IN JAPAN they are struggling with a labor shortage, especially in the land transport segment.

Trucks are not the problem, but the shortage of professional drivers is an increasing issue. Estimates say that by 2030 Japan will be short of 36 percent of drivers. Therefore, an unconventional solution is being considered which, once implemented, could replace 25,000 drivers. 

A conveyor belt is part of horizontal transport in factories, warehouses, and all facilities where linear transport of similar items is needed. In Japan, they are considering building an automatic transport system similar to a conveyor belt. 

Such a huge traffic belt would connect Tokyo and Osaka, which means it would be as much as 500 km long. It is forecast that the daily transport capacity would be at the level of 25,000 trucks, with cargo being transported on a kind of unpowered barges. 

Japan Times reports that the Autoflow Road project should be completed in 2034, and it is estimated that the construction cost could exceed USD 23 billion. It seems like a good idea because the same solution would reduce the effect of the labor shortage, and traffic jams on highways would also be reduced as a result of removing 25,000 trucks. 

Source: index.hr