Toyota Tsusho starts autonomous truck road tests

Toyota Tsusho has commenced public road demonstration tests of autonomous driving semi-trailer trucks between logistics hubs in Shizuoka and Aichi prefectures in Japan. The tests, which run until 12 March 2026, are being conducted on the Shin-Tomei and Tomei expressways at Level 2 autonomy with one vehicle.

The demonstration is part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s project for the social implementation of autonomous truck-based trunk line transportation. A consortium led by Toyota Tsusho was selected to conduct the project, comprising Robotruck, Otsuka Warehouse, Seino Transportation and Fukuyama Transporting.

The tests will verify the safety of the autonomous semi-trailer developed by Robotruck, evaluate its utility for transport operations and assess profitability. Toyota Tsusho says semi-trailers offer greater loading capacity than conventional trucks and eliminate the need to wait for loading and unloading at departure and arrival points, enabling more efficient transport operations.

The company has previously conducted multi-year demonstration tests through a separate Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry project, which it says confirmed a certain level of results on the safety and technical capabilities of autonomous driving trucks. Toyota Tsusho says moving toward practical implementation requires a comprehensive study anticipating changes in business structure and profitability.

The company plans to advance efforts toward practical implementation based on technical insights and business feasibility assessment results from the current demonstration.

Source: Toyota Tsusho