This photo taken on September 4, 2024 shows Japanese truck driver Fujio Uemura posing in front of his truck at a convenience store truck stop in an industrial area of the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa prefecture. Since April, truck drivers' annual overtime has been capped at 960 hours, or 80 hours per month on average, alongside new rules including on break stops. Before, there was no effective limit and many drivers worked literally around the clock to expand their meagre take-home pay. (Photo by Richard A. Brooks / AFP) / TO GO WITH Japan-economy-transport-demographics, FOCUS by Hiroshi HIYAMA
Kawasaki (Japan): Fujio Uemura has to rest after driving fish all night to Tokyo, under new rules that trucking firms and experts say are crippling Japan’s logistics sector and risk pushing up prices for consumers.
The regulations are aimed at easing the stress of the badly paid hard slog of trucking, and making it more attractive to young people in ageing Japan, where some 90% of goods are transported by road.
