日本における物流危機の現状と食品物流をめぐる諸課題

抄録

Many in Japan are raising alarm about a “logistics crisis ” in the logistics industry. Even before the pandemic, there was a shortage of experienced drivers and a commensurate rise in wages, which often leaves providers unable to complete some scheduled shipments. This “crisis” is exacerbated by the fact that delivery personnel face long work hours, difficult working conditions and low pay, making it hard to attract employees. Meanwhile, logistics efficiency remains low. Drivers often face long waits in order to load the truck, most trucks are loaded and unloaded by hand, and the tracking information to inspect and monitor deliveries often needs to be input manually. This report examines conditions in the food and agricultural products shipping industry, and the issues currently encountered when loading, unloading and inspecting shipments. We examine measures that companies have introduced or are considering to address these problems. Many of the ideas that logistics providers want to adopt will require concessions on the part of delivery recipients; in particular, to allow more lead time, to standardize the size of orders, to consolidate delivery days, and so on. However, such changes in the order and delivery conditions cannot be implemented by logistics companies without the full cooperation of both the shipper and the shipment recipient. It is essential that logistics companies work in unison with both their logistics customers and the intended recipients of deliveries, in order to find effective solutions.