How long does a typical pilot take?

A typical WOX Relay deployment is operational within 6–10 weeks from site assessment to go-live. The pilot evaluation period depends on your organisation's requirements — typically 3–6 months to gather meaningful performance data.

How many vehicles do I need for a pilot?

A pilot can start with a single vehicle on a single route. This minimises upfront investment and allows you to evaluate performance before committing to a larger fleet.

What support does WOX provide during a pilot?

WOX provides end-to-end deployment support — site assessment, infrastructure installation, software configuration, operator training and go-live support. Ongoing support is available after go-live.

What if the pilot does not meet our expectations?

WOX recommends a detailed site assessment and use case evaluation before committing to a deployment. If the pilot does not meet expectations, WOX works with the organisation to identify the root cause and determine whether adjustments can address the issues.

Guide 2026-07-13 9 min read

How to Plan an
Autonomous Delivery Pilot

A well-planned pilot is the most effective way to evaluate autonomous delivery for your operation. This guide covers the key steps — from initial assessment through to go-live and scale-up — and the questions you should ask before committing to a deployment.

Step 1: Define the Use Case

Before anything else, define the specific logistics task you want to automate. The best pilot use cases are repetitive, high-volume routes with a clear start and end point — pharmacy to ward, terminal to gate, warehouse to production line. Avoid starting with complex, variable or exception-heavy routes. A clear, simple use case gives you the best chance of a successful pilot.

Choose a repetitive, high-volume route

Define clear origin and destination points

Estimate current manual cost for the route

Identify the key performance metrics you want to measure

Confirm the route is within a controlled operating environment

Step 2: Site Assessment

A site assessment is the foundation of a successful deployment. WOX engineers survey the operating area — mapping routes, identifying infrastructure requirements, assessing surface conditions and evaluating any regulatory requirements. The site assessment produces a deployment plan that confirms feasibility and outlines the infrastructure needed.

Step 3: Define Success Metrics

Before the pilot begins, define what success looks like. Typical metrics include: cost per delivery (autonomous vs manual), mission completion rate, delivery time consistency, fleet utilisation and staff time freed from transport tasks. Having clear metrics before the pilot makes it easier to evaluate results and build the business case for scale-up.

Step 4: Infrastructure and Integration

Autonomous delivery requires charging infrastructure and, in many cases, software integration with existing operational systems. Charging stations must be installed before the fleet goes live. If you want automated mission creation from your WMS or ERP, integration must be configured and tested. Allow time for infrastructure and integration in your deployment plan.

Step 5: Operator Training

Your operations team needs to be trained on the fleet management platform before go-live. Training covers mission creation, fleet monitoring, alert response and remote operations procedures. WOX provides training during deployment. Plan for ongoing refresher training as new staff join the operations team.

Step 6: Go Live and Measure

Start the pilot with a limited fleet and a single route. Monitor performance closely in the first weeks — mission completion rates, delivery times, battery management and any operational issues. Use the fleet management platform's analytics to track performance against your defined success metrics. Address any issues before expanding the fleet or adding routes.

Step 7: Scale Up

Once the pilot route is performing consistently, expand to additional routes and increase fleet size. Use the data from the pilot to build the business case for scale-up — demonstrating cost savings, operational improvement and ROI. A successful pilot is the strongest argument for broader autonomous logistics adoption.

Summary

A successful autonomous delivery pilot starts with a clear use case, a thorough site assessment and defined success metrics. Infrastructure and integration must be in place before go-live. Start with a limited fleet on a single route, measure performance carefully and use the data to build the case for scale-up.

FAQ