Graying Japan faces urgent need to realize autonomous transportation

With an aging population and a growing shortage of drivers, Japan is a country where autonomous transportation services would seem to have a bright future.Demand is particularly high for self-driving trucks in regions with few alternatives to hauling freight by road, such as the northern main island of Hokkaido.Among truck manufacturers, UD Trucks Corp., a Japanese unit of Sweden's AB Volvo, has teamed up with an agricultural cooperative in Hokkaido that is increasingly concerned about the declining number of delivery truck drivers.The company has been testing its autonomous heavy-duty truc…READ FULL ARTICLE