Survey of 140 Transport Company Representatives on Current Business Environment

"Inventing the 'Next' in Logistics" is the mission of Hakobell Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Kenji Sama, hereinafter "the Company"). The Company has conducted a survey targeting transport operators who own trucks regarding their current business environment and has received responses from 140 individuals. The results are hereby published.

◼️ Survey Results Overview

97.1% feel negative impacts on their business due to the Middle East situation.

Top specific impacts include "rising fuel prices," "shortage of engine oil," and "shortage of AdBlue." Some also cited reduced production by shippers and shortages of packaging materials.

Approximately 40% have implemented fuel surcharges, either partially or fully. The top barrier in price negotiations with shippers is the "fear of losing business to competitors."

Over 40% reported having reconsidered their business relationships with shippers. Key factors for continuing business include "attitude toward price negotiations" and "clarity in cost-sharing for ancillary tasks and fuel expenses."

20% of respondents have already adopted relay transport. Main concerns about adoption include "driver morale (e.g., reluctance to drive other drivers’ vehicles)" and "liability issues in the event of accidents."

◼️ Detailed Survey Results

【Impact of the Middle East Situation】

When asked about the impact of the Middle East situation on their operations, 55.7% answered "already feeling negative impacts," and 41.4% answered "beginning to sense negative impacts." No respondents reported positive impacts. Regarding specific impacts, "rising fuel prices" was the top concern at 80.9%, followed by "shortage or difficulty obtaining engine oil" at 53.7%, and "shortage or difficulty obtaining AdBlue" at 30.9%. Additionally, 26.5% reported "reduced orders due to shippers’ production cuts," indicating multifaceted supply chain effects. In the "Other" category (11.8%), many comments mentioned shortages or price hikes of petroleum-based packaging materials such as stretch film and cushioning materials.

Q1. What impact has the tense Middle East situation had on your business?

Q2. For those who answered "already feeling negative impacts" or "beginning to sense negative impacts," what specific impacts have you experienced?

＜Specific Comments＞

"Our shipper restricted in-tank usage, forcing us to use another supplier, which significantly increased fuel costs." (5–10 vehicles owned / Executive)

"Fuel deliveries to our in-house refueling facilities from existing petroleum wholesalers became difficult, leading us to impose fuel rationing." (101+ vehicles owned / Branch Manager)

"Unable to obtain engine oil, so we haven’t been able to replace it." (51–100 vehicles owned / Branch Manager)

"Could not fully refill AdBlue." (11–30 vehicles owned / Executive)

"Since May, we’ve noticed a decline in cargo volume greater than usual." (11–30 vehicles owned / Branch Manager)

"Petroleum-based packaging materials didn’t arrive, so we couldn’t accept jobs requiring in-house packaging and lost contracts." (101+ vehicles owned / On-site Staff)

【Fuel Surcharges and Price Negotiations】

Regarding the implementation of fuel surcharges, 4.3% reported "fully implemented (full cost pass-through)," and 35.7% reported "partially implemented (partial cost pass-through)," meaning approximately 40% in total have taken steps to implement fuel surcharges. However, when broken down by the number of vehicles owned, companies with 30 or fewer vehicles had a combined implementation rate of 29.6% (2.8% and 26.8%, respectively), significantly lower than the 50.7% (5.8% and 44.9%) among companies with 31 or more vehicles, indicating slower progress in cost pass-through among smaller operators. Additionally, when asked about the "barriers" in price negotiations with shippers, "fear of losing business to competitors" was the top response at 45.7%, followed by "understanding at the contact level but no approval from decision-makers" at 40.0%, and "pressure from shippers to cut costs" at 36.4%.

Q3. Please describe the current status of fuel surcharge implementation.

Q4. What are the "barriers" you face when negotiating prices with shippers? (Select up to three)

【Reevaluation of Shipper Relationships】

Amid concerns over driver and transport capacity shortages, we asked whether companies had considered reevaluating their relationships with shippers. Combining responses of "have already reduced or terminated business with shippers due to unfavorable conditions" (25.0%) and "decline new requests when conditions are unfavorable" (17.9%), over 40% reported having reconsidered their business approach. Including future possibilities, over 80% indicated a willingness to selectively engage with shippers and projects.

Q5. Amid worsening driver and transport capacity shortages, please describe your likelihood of reevaluating business relationships with shippers.

We then asked which types of shippers companies would like to continue or expand business with. The top responses were "shippers who sincerely engage in price negotiations regarding freight rates and fuel surcharges" (80.0%) and "shippers with clear definitions of ancillary work scope and cost responsibilities such as waiting fees and tolls" (52.1%), highlighting the importance of pricing and cost transparency for business sustainability. Third was "shippers who actively work to reduce waiting and loading/unloading times" at 47.1%, indicating growing concern over operational efficiency amid driver shortages.

Q6. Please specify which conditions you particularly value in shippers you wish to continue or expand business with. (Select up to three)

【Relay Transport】

Following the Diet’s passage of revised legislation supporting the establishment of relay transport hubs, we inquired about current adoption status and perceptions.

Regarding implementation status, 20.0% of respondents answered "already implemented," and 7.1% answered "actively discussing implementation." Among respondents from companies with 30 or fewer vehicles, the combined rate of "implemented" and "actively discussing" was under 20% (14.1% and 7.0%, respectively), while 64.8% answered "no plans for future implementation (mainly short-distance/local operations)," indicating that over half do not consider adoption part of their business strategy. In contrast, among respondents from companies with 31 or more vehicles, "implemented" and "actively discussing" combined to about 30% (26.1% and 7.2%, respectively), while 27.5% answered "want to implement but find it difficult," suggesting that adoption remains challenging from the carriers’ perspective.

Q7. Please describe your company’s current status regarding relay transport.

When asked about their perception of relay transport, approximately 30% of all respondents answered that it "should be promoted." The proportion answering "should be promoted" was about 10 percentage points higher among companies with 31 or more vehicles compared to those with 30 or fewer. Meanwhile, the proportion answering "difficult to promote" was around 20% overall (19.3% overall, 18.3% for ≤30 vehicles, 20.3% for ≥31 vehicles).

When asked about specific concerns from those who answered "difficult to promote," the top concerns were "driver morale (e.g., reluctance to drive other drivers’ vehicles)" (81.5%) and "liability issues when vehicles and drivers belong to different companies in the event of accidents" (77.8%). Given that trucks are spaces where drivers spend long hours, attention to driver sentiment is clearly needed. Additionally, liability in accidents has long been a concern.