首都高、阪神、北海道で解禁　「連結トラック」９月から拡大―政府

　政府は２５日、トラック運転手が不足する物流の「２０２４年問題」に関する関係閣僚会議を開き、今後の対応策を決めた。１台で大型トラック２台分の荷物を運べる「ダブル連結トラック」について、９月から首都高速道路、阪神高速道路、道央自動車道での走行を解禁するのが柱。通行可能区間は２割超拡大し、計６３３０キロとなる。北海道内での導入は初めて。
　対応策には、高速道路の中央分離帯などで自動カートが荷物を運ぶ「自動物流道路」で、２７年度までに新東名高速道路の一部区間で社会実験することも盛り込んだ。輸送量が最も多い東京―大阪間での導入に向け、輸送効率やコストを確かめる。（2024/07/25-19:46）

The Japanese government decided at a ministerial meeting on Thursday to lift the ban on double trailers on some sections of Tokyo's Metropolitan Expressway, the Hanshin Expressway in western Japan and the Hokkaido Expressway in northernmost Japan in September.
   The move aims to address the so-called 2024 problem in the logistics industry, or disruptions in cargo transport services caused by truck driver shortages due to a new overtime regulation introduced in April.
   The total length of expressway sections opened to double trailers will increase by more than 20 pct to 6,330 kilometers. It will be the first time for the ban on double trailers to be lifted in Hokkaido.
   The government also decided to conduct a social experiment on a section of the Shin-Tomei Expressway in central Japan by fiscal 2027, in which automated carts will be used to transport goods along the median strip of the expressway.
   In Japan, double trailers were first introduced on the Shin-Tomei Expressway in 2019, and have since been allowed in other areas in stages.