As part of work style reform, upper limits on overtime work for truck drivers will be applied from the 1st. The logistics industry is facing the challenge of responding to the ``2024 problem,'' which concerns a decline in transportation volume, and companies are increasingly working to improve delivery efficiency.
Lawson, a major convenience store chain, has been gradually introducing measures since December last year to reduce deliveries of bento boxes, sandwiches, etc. from three times a day to two times a day.
Utilizing the time when trucks are not in operation due to the reduction in the number of deliveries, from April 6th onwards, we will be responsible for delivering meals for the food delivery service operated by the restaurant chain Watami.
In addition, since early February this year, FamilyMart has begun using the delivery network of major beverage company Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan to deliver products to convenience stores in parts of Kanagawa Prefecture.
Meanwhile, Unicharm, a major daily necessities manufacturer, has developed a technology that can compress paper pants for adults by 10% compared to conventional products without changing the content, reducing the amount of transportation by approximately 1,000 10-ton trucks per year. We hope to be able to do so.
In addition, Japan Post has positioned three post offices in Takamatsu City, Okayama City, and Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture as relay points, and allows Yu-Pack parcels to be handed over to trucks driven by other drivers for long distances. Compatible with transportation.
The company plans to select post offices near expressway interchanges to minimize the time it takes to hand over packages, but says that it will take about 3.4% of all services longer to deliver. The impact is expected to be at most half a day.
A private think tank estimates that if no measures are taken, approximately 35% of parcels nationwide will not be able to be transported by 2030, so the challenge is how far efforts to improve delivery efficiency can be expanded.
Sagawa Express and Yamato Transport will increase fees for home delivery etc. from the 1st
Major delivery companies Sagawa Express and Yamato Transport will raise prices for home delivery services starting from the 1st.
▽Sagawa Express will increase the price of home delivery by about 7% on average.
▽Yamato Transport will increase the price of cool delivery and golf bags by about 2% on average in addition to regular home delivery.
In addition to rising fuel prices, the move is aimed at improving the treatment of employees, including those at subcontractors, in response to the 2024 problem.
Both companies have raised prices for the second year in a row and plan to continue reviewing their rates regularly.
JR Freight to strengthen demand capture
In response to the ``2024 problem'' in logistics, JR Freight expects that there will be an increase in companies switching from trucks to railways as a means of transportation, and is working to capture demand.
In Hokkaido, railway freight bound for Sapporo from various parts of the prefecture has a large amount of cargo such as agricultural products, while rail freight bound from Sapporo to various parts of Hokkaido has a problem of so-called "one-sided cargo", where there is little cargo and many empty containers. .
In an effort to resolve this issue, JR Freight conducted its first demonstration experiment in February this year in cooperation with wholesalers and others.
The demonstration experiment was conducted in order to have wholesalers confirm the time and cost required if the transportation from Sapporo City to Kitami City, Hokkaido, which had been mainly carried out by truck, was switched to rail. In total, approximately 12 tons were transported.
Although it takes more time from the time the freight train is loaded to the time it departs, the benefits are significant in terms of reducing the driver's working hours.
A wholesaler who participated in the demonstration experiment said, ``The '2024 problem' will make long-distance shipping extremely difficult, so I don't know if we will be able to continue in the current situation in a few years.We are looking for transportation methods that can replace trucks. I want to,” he said.
In addition, Takashi Nakamura, General Manager of the JR Freight Hokkaido Branch Sales Department, said, ``Currently, empty containers are being sent from Sapporo to various locations in Hokkaido, and we are extremely grateful that these containers are now filled with cargo.We will continue to work to resolve this issue.'' I want to go there," he said.
“Labor Shortage”: Transition from trucks to railways
In response to the ``2024 problem,'' which concerns the application of caps on overtime work for truck drivers and the worsening of labor shortages, there is a movement to switch from trucks to railways as a means of transportation.
A factory that manufactures cattle feed in Tomakomai City, Hokkaido used to transport food by truck to a storage facility in Horonobe Town in northern Hokkaido, approximately 330 kilometers away, but last year they switched to rail for some sections.
Transportation by truck takes more than 5 hours one way, so if caps on overtime work for drivers are applied starting this month, it will be difficult for a single driver to handle trips that take more than 10 hours round trip.
