MOBILITY PLAZA




 

The high-tech corridor will use unmanned transport boxes to streamline logistics, with trials planned by 2027.

Japan is developing a high-tech “conveyor belt road” between Tokyo and Osaka to tackle its truck driver shortage and meet rising delivery demands.

This automated three-lane corridor, dubbed the “auto flow road,” will feature large, wheeled transport boxes moving continuously along a highway.

A trial is scheduled for 2027 or early 2028, with full operations expected by the mid-2030s, reports The Independent.

Yuri Endo, a senior official at Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, highlights the system's aim to ease driver workloads, reduce emissions, and boost efficiency.

The "auto flow road" concept dedicates road space for 24-hour, unmanned logistics transport, with automated loading integrated with ports, airports, and rail systems.

Although human drivers may still handle last-mile deliveries, future technology could enable fully driverless delivery.

The project aligns with efforts to address the “2024 problem,” Japan's looming logistics crisis caused by driver shortages and new overtime restrictions.

Japan’s trucking industry, responsible for 91% of domestic freight, faces a projected 34% drop in capacity by 2030. Meanwhile, online shopping demand has surged, with delivery service users rising from 40% to over 60% of households since the pandemic.

A government-released computer graphic video last month depicts large, palletized containers—each able to carry up to a ton of produce—moving three abreast along an “auto flow road” positioned in the center of a motorway, with vehicles traveling in opposite directions on either side.

Safety remains a priority, with delivery truck fatalities decreasing but still a concern. To alleviate pressure, industry experts and the Japan Trucking Association suggest consumers bundle orders and businesses reconsider free delivery offers.