This Japanese Truck Maker Wants to Launch Autonomous Models

• Isuzu Motors Ltd. reveals plans with Applied Intuition to develop and launch SAE Level 4 models in the second half of the decade in Japan and North America.

• The trucking industry in Japan is facing a driver shortage and has recently seen legislation limiting the number of hours truck drivers can work, putting pressure on logistics businesses.

• Isuzu has recently invested $30 million in US-based autonomous tech developer Gatik to create a truck chassis for autonomous models, with the goal to launch it in 2027.

Robotaxis may get most of the attention these days when it comes to autonomous driving, but one other industry is now rapidly working to develop SAE Level 4 tech, with fleets of trucks large and small eyeing the benefits of self-driving capability.

Silicon Valley-based Applied Intuition, an autonomous tech developer, is now teaming up with Isuzu Motors Ltd. to create and launch autonomous driving solutions using the truck maker's lineup of commercial models.

And the race toward SAE Level 4 trucking in Japan has recently taken on a new urgency.

"Truck driver overwork is a major public health issue in Japan—nearly 84% of drivers face related health problems," Applied Intuition points out. "Recent studies showed truck drivers accounted for 34.3% of overwork-related deaths."

In addition to a 36% decline in the number of truck drivers expected to be seen by the year 2030, the Japanese government has also recently capped the annual work hours at 3,300 hours.

Together, these trends have created an urgent dilemma for an industry already facing significant headwinds in Japan.

The truck maker aims to start verification tests in 2026, with an aim to launch commercial versions of autonomous trucks in fiscal year 2028 in North America and Japan.

"Working with Applied Intuition will greatly advance autonomous driving technology development and provide a strong foundation for Isuzu’s plan to launch an autonomous trucking business," said Shinsuke Minami, representative director, president and COO of Isuzu Motors.

Isuzu has also recently teamed up with another US-based autonomous tech developer Gatik revealing plans earlier this summer to work on a new chassis just for SAE Level 4 trucks, with mass production aimed for 2027.

That's just around the corner, and it's a reflection of how acute the issue of driver shortages is becoming in Japan.

Isuzu and other aspiring Level 4 truck manufacturers will also need local and national governments to permit fleets of driverless trucks to take to the roads, and be able to use the country's fueling and maintenance infrastructure. So it's not just a matter of outfitting an existing truck model with sensors and software—fleets will have to adapt to operating autonomous trucks in large numbers.

Autonomous truck developers have recently found a receptive regulatory environment in Texas, which has quickly become the center of Level 4 truck testing in the US. Isuzu's models, while still meant for middle mile routes, envision shorter ranges and smaller payloads than semitrucks with trailers, with a likely focus on daily routes between warehouses.

But scaling up fleets of hundreds of autonomous trucks and allowing them to interact with traffic, as opposed to running a handful of prototypes, and operating these fleets profitably could end up being a larger hurdle than the tech itself. And this is an issue that is now becoming very familiar to robotaxi developers.

Will we see driverless, Level 4 trucks in North America in significant numbers by 2030, or will this tech take longer to become commonplace? Let us know what you think in the comments below.