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Demand for the sophistication of physical distribution services, including
"just-in-time services," has led to an increasing dependency on trucks in the
domestic freight transport field (trucks accounted for 51.2 percent of physical
distribution services in FY1989). The result has been the development of social
problems such as labor shortages, traffic congestion and global warming (Fig.
27). In particular, Labor shortages are becoming increasingly acute for
trucking businesses. In FY1988, for example, the number of drivers per truck
serving a scheduled delivery route stood at 0.86 in six major cities. With respect
to prevailing labor shortages in the trucking industry, Long working hours (2,687
hours in 1988 compared to 2,111 hours in all categories of industry) and excessively
heavy loading have become social problems. Viewed in medium and long-term perspectives,
there is the possibility of the situation gravely affecting the nation's economic
and industrial activities, and national life, hence an improvement in the situation
has become an urgent matter.
The government, therefore, will take steps to promote the utilization of
mass transport systems (railways and shipping) and to improve infrastructures
in a move to accelerate modal shifts (shifts from trucks to railways and shipping
in freight transport services on trunk routes) on the basis of intermodal transportation
with trucks.
There is also a need to promote the greater modernization of physical distribution
facilities in and around ports and harbors, and airports to deal with a larger
influx of imported goods, and to build, at the same time, comprehensive import
terminals complete with distribution control and quarantine facilities, and
consumer-oriented functions.
In the area of consumer physical distribution, efforts are now being made
to introduce fullfledged measures for the protection of consumers, including
an improvement in the standard terms and conditions contract of carriage in
regard to door-to-door delivery and house-moving services, in addition to forging
ahead with trunk room services, freight villa and document villa projects.
With respect to measures for international intermodal transportation, in
addition to disseminating standard terms and conditions contract of carriage,
the Intermodal Transportation Committee of the Distribution Subcommittee of
the Council for Trans-port Policy, the Ministry of Transport in February 1990
compiled plans to pave the way toward the promotion of intermodal transportation.
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