Japan could build a 500km conveyor belt to transport goods due to driver shortage

Many logistics companies worldwide have high hopes for autonomous trucks that can operate around the clock without the need to stop for rest, bathroom breaks, or any other personal reasons. Meanwhile, Japan has a different idea: building and installing a 500km-long conveyor belt system to increase the speed of transporting goods.

Specifically, the Autoflow conveyor belt will connect the two cities of Tokyo and Osaka, including a network of super large airport luggage conveyor belts running along the median strip or the edge of major roads, running both above ground and underground.

There is also a proposal to transport goods using self-driving electric vehicles running along purpose-built routes for the same purpose.

Automated conveyor belt operation will help reduce reliance on truck drivers (Illustration: MLIT).

The Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) disclosed this plan in a report last week as a way for the country to address the shortage of truck drivers.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), this is due to a decreasing population and stricter regulations on driving hours for truck drivers in Japan. The number of drivers decreased from 660,000 in 2020 to 480,000 in 2030.

The report states that the driver shortage is at 36%, and this could increase to 41% in some areas, meaning that by 2030, about 30% of goods may not reach their destination unless measures are taken to address this.

Although the plan for the construction of automated conveyor belts has not yet been implemented, according to the Japan Times, the MLIT aims to complete this project by 2034.

Removing 25,000 trucks from the roads will reduce congestion, cut carbon emissions, and help solve the road transport crisis.

This idea is not entirely new. The Torigatayama limestone quarry in Japan currently uses a 23km-long conveyor belt, and in Africa, there is a 100km-long conveyor belt system used to transport phosphate from mines to ports, according to the SCMP.

The biggest hurdle is the construction cost. According to the Japan Times, it will require about 3.7 trillion yen (equivalent to 23 billion USD) to carry out this project.

According to construction companies' survey results, the cost of building underground tunnels is 7-10 billion yen per 10km. Meanwhile, when initially planning to build an above-ground goods transportation route in 2000, the MLIT estimated the construction cost to be 25.4 billion yen per 10km.