Addressing the Driver Shortage and Long Working Hours
First written in FY2017-Q1. 11 of 26 entries say "Worsened", first in FY2018-Q1. Latest entry: 2026-08-07.
Okayamaken Freight Transportation moved to the "Worse" side of this theme in 2017.
The whole theme swung hardest in 2026: 2 of 6 companies on the "Worse" side.
3 other companies' latest entry also says "Restated".
- 2026-08-07RestatedEarnings
「慢性的なドライバー不足に加え、燃油価格や外注費を始めとする輸送コストの上昇が続くなど、引き続き厳しい経営環境となりました。」
慢性的なドライバー不足と輸送コスト上昇が、引き続き厳しい経営環境の要因として記載されている。 - FY2026WorsenedAnnual report
「The transportation industry is facing an extremely difficult situation, with domestic transport volumes trending downward, soaring fuel and materials prices and subcontracting costs, including contracted vehicle charges, chronic labor shortages, and the need to address regulations on drivers’ working and on-duty hours.」
The discussion now explicitly covers the response to chronic labor shortages and regulations on working and on-duty hours, in addition to the previous driver shortage and the 2024 problem, and uses stronger wording to describe industry conditions as "extremely difficult." - FY2026-H1WorsenedAnnual report
「In the transportation industry, domestic freight volume remained flat, while the operating environment became increasingly challenging amid structural issues including driver shortages and rising fuel and labor costs. At the same time, there were notable moves to improve logistics efficiency, including responses to the revised logistics-related laws, joint deliveries by multiple companies, and the development and consolidation of logistics bases.」
In addition to the driver shortage, rising fuel and labor costs are explicitly identified as structural challenges, and the business environment is described as "becoming increasingly difficult." The response to the amended logistics-related legislation is also newly specified in concrete terms. - FY2025-H1RestatedAnnual report
「Response to the 2024 logistics labor issue」
Responses to the "2024 problem" continue to be identified as a burden on the transportation industry, following the previous fiscal year's references to responses to the cap on overtime work and related measures. - FY2024WorsenedAnnual report
「The 960-hour annual cap on overtime work for truck drivers and the revised Improvement Standards Notice, known as the "2024 problem" arising from the Work Style Reform legislation, were implemented.」
In addition to the previous references to driver shortages and efforts to address long working hours, the 960-hour cap on overtime work and the revised Improvement Standards Notice are explicitly stated to have been implemented, clarifying the specific labor-related constraints that must be addressed. - FY2022ReframedAnnual report
「In the logistics industry, freight movements remained sluggish, particularly for production-related cargo, and the challenging operating environment continued amid rising transportation costs, including fuel and outsourcing costs.」
In addition to the previous references to driver shortages and rising labor costs, the environment is described as challenging, including higher transportation costs such as outsourcing expenses and fuel prices. - FY2022-Q2ReframedAnnual report
「In the logistics industry, total domestic freight volume is expected to increase modestly, but the industry continues to face a challenging operating environment, including higher costs associated with improving working conditions and addressing safety measures, as well as a substantial increase in expenses due to surging fuel prices.」
The wording describing labor-related burdens has changed from driver shortages and rising labor and outsourcing costs to higher costs associated with improving working conditions and addressing safety measures. - FY2021WorsenedAnnual report
「Moreover, as labor and outsourcing costs continue to rise, mainly due to chronic driver shortages」
The driver shortage is described as a "chronic driver shortage," rather than simply a driver shortage, and is identified as the primary cause of continued increases in labor and outsourcing costs. - FY2021-Q3RestatedAnnual report
「As labor and outsourcing costs continue to rise, mainly due to driver shortages」
Increases in labor and outsourcing costs attributable mainly to driver shortages continue to be cited, as in the previous quarter, as a factor contributing to the logistics industry's challenging operating environment. - FY2021-Q2RestatedAnnual report
「In the logistics industry, total domestic freight volume has continued to trend downward. Labor and outsourcing costs continue to rise, mainly due to driver shortages, and close attention is also required to fuel price trends, resulting in a continued challenging operating environment.」
Increases in labor and outsourcing costs attributable mainly to driver shortages continue to be cited, as in the previous quarter, as a factor contributing to the logistics industry's challenging operating environment. - FY2020WorsenedAnnual report
「The sense of labor shortages has become increasingly acute due to the implementation of the Work Style Reform legislation, including the mandatory use of 5 days of paid leave and the application of upper limits on overtime hours, and conditions have remained challenging.」
Regarding labor shortages, the description explains that the sense of shortage became increasingly acute following the implementation of the Work Style Reform legislation, in addition to the previous references to a serious driver shortage and labor shortages. - FY2020-Q3RestatedAnnual report
「As labor and outsourcing costs continue to rise, mainly due to driver shortages」
