A first Expressway! At the Sano Service Area Tohoku Expressway (Out-bound)
A demonstration experiment on driver replacement for long-distance transport will begin on September 28th.

- Resolving the issue of long-term parking at SAs and PAs, contributing to more efficient logistics -

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  • A first Expressway! A demonstration experiment of driver switching for long-distance transport will be conducted from September 28th at the Sano Service Area (Out-bound) on Tohoku Expressway

PDF version [PDF: 363KB]

September 20 2024
East Nippon Expressway Co., Ltd.

NEXCO EAST (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) will be collaborating with Sagawa Express Co., Ltd. to conduct the first-ever driver switching demonstration experiment on an expressway from September 28th (Saturday) to October 4th (Friday) on the Out-bound lane of Sano SA (Service Area) to verify the effectiveness of driver switching in long-distance transport, as part of an effort to reduce Expressway for truck drivers and comply with regulations capping working hours.
This experiment will contribute to solving the 2024 Logistics Problems, and will verify the effectiveness and challenges of the "driver rotation method" of relay transport, in which multiple drivers share a single transport step to transport cargo.
This is expected to solve issues such as a lack of parking spaces caused by long parking periods at service areas and parking areas (SA/PA), as well as ensure that drivers have opportunities to rest.
We will also check issues such as safety within SA/PA during operation and the feasibility of logistics operators' operation plans.
Going forward, we aim to organize and formulate operational rules by around March next year, after which the system will be put into operation.

Experimental Overview

  • Schedule:
    2024- Friday, October 4, 6:00 a.m. (1 flight per day)
  • Location:
    E4 Tohoku Expressway Sano SA (Out-bound) (Kurohakamacho, Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture)
  • Cooperating companies:
    Sagawa Express Co., Ltd.
  • How it's done:
    "Driver exchange system" where drivers change within SA

Experimental image

The demonstration experiment will cover long-distance transportation over a distance of 680 km from Kansai (Kyoto Prefecture) to Tohoku (Fukushima Prefecture).

Demonstration experiment: Image of driver shift system

Driver change location

Image of driver change area 1
Image of driver change area 2

Conducting a questionnaire survey of businesses

In parallel with the demonstration experiment, a questionnaire survey of business operators will be conducted from September 30 to November 28 to understand the needs regarding driver switching at SA and PA on Expressway. We ask for your cooperation in completing the questionnaire survey.
Business Survey URL →
https://www.net-research.jp/1245491/

Link to the business survey using QR code (external link)
Image link (external link) to download page of Adobe Acrobat Reader

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