An overtime cap for truck drivers in Japan took effect with the start of the new fiscal year on April 1. The move is aimed at improving working conditions for truckers. It's prompting businesses to find more efficient ways to transport their goods.
One private think tank estimates that if no measures are taken, the overtime cap could reduce haulage capacity by about 35 percent by 2030.
Major convenience store chain Lawson cut deliveries of boxed meals to some of its stores from three times a day to two, starting in December. Rival FamilyMart has been tapping the logistics network of Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan since February to supply some of its stores near Tokyo.
Other businesses are switching from road to rail. One cattle feed producer in the northern dairy region of Hokkaido now uses trains to ship feed for part of the journey to a storage facility.
An overtime cap for truck drivers in Japan took effect with the start of the new fiscal year on April 1. The move is aimed at improving working conditions for truckers. It's prompting businesses to find more efficient ways to transport their goods.
One private think tank estimates that if no measures are taken, the overtime cap could reduce haulage capacity by about 35 percent by 2030.
Major convenience store chain Lawson cut deliveries of boxed meals to some of its stores from three times a day to two, starting in December. Rival FamilyMart has been tapping the logistics network of Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan since February to supply some of its stores near Tokyo.
Other businesses are switching from road to rail. One cattle feed producer in the northern dairy region of Hokkaido now uses trains to ship feed for part of the journey to a storage facility.