Regarding truck, bus, and taxi drivers, whose long working hours have become a problem, the government's work style rules have been revised, and the annual upper limit for the combined working hours and rest periods will be set from two years later. be reduced significantly.
While there are hopes that the working environment for drivers will improve, there are also concerns that it will become difficult to maintain the current distribution network, and that this will have an impact on the economy and people's lives.
For truck, bus, and taxi drivers, the government has established work style rules from the perspective of safety. The rules have been revised for the first time in 25 years.
The revised rule stipulates that employees must make efforts to leave at least 11 hours between the end of the current 8-hour shift and the start of the next shift, and that a minimum of 9 hours should be secured.
In addition, the annual upper limit of working hours and break times will
be reduced to
216 hours for trucks
, 132 hours for taxis,
and 80 hours for buses .
In line with this, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has issued a notice,
asking for cooperation from shippers,
and calling attention to the fact that drivers of sole proprietors will also be subject to administrative action if they exceed the maximum time limit.
The new rules will take effect two years from 2024 and are expected to improve the working environment for drivers.
On the other hand, there is a private estimate that 410 million tons of cargo will not be transported compared to 2019 due to the application of the rules, and there are concerns about the impact on the economy and people's lives, which is called the "2024 problem." The country is also considering responding.