Former Truck Driver Writer Reveals the Unreasonable Situation in the Workplace Before the “2024 Problem
When you hear the word “truck,” the first thing that comes to mind is probably not a very good image. It is frustrating to drive a truck and not be able to see what is in front of you when it pulls in front of you, and it is even more frustrating when it drives too slowly. It is even more frustrating when a large vehicle is parked on the shoulder of the road and gets in the way. Some of you may have seen scenes on TV news of truck drivers drinking in their cars at highway SAs and PAs.
However, there are many misconceptions about the bad image of truck drivers, according to Aiki Hashimoto, a writer who has been covering the voices of blue-collar workers in logistics and other fields. Aiki Hashimoto, author of “The Lost Truck Driver’s Maze,” and a former truck driver himself, talks about the many misconceptions we have about truck drivers and the 2024 problem that is currently being closely watched, He also spoke to us about the current 2024 problem and other misconceptions that we have about truck drivers.
The first misconception I want to clear up is that the truck drivers that the public sees are also delivery drivers, and that logistics equals delivery. However, in terms of transportation volume, home delivery accounts for less than 7% of all logistics. Most of the bulk is accounted for by inter-company transportation.
Drivers in business-to-business transportation do not have the opportunity to directly interact with consumers. But the working environment for business-to-business transport drivers has deteriorated so much precisely because of their invisibility. If they were more visible, I think a lot more things would change, but unfortunately, the only time the general public is aware of truck drivers in inter-company transport is when they are parked on the road or driving too slowly and are in the way, or something like that.”
One of the reasons for the harsh working conditions of drivers, with long hours and low pay, is the industry’s practice of “shipper supremacy. Drivers are told that they must follow the orders of shippers, and they have no choice but to do as they are told. This is also said to be the cause of slow driving and roadside parking.
If the cardboard boxes and other packing materials are damaged, even slightly, they are sometimes returned to the shipper. Of course, the product inside is not damaged at all. But there are many cases where the product is returned. If it is just a return, the driver is made to pay for it. If it’s a bad case, the entire pallet is bought back. What is even more unreasonable is that the driver will not give the pallet back to the shipper even though he has to pay for it. I asked one of the shippers why. When I asked one shipper why, he replied, “Because we can’t take responsibility for items that have been sold on the market and distributed in an unregulated manner.
Another story was that a shipper was forced to return cardboard boxes containing cup noodles and beverages from a convenience store if the glue was peeled off even a little bit. There are many cases where it is not the driver’s fault. The trucks are reloaded many times, and if they are shaken on the back of the truck for a long time, the cardboard can get crushed, the glue can peel off, or the cardboard can get blackened and scuffed. That is why trucks sometimes drive slowly, not only to avoid traffic accidents, but also to prevent damage to the cargo.
