Tech Mitsui to launch self-driving truck service by 2026

[thomas]

Mitsui & Co., Japan's oldest trading house, will launch a logistics business using self-driving trucks as early as 2026. T2, a Chiba-based company owned by Mitsui and an AI company, will lead the project.

The move comes as Japan amended a law in April, allowing level-4 autonomous vehicles to operate on public roads. A high level of autonomous driving technology is expected to be used practically, especially in the logistics industry, which suffers from a chronic labour shortage in Japan. [...] The company aims to launch a logistics business using self-driving trucks on highways between Tokyo and Osaka, which account for around 20% of Japan's trunk line transport market of 2 trillion yen ($14.2 billion) as early as 2026. The company will leverage the spatial-recognition technology developed by PFN, which has worked on self-driving together with Toyota Motor. The recognition system gathers data on roads and other cars using sensors, cameras, and radar installed on cars. It also analyzes GPS data.

Paywall alert:

Japan's Mitsui to begin self-driving truck transport business

Trading house, Preferred Networks aim for level-4 technology by 2026

asia.nikkei.com

 

[Grandpa Frank]

Mike Cash might be able to retire then. Not sure I'd want a vehicle that big on the road with me.

 

[thomas]

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Autonomous trucks will be the first to hit the roads, or the highways, as it's much easier to send trucks on fixed delivery routes. Navigating urban traffic and dealing with pedestrians and cyclists will be a technological nightmare for self-driving taxis and private vehicles.

 

[Petaris]

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Autonomous trucks will be the first to hit the roads, or the highways, as it's much easier to send trucks on fixed delivery routes. Navigating urban traffic and dealing with pedestrians and cyclists will be a technological nightmare for self-driving taxis and private vehicles.

Then they just have to figure out who will do the unloading work. Will it now fall to the receiver? I'm also curious how they will handle moving the truck around once it gets to its location, will a local driver jump in and put it where it needs to go ( loading dock, dock queue, etc )?

 

[thomas]

I imagine they'll set up highway transport hubs and use human-crewed trucks to deliver the goods to their final destination. I wonder if it's going to be cheaper than conventional trucking.

 

[Petaris]

I imagine they'll set up highway transport hubs and use human-crewed trucks to deliver the goods to their final destination. I wonder if it's going to be cheaper than conventional trucking.

I mean, at that point why not use trains?

 

[thomas]

Good question! I was looking for the numbers, and rail freight only accounts for 5% (50% road vehicles, 44% ships). Apparently, the Ministry of Transport aimed at raising rail freight to 20% by 2020, but that never happened despite an increasing shortage of drivers.

Topic: Freight transportation in Japan

Find the most up-to-date statistics and facts on freight transportation in Japan

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