Survey Results on Standard Freight Rate Use

The Logistics and Road Transport Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism conducted a questionnaire survey of truck transport operators and shipper companies to assess the use of the “Standard Freight Rate” announced in March 2024 and compiled the results. The survey was conducted from March 9 to March 27, 2026, through questionnaires for operators and shippers.

Respondents consisted of approximately 1,200 member operators of the Japan Trucking Association and approximately 200 shipper companies identified through the White Logistics Movement.

The “Standard Freight Rate” was announced to support the proper collection of appropriate freight rates by truck operators with weak bargaining power.

The “Standard Freight Rate” was announced in April 2020 under the Act Partially Amending the Motor Truck Transportation Business Act, promulgated in 2018. In March 2024, a new rate was announced that raised the freight rate level by an average of 8% to reflect factors such as higher fuel costs and incorporated a fuel surcharge system. The survey examined the implementation of cost calculations, the use of the rate in freight rate negotiations, and the results of those negotiations.

In the FY2025 survey, approximately 90% of truck operators negotiated freight rates, and approximately 78% of them obtained a certain level of understanding from shippers. Among all operators, approximately 70% obtained a certain level of understanding. In addition, compared with the “Standard Freight Rate” announced in March 2024, approximately 35% of operators were able to collect a prevailing freight rate level of at least 80% of that rate.