The Japanese government plans to introduce numerical targets to improve working conditions for truck drivers while addressing a decline in the capacity of the trucking industry.

A joint task force was set up among the transport ministry, the economy ministry and the agriculture ministry to address an expected decline in the entire trucking capacity in Japan.

The task force came up with numerical goals to be in place by fiscal 2028 ending in March, 2029. It is estimated that the capacity of the trucking industry may decline by 34 percent in fiscal 2030, if the current situation is left unattended.

One goal seeks to reduce the average daily hours for freight waiting and handling for a truck driver from the current three hours to two.

Another goal calls on a shipper to deliver goods to the driver within an hour in principle.

Yet another goal raises a truck's load factor, which is the ratio of the load to the total vehicle capacity, from the current average of 38 percent to 44 percent.

The government also plans to provide subsidies or other support to companies if they introduce computer systems to improve delivery efficiency or expand a trucking version of "code-sharing."

The government plans to officially decide on the goals next month. It will later conduct a survey of about 60,000 trucking companies to monitor their progress in achieving the goals.