Futuristic Automated Transport Could Be Japan's New Growth Industry

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An expert panel under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has compiled a final report on the realization of "automated logistics roads." Rather than using normal vehicle lanes, these roads would use highway shoulders and other options to automatically transport goods.

MLIT plans to collaborate with private companies to develop the required technology. They are eyeing its introduction on a section of an expressway linking Tokyo and Osaka within roughly the next decade.

Automated transport is being developed amidst growing concerns that an acute shortage of truck drivers will slow logistics within Japan. The use of innovative technologies to compensate for the driver shortage could prove critical in mitigating the impact on daily life and industry. Hopefully, the development of this technology will achieve steady progress.

How It Works

An automated logistics road is a lane set aside for logistics on which unmanned carts transport goods automatically. The envisioned lanes will be located in places such as the shoulders of expressways, on median strips, and underground.

MLIT has been discussing technical issues and other aspects of the project within the expert panel since February 2024. According to the panel's final report, transport of goods will be conducted 24 hours a day at a speed of 70-80 kilometers per hour.

*An autonomous robot delivering food uses the crosswalk to cross the street as it demonstrates its skill to the press in central Tokyo on March 5, 2024. (© Sankei by Kanata Iwasaki)*

Initially, it was planned to transport goods at 30 kilometers per hour. But now the aim is to increase the logistics lane transport speed to that of a cargo truck.

Preparations Underway

Tests of the new transport system are slated to take place during FY2027 on the Shin-Tomei Expressway. A 25-kilometer-long section related to the project is currently under construction between Shin-Hadano (Kanagawa Prefecture) and Shin-Gotemba (Shizuoka Prefecture).

Furthermore, the government must make environmental improvements. However, its aim is to start operations on routes that can be implemented after only small-scale improvements.

Restrictions on overtime work for truck drivers were introduced in April 2024. Since then, the logistics crisis caused by the resulting drop in transportation capacity has been dubbed the "2024 problem." However, thanks to the progress made in terms of joint transport, there have been no serious disruptions to logistics so far.

*An autonomous road roller compacts the ground at the Naruse Dam construction site in Higashinaruse, Akita Prefecture on October 18, 2023. (©Kyodo)*

Nevertheless, due to the rising average age of truck drivers, it is estimated that the amount of cargo that can be transported in FY2030 will decrease by 34% compared to FY2019. Therefore, steady implementation of measures to compensate is essential.

When Automated Transport Starts

When the automated logistics lanes begin operations, they are expected to make up for up to 22% of the cargo that otherwise could not be transported in FY2030.

In May, MLIT established a consortium for the exchange of opinions with private companies on the project. Its topics include the core technologies and business viability requirements for the project. As of the end of July, 104 companies were participating. Public-private demonstration tests will begin this fall.

Other nations, including Switzerland and the United Kingdom, are also planning to introduce automated logistics roads. There is no denying that many challenges, including cost, need to be overcome before logistics roads can become a reality.

Nonetheless, if the concept can be put to practical use, it could potentially give birth to a new logistics infrastructure industry in Japan. There are also prospects for expanding such an industry into overseas markets. Hopefully, it will indeed become a new growth industry.