Japan Post Co. and Seino Transportation Co. will collaborate in long-distance parcel deliveries, utilizing shared trucks, in response to concerns over a decrease in transport delivery capacity following the implementation of an overtime cap for drivers, sources familiar with the matter said Monday.
The postal service company and the major delivery firm conducted experiments in February and March in which trucks loaded with parcels from both companies operated in designated sections, such as between Tokyo and Osaka, confirming that sharing cargo would ease the impacts of the logistics shortfall resulting from the overtime restrictions, referred to as the "2024 problem."
Japan, already facing an acute shortage of drivers and other workers due to an aging workforce, introduced the overtime limit of 960 hours per year for truck drivers, among others, in April to improve standard working conditions.
A Japan Post official said, "(Sharing cargo trucks) allows us to reduce the number of trucks without changing the number of days necessary for deliveries."
While a specific date to begin the joint truck transportation has not been set yet, the two companies, which operate about 10,000 trucks daily, plan to eventually expand the effort nationwide.
According to their operation plan, a truck will collect parcels from the loading stations of both firms located in close proximity and then deliver them to their respective bases near the delivery destinations.
The collaboration will exclusively cover long-distance routes, necessitating truck drivers to work long hours.
According to the sources, short-distance deliveries from loading bases to residences and offices will continue to be carried out separately, as usual.
