is to prove that driverless daily operations can create value now, in one of Europe’s most demanding logistics markets, and bring high-tech innovation into the heart of everyday retail rather than keeping it on the sidelines.

“Autonomous and zero-emission driving has moved from a future vision to a reality on our roads,” said Christian Hirte, parliamentary state secretary to the Federal Minister of Transport. “Lidl and Einride’s joint initiative showcases the innovative strength of modern logistics and of Germany as a business location. We are committed to establishing Germany as a pioneer in the testing and deployment of advanced mobility technologies. Projects like this help to align climate action with economic competitiveness and technological sovereignty.

Founded in Stockholm in 2016, Einride (www.einride.tech) is driving the transition to sustainable, cost-efficient autonomous and electric freight operations. The company’s platform integrates AI-powered freight intelligence, proprietary autonomous technology, and one of the world’s largest electric heavy-duty fleets.

Food retailer Lidl (info.lidl) operates around 12,900 stores in 32 countries worldwide. In Germany, it has 100,000 employees across more than 3250 stores and 39 administrative and distribution centres.