For this reason, JR Freight carries out transportation from Tomakomai City, where the factory is located, to Nayoro City, which is located on the way, and the company uses trucks to transport only between Nayoro City and Horonobe Town, where the storage facility is located, reducing the driver's driving time both ways. This means that the time could be shortened to about 4 hours.
Tetsuro Kobayashi, manager of Hokuren Co., Ltd., which is making logistics plans for this factory, said, ``Although transportation costs have increased, we have switched to rail in order to maintain a sustainable mode of transportation.'' We would like to consider whether it is possible to switch the means of transportation."
Kyushu Shifting some of its transportation from truck transportation to ferries
Amidst the challenge of responding to the ``2024 problem'' in logistics, where there are concerns about a shortage of truck drivers, Kyushu has begun implementing a ``modal shift'' initiative to switch some of the transportation of vegetables and fruits from truck transportation to ferries. I am.
Most of the vegetables and fruits shipped from Kyushu to the Kanto and Kansai regions are transported by truck, but JA Zen-Noh (Japan Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives) has begun a trial initiative to switch some of that transportation to ferries.
In this initiative, vegetables and fruits from all over Kyushu are collected at a distribution base at the Central Wholesale Market in Kitakyushu City, the gateway to Kyushu, and then loaded onto trucks and ferried from ports in the city to ports in the Kanto and Kansai regions. I will carry it.
At this time of year, Fukuoka's specialty strawberry brand ``Amaou'', which is in season, is transported to the Tokyo market once or twice a week by ferry from Kitakyushu to Kobe.
The strawberries are loaded onto a ferry in Kitakyushu on the evening of the day they are harvested, arrive in Kobe the next morning, and are delivered by truck to markets in Tokyo the same day, and then auctioned off the next day.
JA Zen-Noh plans to auction strawberries destined for the Kanto region at the Tokyo market by the third day after harvesting, but even if a ferry is used, the strawberries can be delivered to the market within three days, just like truck transport. is.
The cost of transportation is expected to be higher than traditional truck transportation due to the increased work at logistics bases, but drivers can take a break while on board and reduce their working hours. .
In addition, when transporting strawberries, we strictly control the temperature at low temperatures to maintain freshness, and even after the trucks board the ferry, we use the ferry's power supply to control the temperature.
JA Zen-Noh will continue to use ferries for transportation, and plans to expand the use of ferries if the impact of the 2024 problem on truck transportation becomes widespread.
Daiki Kawata, director of the ZEN-NOH Logistics and Horticulture Sales Department Kitakyushu Fruits and Vegetables Office, which is in charge of the trial transportation of strawberries, said, ``We want to look ahead and work on what we can do to reduce the risk of not being able to transport the strawberries, and make this an exemplary initiative.'' We were talking.
In addition, Kazuhiko Dan (47), a driver for a transportation company, said, ``Long-distance drivers put a strain on their bodies after long drives, so I'm very grateful for the opportunity to rest my body.''
According to Hankyu Ferry, which operates routes connecting Kitakyushu with Kobe and Osaka, in Kyushu there is a growing movement to use ferries as an alternative to trucks with the ``2024 problem'' in mind, and last year's weekday usage rate was The number of trucks used exceeded 90%, which means that more than 130,000 trucks were used, which is approximately 10,000 more than the previous year.
Fukuoka specialty “Amaou” “Trial transportation using ferry”
``Amaou'', a specialty of Fukuoka, is a brand of strawberry that is popular all over the country. According to ``JA Zennoh Fukuren,'' approximately 10,000 tons are shipped annually, with sales of approximately 15 billion yen, and sales in the Kanto and Kansai regions are the highest. It accounts for 70%.
NJ Agri Support, an agricultural corporation in Oki Town, Fukuoka Prefecture, which produces Amaou, is currently at its peak shipping season.
This agricultural corporation ships approximately 27 tons of strawberries per year, of which 50% is shipped to the Kanto region, and some of the strawberries are transported to the Kanto region on a trial basis using ferries.
Masahiro Baba, the farm's manager, said, ``I would feel safer if we could use a variety of transportation routes, such as ferry transportation.I think it's best if we can deliver high-quality strawberries to our customers.''