Increases in labor and outsourcing costs attributable mainly to driver shortages continue to be cited, as in the previous quarter, as a factor contributing to the logistics industry's challenging operating environment. - FY2020-Q2WorsenedAnnual report
「Labor and outsourcing costs continue to rise, mainly due to driver shortages, and close attention is also required to fuel price trends, resulting in a continued challenging operating environment.」
In addition to the previous references to labor shortages and a serious driver shortage, the description explains that driver shortages are the primary cause of continued increases in labor and outsourcing costs. - FY2020-Q1RestatedAnnual report
「Domestic freight volume remained sluggish, while the sense of labor shortages intensified, and challenging operating conditions continued.」
The severity of the labor shortage continues to be cited as a factor contributing to the transportation industry's challenging operating environment. - FY2019WorsenedAnnual report
「In the transportation industry, total domestic freight volume has remained flat, while the persistently high fuel prices and increasingly acute sense of labor shortages have kept conditions challenging.」
Regarding labor shortages, the wording adds that the sense of shortage has "become increasingly acute," in addition to the previous references to labor shortages and a serious driver shortage. - FY2019-Q3WorsenedAnnual report
「In the logistics industry, the Group's principal business, the operating environment remains challenging, with measures to address the serious driver shortage and initiatives to correct long working hours becoming urgent priorities.」
The previous quarter's general reference to "labor shortages" has been replaced by an explicit reference to a "serious driver shortage" and the "urgent priority" of measures to address it. Measures to correct long working hours are also described as urgent. - FY2019-Q2SoftenedAnnual report
「The domestic freight volume in the logistics industry, the Group's principal business, has also continued to trend upward, albeit modestly, but the industry faces a challenging operating environment due to labor shortages, efforts to curb long working hours and surging fuel prices.」
Labor shortages continue to be mentioned, but the wording has changed from "the increasingly serious labor shortage problem" in the previous period to the more general "labor shortages." Efforts to curb long working hours are also still cited. - FY2019-Q1WorsenedAnnual report
「Although freight transport volume is showing a slight upward trend, the transportation industry is operating in a challenging environment due to efforts to reduce overtime work and the increasingly serious labor shortage.」
The wording has changed from labor shortages and a serious driver shortage to "the increasingly serious labor shortage problem." Initiatives to reduce overtime work are also identified as a continuing factor contributing to the challenging operating environment. - FY2018-Q3RestatedAnnual report
「The transportation industry, which is a principal business of the Group, is also operating in a challenging environment, although total domestic transport volumes are showing a slight recovery, due to issues including the curbing of long working hours and fuel prices.」
Efforts to curb long working hours continue to be cited as a factor contributing to the transportation industry's challenging operating environment. - FY2018-Q2ReframedAnnual report
「The transportation industry, which is a principal business of the Group, continues to operate in a challenging environment, with total domestic transport volumes remaining low and issues including the curbing of long working hours and fuel prices.」
The previous emphasis on a serious driver shortage is absent. In addition to efforts to curb long working hours, fuel prices are identified as a factor contributing to the challenging operating environment. - FY2018-Q1WorsenedAnnual report
「In the transportation industry, the Group's principal business, the operating environment remains challenging, with measures to address the serious driver shortage and initiatives to correct long working hours becoming urgent priorities.」
The wording has changed from labor shortages and efforts to curb long working hours to describing the driver shortage as "serious" and measures to address it as an "urgent priority." - FY2017-Q3RestatedAnnual report
「In the transportation industry, the Group's principal business, the operating environment was challenging due to declining total domestic freight volume, labor shortages and efforts to curb long working hours.」
Labor shortages and efforts to curb long working hours continue to be cited as factors contributing to the transportation industry's challenging operating environment. - FY2017-Q2RestatedAnnual report
「The transportation industry, which is a principal business of the Group, is also operating in a challenging environment due to declining total domestic transport volumes, labor shortages and efforts to curb long working hours.」
Efforts to address labor shortages and curb long working hours continue to be identified as factors contributing to the challenging operating environment. - FY2017-Q1First statedAnnual report
「Domestic transportation volume continued to decline during the current period, while conditions remained challenging due to driver shortages and efforts to improve long working hours.」
Driver shortages and efforts to improve long working hours are cited as factors contributing to the challenging conditions in the transportation industry.