S&B Foods and Otafuku Sauce test autonomous truck-rail freight combination

T2, S&B Foods, Otafuku Sauce and Ebara Logistics announced they will conduct a four-day trial beginning Sept. 8, 2026, of a modal combination using autonomous trucks and freight rail between the Kanto and Chugoku regions.

Over a route of about 850 km between the Kanto and Chugoku regions, the companies will transport S&B Foods products outbound and Otafuku Sauce products on the return trip in the same shared container. The trial will focus on verifying transport quality and transshipment procedures when freight rail and autonomous trucks are connected. T2 said it will also assess whether the approach can achieve an efficient transport model that helps address the shortage of truck drivers.