Public Road Demonstration of Autonomous Semi-Trailers Conducted by the L4 Logistics Autonomous Trailer Promotion Council
RoboTrack, ORIX Auto, and Senko, forming the "L4 Logistics Autonomous Trailer Promotion Council," conducted a public road demonstration of autonomous semi-trailers as part of a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism project. This initiative is expected to significantly improve logistics efficiency.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 11, 2026 at 02:21
- 🔍 Collected: April 11, 2026 at 00:20
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 05:58 (221h 37m after Collected)
RoboTrack Inc. (hereinafter, RoboTrack), in the "L4 Logistics Autonomous Trailer Promotion Council" formed with ORIX Auto Corporation (hereinafter, ORIX Auto) and Senko Co., Ltd. (hereinafter, Senko), conducted a public road demonstration of autonomous semi-trailers as part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "Demonstration Project for Social Implementation of Trunk Line Transportation by Autonomous Trucks."
Compared to general van-type trucks, semi-trailers offer increased loading capacity. Additionally, by separating loading and unloading operations from driving at logistics bases, they can shorten stopping times and improve operating rates, leading to a significant improvement in logistics efficiency.
In this demonstration, a public road driving demonstration of autonomous semi-trailers was conducted between "TSUNAGU STATION Hamamatsu" and "TSUNAGU STATION Shin-Fuji," logistics bases in Shizuoka Prefecture developed by Senko for relay transportation. Verification was carried out from the perspectives of vehicle performance and operational design. The driving data obtained from this demonstration will be used to improve the accuracy of autonomous driving technology, and the operational issues identified through discussions within the consortium will be utilized for operational considerations of autonomous semi-trailers between ORIX Auto and Senko.
Continuing forward, in collaboration with both companies, we plan to hold ongoing discussions regarding the implementation of demonstration experiments and other initiatives, aiming to realize trunk line transportation services by autonomous trucks between logistics bases.
## Details and Results of the Demonstration
In this demonstration, verification of vehicle performance and operational design was conducted, assuming introduction into the actual operations of logistics businesses, with the aim of realizing trunk line transportation using autonomous trucks.
(Implementation Details)
- Demonstration Period: February 2026
- Total Mileage: Approximately 4,800 km
- Demonstration Section: TSUNAGU STATION Shin-Fuji ~ Shin-Fuji IC ~ Hamamatsu SA Smart IC ~ TSUNAGU STATION Hamamatsu (of which autonomous driving was only on the Shin-Tomei Expressway between Shin-Fuji IC and Hamamatsu SA Smart IC)
Autonomous semi-trailer departing TSUNAGU STATION
Compared to general van-type trucks, semi-trailers offer increased loading capacity. Additionally, by separating loading and unloading operations from driving at logistics bases, they can shorten stopping times and improve operating rates, leading to a significant improvement in logistics efficiency.
In this demonstration, a public road driving demonstration of autonomous semi-trailers was conducted between "TSUNAGU STATION Hamamatsu" and "TSUNAGU STATION Shin-Fuji," logistics bases in Shizuoka Prefecture developed by Senko for relay transportation. Verification was carried out from the perspectives of vehicle performance and operational design. The driving data obtained from this demonstration will be used to improve the accuracy of autonomous driving technology, and the operational issues identified through discussions within the consortium will be utilized for operational considerations of autonomous semi-trailers between ORIX Auto and Senko.
Continuing forward, in collaboration with both companies, we plan to hold ongoing discussions regarding the implementation of demonstration experiments and other initiatives, aiming to realize trunk line transportation services by autonomous trucks between logistics bases.
## Details and Results of the Demonstration
In this demonstration, verification of vehicle performance and operational design was conducted, assuming introduction into the actual operations of logistics businesses, with the aim of realizing trunk line transportation using autonomous trucks.
(Implementation Details)
- Demonstration Period: February 2026
- Total Mileage: Approximately 4,800 km
- Demonstration Section: TSUNAGU STATION Shin-Fuji ~ Shin-Fuji IC ~ Hamamatsu SA Smart IC ~ TSUNAGU STATION Hamamatsu (of which autonomous driving was only on the Shin-Tomei Expressway between Shin-Fuji IC and Hamamatsu SA Smart IC)
Autonomous semi-trailer departing TSUNAGU STATION