Japan turns to Vietnam, Indonesia to tackle truck driver shortage

Logistics and transportation companies in Japan have begun recruiting foreign nationals as drivers now that their industries qualify for a special employment visa amid a severe labor shortage.

To obtain the "specified skills" qualification in automotive transportation, a candidate must pass an examination on Japanese traffic rules and industry-specific cargo-loading methods. The exam was offered for the first time in December 2024, and more than 200 people have passed, according to Nikkei Asia.

Hiroshima-based Fukuyama Transporting is training driver candidates in Vietnam and offering language courses and driving tests. It plans to hire 15 long-haul drivers around summer 2026.

Osaka-based Sakai Moving Service has begun recruitment through a personnel-dispatching agency in Indonesia. After interviews and other assessments, the company will hire more than 10 people, in their 20s to their 40s, as potential drivers, starting in August.

After they arrive in Japan, Sakai will provide support for learning the language and switching their driver's licenses to Japanese ones. The plan is for them to start working as drivers in March 2026, the busy moving season.

Senko Group Holdings aims to secure 100 drivers under the special visa by fiscal 2032. The company will provide support for obtaining driver's licenses and learning the language at its training facilities in Chiba and Shiga prefectures.

Japan’s driver shortage is worsening. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said truck drivers put in about 20% more hours a year than workers overall, but their annual income is about 10% less.

An April 2024 legal revision limits truck drivers' overtime to 960 hours a year. Without special measures, the transport capacity of commercial trucks will fall 34% short of demand in fiscal 2030, according to the NX Logistics Research Institute and Consulting.

The specified-skills program is for industries with labour shortages to hire skilled foreign workers, including in nursing care. The automotive transportation industry was added to the list in March 2024 and is expected to take on up to 24,500 foreign nationals from fiscal 2024 to fiscal 2028.