Applied Intuition, a Silicon Valley-based vehicle software supplier, and Isuzu Motors, a Japan-based manufacturer of commercial vehicles, have announced a strategic partnership to accelerate Isuzu’s plan to develop and offer autonomous trucking solutions. Through it, the companies will aim to deliver strong economic and social impacts by optimizing commercial logistics, directly addressing recent concerns surrounding critical driver shortages.
In Japan, truck driver overwork represents a major public health issue, with around 84% of drivers facing health problems related to their work. Truck drivers likewise accounted for 34.3% of overwork-related deaths. In response, the Japanese government revised its Labor Standards Law, capping annual work hours at 3,300 hours, including breaks – raising concerns about driver shortages. The partnership will look to address these shortages by leveraging expanded logistics solutions and introducing advanced autonomous driving technology in Japan.
The announcement of this new partnership follows the launch of Isuzu’s mid-term management plan, ‘ISUZU Transformation – Growth to 2030 (IX),’ with a goal of establishing automated driving solutions as a new business pillar. Applied Intuition has said that its technology has been designed and developed to enable automotive OEMs to develop safe and intelligent autonomous systems, ensuring they have the necessary solutions for accelerated autonomy development, validation, and deployment.
