Hanjin launches South Korea's first commercial autonomous freight truck service

Hanjin has put a 25-ton autonomous freight truck into service carrying actual parcel deliveries — the first time in South Korea that an autonomous freight vehicle has received a commercial transport permit and moved beyond technology demonstration into revenue-generating operations.

The logistics company announced Thursday that it had completed a pilot program for the 25-ton autonomous freight truck and begun commercial operations after obtaining a paid freight transport permit from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The truck runs a one-way route of 118 kilometers from Gunsan Port in North Jeolla Province, through Hanjin's Jeonju parcel terminal, to the Daejeon Mega Hub — three times a week. The vehicle carries real parcel cargo, and a trained safety officer rides in the driver's seat to intervene manually if an unexpected situation arises.

In the parcel industry, 25-ton freight trucks are commonly known as trunk-line trucks. Unlike 1-ton light trucks that shuttle between final delivery points such as homes and offices, trunk-line trucks move large volumes of cargo between logistics hubs.

The service is part of a project to build autonomous transport commercial vehicle demonstration infrastructure in the Saemangeum area, overseen by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Hanjin signed an MOU in September 2023 with the Korea Automobile Testing and Research Institute, the LX Spatial Information Research Institute and the Korea Integrated Freight Association to carry out the autonomous freight truck demonstration in stages.

While previous autonomous freight truck operations were largely focused on technology verification, this service differs in that it generates transport revenue by carrying actual customer cargo. The initiative is expected to serve as a proving ground for the commercial viability of autonomous driving technology, as the logistics industry grapples with improving efficiency on long-distance trunk routes and easing the burden on drivers.

Participating organizations each took on defined roles. Hanjin provided the physical logistics infrastructure and cargo volume to establish a basis for verifying how autonomous freight trucks can be applied in real operations. The Korea Automobile Testing and Research Institute built the autonomous driving demonstration road infrastructure and test vehicles, while the LX Spatial Information Research Institute developed the control system. The Korea Integrated Freight Association handled coordination and operational support.

Hanjin plans to accumulate autonomous logistics operational data through the commercial service. The company has also set up a terminal system equipped with control and sensing equipment to allow the autonomous truck to enter the parcel terminal, wait and approach the unloading area reliably.

Data and operational experience gathered during real road operations could become a valuable asset when autonomous logistics expands. Analyzing route-specific operating conditions, terminal entry and waiting patterns, safety officer intervention cases, and variables in the cargo transport process could help broaden the scope of autonomous trunk-line delivery.

"Building on this first commercial run of an autonomous freight truck, we will further strengthen our readiness for the future logistics market while accelerating smart logistics innovation through the on-site application of advanced technologies such as big data and AI," a Hanjin official said.