"The L4 Autonomous Driving Logistics Trailer Promotion Council," comprising four companies—ORIX Auto Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Susumu Naito; hereinafter "ORIX Auto"), Senko Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kita-ku, Osaka; President: Noboru Ohgoshi; hereinafter "Senko"), Fuji Transport Co.,Ltd. (Headquarters: Nara-shi, Nara; President: Hiroaki Matsuoka; hereinafter "Fuji Transport"), and RoboTruck Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yusuke Haga; hereinafter "RoboTruck")—announces that it has been selected by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) for the "Demonstration Project Toward Social Implementation of Autonomous Driving Trucks".

Following last year’s subsidized project, this marks the second consecutive year that the Council has been selected for an MLIT-subsidized project.

Building on the insights gained from approximately 4,800 km of public-road testing conducted last year, we will conduct demonstration testing (*) in an expanded operating area this year. Furthermore, with an eye toward future social implementation, we will verify the feasibility of an operational framework that combines remote monitoring, emergency response, and hub operations.

Under this Council, RoboTruck leads the technical development of the autonomous driving system for semi-trailers. ORIX Auto is engaged in the establishment of a remote monitoring system and the commercialization of related services by leveraging its extensive expertise in automotive-related businesses. Senko and Fuji Transport provide the actual logistics environments for testing. Capitalizing on their respective strengths, the four companies are advancing discussions on an operational framework for the future deployment of autonomous semi-trailers.

*The demonstration will be conducted under conditions where a driver is on board and can immediately intervene in driving operations.

Background and Objectives of the Project

Following the implementation of stricter overtime regulations for truck drivers—often referred to as Japan’s '2024 Logistics Crisis'—labor shortages and declining transport capacity have become increasingly severe, making stable transport capacity a critical social issue. In response, the deployment of autonomous trucks on expressways is expected to be one of the promising solutions to boost transport efficiency, ensure safety, and establish sustainable logistics services.

Overview of the FY2026 Project

This year’s public-road demonstration test will expand our public-road demonstration testing footprint mainly on an approximately 430 km expressway route connecting Atsugi-Minami IC, Hamamatsu SA Smart IC, and Kyoto-Minami IC. A key feature of these operations will be trailer-swapping for relay transport at “TSUNAGU STATION Hamamatsu,” a logistics relay hub operated by Senko in Shizuoka Prefecture.

In this demonstration run, as the Council’s lead representative, ORIX Auto will play a central role in establishing an operational management framework, integrating remote monitoring, emergency response, and hub operations—designed for deployment in real-world logistics settings, and will verify its effectiveness.

Furthermore, the Council will also collaborate with partners in various fields, including technical support from Hino Motors, Ltd., remote monitoring system development support from NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Inc., remote monitoring operations support from Premier Aid Inc., and risk response and insurance support from Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd.

[Project Structure]

[Overview of the Demonstration]

Future Initiatives

Based on these demonstration outcomes of this demonstration project, ORIX Auto, Senko, Fuji Transport, and RoboTruck will further define the operational model and clarify the conditions for deployment for autonomous trucks, promote the realization of sustainable logistics services using autonomous trucks.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

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