Clips of driverless delivery vans in China forcing their way through roadworks, damaged streets, and traffic obstacles have gone viral, turning the autonomous vehicles into an online meme.
The videos show unmanned vans getting stuck on broken roads, driving straight through freshly poured concrete despite workers trying to stop them, struggling over uneven ground, and even continuing to move with a motorcycle wedged under one of the wheel arches. In every clip, the vehicle appears to keep going despite the obstruction.
The footage has spread widely across social media, with captions joking that “nothing stops them,” as viewers point out the vans’ apparent inability to respond to unexpected situations.
The vehicles featured are part of China’s fast-growing autonomous delivery network. Major logistics companies have been rolling out self-driving vans in both cities and rural areas as they push to automate last-mile deliveries.
Courier firms such as ZTO Express and J&T Express have reportedly deployed thousands of these vehicles over the past two years, according to state and industry sources.
Most of the vans operate on fixed routes between delivery hubs and neighborhood drop-off points, usually at low speeds and under remote human supervision.
They typically rely on cameras, radar, and pre-mapped routes rather than fully autonomous driving systems. While operators can step in remotely when problems arise, the viral clips suggest that some situations still lead to errors or delays.
China has actively supported autonomous delivery as part of a broader push toward logistics automation, especially in regions facing labor shortages or surging delivery demand.
So far, the clips circulating online have not been accompanied by official statements from the companies involved, and it remains unclear whether the incidents caused damage or required manual recovery.