An automatic tire loader/unloader for stacking/unstacking tires in a trailer, the automatic tire loader/unloader comprising: a mobile base structure having first and second ends (66, 64); a drive subassembly coupled to the mobile base, the drive subassembly including a plurality of wheels (250, 252, 284) for steering and driving the mobile base; a conveyance subassembly disposed on the mobile base, the conveyance subassembly including a powered transportation path operable for transporting tires between the first end and the second end; an industrial robot disposed at the second end of the mobile base, the industrial robot providing selective articulated movement of an end effector between the powered transportation path and a reachable space such that the industrial robot is operable to place the tires in the reachable space; a distance measurement subassembly disposed at the second end, the distance measurement subassembly configured to determine presence of objects within a detection space, wherein the detection space and the reachable space at least partially overlap; a control subassembly mounted to the mobile base structure, the control subassembly being in communication with the drive subassembly, the industrial robot, and the distance measurement subassembly, the control subassembly coordinating the selective articulated movement of the industrial robot and the activation of the drive subassembly based upon the distance measurement subassembly detecting objects within the detection space, dimensions of the trailer provided to the control subassembly, and dimensions of the tires provided to the control subassembly; and the control subassembly including a memory accessible to a processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed cause the processor to: specify a search operation to identify a tire skyline including an active quadrant, specify a search operation to identify a hole and hump of an adjacent tire pair within the active quadrant, specify a search operation to identify the sequential tire placement direction, and calculate instructions for executing a rick-rack stacking pattern of tires. a mobile base structure having first and second ends (66, 64); a drive subassembly coupled to the mobile base, the drive subassembly including a plurality of wheels (250, 252, 284) for steering and driving the mobile base; a conveyance subassembly disposed on the mobile base, the conveyance subassembly including a powered transportation path operable for transporting tires between the first end and the second end; an industrial robot disposed at the second end of the mobile base, the industrial robot providing selective articulated movement of an end effector between the powered transportation path and a reachable space such that the industrial robot is operable to place the tires in the reachable space; a distance measurement subassembly disposed at the second end, the distance measurement subassembly configured to determine presence of objects within a detection space, wherein the detection space and the reachable space at least partially overlap; a control subassembly mounted to the mobile base structure, the control subassembly being in communication with the drive subassembly, the industrial robot, and the distance measurement subassembly, the control subassembly coordinating the selective articulated movement of the industrial robot and the activation of the drive subassembly based upon the distance measurement subassembly detecting objects within the detection space, dimensions of the trailer provided to the control subassembly, and dimensions of the tires provided to the control subassembly; and the control subassembly including a memory accessible to a processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed cause the processor to: specify a search operation to identify a tire skyline including an active quadrant, specify a search operation to identify a hole and hump of an adjacent tire pair within the active quadrant, specify a search operation to identify the sequential tire placement direction, and calculate instructions for executing a rick-rack stacking pattern of tires. specify a search operation to identify a tire skyline including an active quadrant, specify a search operation to identify a hole and hump of an adjacent tire pair within the active quadrant, specify a search operation to identify the sequential tire placement direction, and calculate instructions for executing a rick-rack stacking pattern of tires.