Expanding the designation of autonomous vehicle pilot zones on highways, autonomous cargo transport is set to begin in earnest.

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Expanding the designation of autonomous vehicle pilot zones on highways, autonomous cargo transport is set to begin in earnest.

Published2024.07.09 16:32

City/province consultations starting on the 10th → Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport designates wide-area routes such as highways
First autonomous vehicle cargo transport permit standards established, expected to boost autonomous cargo transport

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) has established all necessary conditions for full-scale promotion of autonomous cargo transport on long-distance and wide-area routes such as highways.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 9th that it plans to designate long-distance and wide-area routes, such as highways, as pilot operation zones for freight transport in accordance with the revised 'Autonomous Vehicle Act (effective July 10)' and to establish and announce for the first time licensing standards for autonomous vehicle freight transport businesses to resolve uncertainty in the industry.

When designating existing city/provincial law operation areas, an application from the city/provincial governor was required, but the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport discovers metropolitan routes and designates them after consultation with the city/provincial governors.

The pilot operation zone is a special zone that grants various regulatory exemptions, such as special exemptions for paid transportation and special exemptions for automobile safety standards, to enable the verification of various services utilizing autonomous driving.

Previously, pilot operation areas were designated based on the application of the city/provincial governor, but in reality, there was a limitation that it was difficult to designate long-distance and wide-area routes that spanned multiple cities/provinces, such as highways, as pilot operation areas.

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Of the 36 pilot operation areas nationwide, 35, excluding the Chungcheong region (Daejeon, Sejong, and North Chungcheong), demonstrated cargo transport that required long-distance routes within a single city or province, but was limited to within a single city or province (e.g. Jeonju-Gunsan in North Jeolla Province) or was only possible in a limited manner, such as through the use of regulatory sandboxes.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport revised the Autonomous Vehicle Act in January to improve the system so that the Ministry can designate highways and other metropolitan routes as pilot operation zones through consultation with cities and provinces, even without an application from the city or province in charge.

▲Key points of the revised pilot operation zone designation plan (Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to actively discover and designate autonomous vehicle cargo transport routes in accordance with future revised laws, as verification on long-distance routes such as highways is essential, especially for the development of autonomous vehicle cargo transport technology.

Meanwhile, the Autonomous Vehicle Act has a special provision (Article 10) that allows for the provision of paid transportation services using autonomous driving technology within pilot operation zones, but specific licensing standards for cargo transportation have not been established so far.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has established detailed standards and procedures for licensing autonomous vehicle paid cargo transport businesses, reflecting the opinions of specialized organizations and others, to proactively resolve industry uncertainty and promote autonomous vehicle cargo transport businesses.

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▲Procedures for permitting paid freight transport using autonomous vehicles (Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

Detailed standards and procedures include the need for a 60-day pre-operation for safety verification, prohibition of loading hazardous materials, and subscription to liability insurance. Detailed information can be found on the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport website.

As the conditions for autonomous cargo transport are established, Korea Expressway Corporation plans to begin full-scale preparations to showcase autonomous cargo transport on highways, including signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) promising mutual cooperation with autonomous cargo transport companies.

Park Jin-ho, head of the Autonomous Driving Policy Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, “Autonomous cargo transportation is a field that can bring about innovative changes in terms of safety and efficiency, such as reducing fatigue from long-distance driving and enabling fuel-efficient driving.” He added, “Now that the institutional foundation for activating autonomous cargo transportation has been established, we will proceed with follow-up administrative procedures, such as designating highway pilot operation zones and obtaining permits for autonomous vehicle paid cargo transportation businesses, without a hitch.”

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