Driver Shortage? Japan Conveys a Solution
The Asian country envisions a 310-mile conveyor belt network that can carry the freight of 25,000 trucks a day.
The Japanese government recently unveiled plans to launch a network of automated conveyor belts, called the Autoflow-Road, to transport goods over an estimated 310 miles between Tokyo and Osaka.
The new project from Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism addresses an expected severe delivery driver shortage and increasing freight demands, reports South China Morning Post.
By building a network of automated conveyor belts to transport goods, the government hopes to ensure efficient and continuous cargo movement.
The project will use existing road space—leveraging tunnels, median strips, and shoulders. It will employ high-capacity pallet systems to transport up to 1.1 tons of cargo per pallet, and is expected to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Currently in the planning phase, the Autoflow-Road system will position automated conveyor belts in tunnels beneath major highways, on above-ground tracks in the middle of roads, and along hard shoulders of motorways.
Autoflow By the Numbers
25,000
Number of drivers per day it’s estimated to replace
24
Hours a day of operation with pallets holding up to 1 tonne (around 1.1 tons) of cargo