Tata Daewoo Maxen 25-ton truck (provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport). ⓒ News1 From June, autonomous driving trucks are expected to be seen transporting parcels on the Jungbu Expressway. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) announced on the 16th that it has, for the first time, granted approval for paid freight transportation using autonomous vehicles to domestic autonomous driving specialist company RideFlux. Previously, approvals were mainly issued for services such as autonomous buses that carry passengers. Starting in June, RideFlux plans to launch a parcel transport service using an autonomous truck shuttling between the Dongnam Logistics Complex in Songpa-gu, Seoul, and Lotte Global Logistics’ Jincheon Mega Hub Terminal in North Chungcheong Province via the Jungbu Expressway. The autonomous truck will operate on a 112 km route at a speed of 90 km/h. One Tata Daewoo Mobility Maxen 25t truck will be deployed for the route. It will operate three times a week between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. the following day on weekdays, when traffic volume is relatively low. Interior of the Tata Daewoo Maxen 25-ton truck (provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport). ⓒ News1 For safety, full driverless operation will be introduced in stages. In the initial phase, a test driver will be seated in the driver’s seat during operation. From next year, the test driver will only be seated in the passenger seat. After MOLIT’s safety verification, the system is planned to transition to fully unmanned operation. RideFlux plans to begin the service after signing a paid transport contract with its partner Lotte Global Logistics. In cooperation with local governments, the company also plans to promote the introduction of autonomous freight transport services in the Jeonbuk Wide-area Transport Network Zone, Gangwon Freight Transport Zone, Jeju Smart Logistics Zone, and Daegu,