Photo/Illutration A scene from an experiment where a semi-trailer truck with a driver at the wheel leads two driverless trucks in a close convoy (Provided by Toyota Tsusho Corp.)

In a high-precision test, a convoy of three semi-trailer trucks drove down an expressway in Shizuoka Prefecture with the two trailing vehicles never veering off the lead vehicle's path by more than 50 centimeters.

The trucks traveled about 15 kilometers at a speed of 80 kph while maintaining an approximate 9-meter following distance down the Shin-Tomei Expressway in February. 

On March 5, the economy ministry and transport ministry deemed the experiment of a driverless truck system a success. The system is expected to help solve driver shortages and improve fuel efficiency by taking advantage of drafting. 

In the experiment, the semi-trailer trucks were equipped with a sensor that recognizes their surroundings by laser lights.

When the driver of the lead truck hit the brakes or the gas pedal, the action was immediately communicated to the trailing driverless trucks, which followed suit. 

By narrowing the distance between the vehicles, wind resistance is decreased and the vehicles' fuel efficiency is estimated to increase by 3 percent. The narrow gap also prevents other cars from jumping in between the trucks.

Under the system, if a car cuts in front of a truck, the trailing vehicles immediately pull over and stop.

The ministries aim to put the convoy of manned trucks, in which the driving-aid system eases the burden of drivers in the following trucks, to practical use by the end of the year.

The ministries have developed the system since 2016 as part of a growth strategy.

The economy ministry said a project that aims to realize a fully automated truck that can drive on expressways is under way.

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