Autonomous freight transport is gaining attention as a new growth driver for South Korea's logistics industry. It has emerged as a solution to the ongoing driver shortage and transportation cost burdens. Experts suggest that large-scale demonstrations to ensure safety and regulatory improvements are essential for the commercialization of autonomous transport in the country.
The Korean Automobile Journalists Association held a symposium on the theme 'Logistics Innovation on the Road: Conditions for the Commercialization of Autonomous Freight Transport' on October 21 at Daegu EXCO.
Since this year, Daegu has been validating the potential for commercializing autonomous driving in logistics through its autonomous vehicle demonstration zone, which spans 21.9 square kilometers and 133.25 kilometers, connecting industrial complexes and major logistics hubs.
Cho Sang-woo, an official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, introduced various regulatory improvements and demonstrations the government is pursuing to enhance the domestic autonomous driving environment.
The government is easing regulations related to autonomous driving, including allowing operations in school zones, permitting the use of original video footage, introducing a fast-track for temporary operation permits, and expanding the authority to designate demonstration zones.
Notably, the government has designated the entire city of Gwangju as a demonstration city for autonomous driving, deploying 200 vehicles in a large-scale demonstration project. Plans are in place to expand the number of demonstration cities to five or six nationwide next year, with an additional 3,000 autonomous vehicles expected to be deployed.
Cho stated, "The United States and China are currently the two leading countries in global autonomous driving technology," emphasizing the significant investments and comprehensive support being made to utilize the vast data collected during the demonstration process for AI technology development.
Hyundai Motor's Hwang Bong-ha, head of the Commercial & LCV Business Strategy Team, presented the group's progress in developing autonomous driving technology and key project examples. Hyundai began a demonstration project for autonomous trucks in the United States in 2023 and has developed redundancy technology for large trucks.
This initiative aims to penetrate both the U.S. market and the domestic autonomous commercial vehicle market. Hwang noted, "The U.S. logistics market is approximately 880 trillion won, and it is projected that by 2035, about 20% of long-distance transport trucks will be autonomous. Currently, there is a shortage of about 80,000 truck drivers in the U.S., and this number is expected to double after 2030, presenting significant business opportunities."
On the same day, Lim Jong-cheol, a strategy executive at RideFlux, shared examples of operating autonomous robot trucks, while Jo Kwang-rae, a director at MasAuto, discussed the development of autonomous trucks using camera-based AI technology and real-world applications. RideFlux has received South Korea's first permit for paid autonomous freight transport this year, successfully transporting actual customer cargo.
A panel discussion moderated by Professor Choi Byeong-jae from Daegu University featured four presenters discussing the current status of commercializing autonomous freight transport and the technical and regulatory challenges. Key topics included safety standards and verification methods for transitioning large trucks to general road services, reducing logistics costs, improving transport efficiency, and addressing the shortage of transport personnel.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.