TuSimple tests autonomous truck on key Japanese freight corridor

Photo credit: TuSimple

TuSimple, a driverless truck firm headquartered in the US and China, has started testing its autonomous vehicle in Japan through its local subsidiary.

The Nasdaq-listed company’s self-driving truck is currently running on the Tomei Expressway, a freight corridor passing through Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. It has been testing on the Japanese roadway since January of this year, though in 2021, TuSimple completed safety validation and testing work for its system with a truck from a local manufacturer.

This solution is particularly important for Japan as according to TuSimple, 45.2% of the drivers in the country’s transportation sector are aged 50 and above, citing a report from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. With a declining and aging population as well as a shortage of drivers, the Japanese government is reportedly looking to open a self-driving lane in the New Tomei Expressway by next year, which will allow autonomous trucks to operate by 2026.

TuSimple’s vehicle is pegged at an SAE Level 4 out of 5, or “high driving automation.” Autonomous cars that are prescribed this level self-drive and can intervene during a system failure, though there is an option for a human passenger to take over. Other companies that have reached this level include Waymo, Navya, and Magna.

In a statement, TuSimple said that its vehicles have cumulatively logged 10 million miles. In December 2021, the company became the first in the world to test a fully autonomous semi-truck without a human passenger.

The firm laid off 350 employees, or 25% of its workforce, in December 2022 to “focus on capital discipline.”

See also: Roadblocks stall Singapore’s driverless car dreams