Photo/Illutration The government's self-driving cargo will have its own designated lanes by repurposing expressways' existing shoulders, medians and constructing underground roadways.

Much like sleepy family vans and joyriding bikers, hulking delivery robots may soon be an everyday sight on expressways.

To address a growing shortage of truck drivers and modernize the transport system, Japan will test an automated freight network on an expressway by fiscal 2027.

Following the trial, the government aims to launch the new transport system in select areas by 2034 before introducing it on the busy Tokyo-Osaka route, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on July 25.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and easing expressway congestion are additional reasons for the undertaking, according to the transport ministry.

The trial project will take place on the Shin-Tomei Expressway that runs between the Shin-Hadano Interchange in Kanagawa Prefecture and the Shin-Gotenba Interchange in Shizuoka Prefecture. 

The trial's roughly 25-kilometer stretch is currently under construction.

Drivers need not worry about unmanned freight cars going rogue. The plan is to have dedicated lanes for self-driving cargo to zip back and forth on the autonomous networks.

These lanes will be constructed using the highways' existing medians and shoulders, or by building underground tunnels. Cargo pallet sizes for the new network will also be standardized to facilitate a seamless transfer to ships, trains and airplanes.

Implementing the project nationwide comes with a significant price tag.

The estimated construction cost per 10 km is 25.4 billion yen ($165 million) for above-ground infrastructure and 7 billion to 80 billion yen for the underground tunnels.

The government plans to cover a significant portion of the costs with private-sector investments.

This trial involves not only testing technologies ahead of the section's scheduled opening in fiscal 2027, but collecting data on the driverless vehicles.

In rolling out the new system, the initial focus will be on sections near major cities that require only minor modifications to existing infrastructure.

According to estimates by a government expert panel, approximately 26 percent of the freight passing through the Tokyo-Osaka route could be shifted to the autonomous freight network.

Similar initiatives are under way in Europe, with Switzerland planning to connect major cities via underground tunnels for driverless cargo operations.

In further efforts to streamline the logistics system, Kishida also announced a separate trial starting in October to encourage customers to allow delivery staff to leave packages at their doors.

In Japan, many customers still prefer in-person delivery for safety reasons, placing a burden on delivery staff who must reschedule deliveries in the event of customer absence.

In the pilot program, customers will earn reward points for allowing packages to be dropped off at their doorsteps. This will also include deliveries to convenience stores and deliveries scheduled for off-peak hours.

The government will provide subsidies of up to 5 yen per delivery to retailers and delivery companies to offset the cost of reward points.

Other initiatives announced include expanding the functions of Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture with the construction of a new runway and increasing the operating areas for double-trailer trucks nationwide.

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