To address a truck driver shortage, Japan intends to construct an automated cargo transport corridor between Tokyo and Osaka, which the government has termed a “conveyor belt road.” The project’s funding amount is still up in the air. However, it is seen as a crucial strategy to assist the nation in managing the surge in deliveries.
Large, wheeled boxes are seen traveling over a three-lane corridor, commonly known as an “auto flow road,” in the middle of a large highway in a government computer graphics film. With the goal of becoming fully operational by the mid-2030s, a trial system is scheduled to begin testing in 2027 or early 2028.
The concept would seem like a solution that would only be effective in densely populated, relatively low-crime civilizations like Japan, not in large, expansive countries like the United States. However, Switzerland and the United Kingdom are also considering similar proposals.
The London design will be a completely automated system powered by inexpensive linear motors, but the Swiss plan calls for an underground pathway. Forklifts will be used for automated loading in Japan, which will be coordinated with ports, railroads, and airports.
The boxes are roughly the size of a large closet, measuring 180 centimeters (almost six feet) in height and 110 centimeters (3.6 feet) by 110 centimeters (length and width).
According to government forecasts, under existing circumstances, Japan’s total transport capacity will decrease by 34% by 2030. According to the Japan Trucking Association, trucks account for nearly all (more than 91%) of the approximately 4.3 billion metric tons of domestic transport capacity.
In a vast nation like the United States, that is only a small portion of what is happening. The United States currently transports around 5.2 trillion ton-miles of freight annually, with the number expected to rise to almost 8 trillion ton-miles by 2050. The usual unit is one ton per mile, which indicates the quantity of freight shipped and the distance traveled.
According to government data, the number of Japanese families using online shopping increased from roughly 40% to over 60% during the pandemic, despite the country’s population continuing to decline due to a lowering birth rate.
Truck drivers have difficult jobs that require them to travel for days at a time, which is something that most job searchers find unpleasant. This is true everywhere.
Trucks transport roughly 90% of Japan’s cargo, and 60% of the country’s fresh produce, such as fruits and vegetables.
