# Japan Requires Major Shippers to Appoint Logistics Chief: A Model for Europe Too? **Category:** Regulation | **Source:** Frachtportal Redaktion | **Published:** 2026-08-25 | **Updated:** 2026-09-12 **Tags:** Japan, Logistiknetz, Grossverlader, Chief Logistics Officer, CLO, Rampenwartezeit, Fahrerwartezeit, Fahrzeugauslastung, Strassentransport, Logistik News, Transport News, Fracht News, Speditions News, Supply Chain News, Zoll News, Frachtportal News, LKW Transport > Japan's major freight forwarders must address logistics problems at management level. The focus is on dock wait times, vehicle utilization, and unnecessary driver work. --- The driver has been standing at the ramp for two hours. The freight forwarder calls after him, dispatch reschedules the next job – and at the shipper, nobody really feels responsible. Japan wants to change exactly that. Since April 1, 2026, major shippers are subject to significantly stricter requirements. Companies handling at least 90,000 tons of freight annually can be classified as so-called "special shippers." They must develop a medium-term improvement plan and appoint a responsible person from management. This logistics manager is often referred to as a Chief Logistics Officer, or CLO for short. This is not just a better ramp manager. The person must belong to the management level and be involved in important business decisions. Logistics should no longer remain somewhere between procurement, warehouse, and shipping. In the plan, companies must demonstrate how they will improve vehicle utilization and reduce waiting and processing times. This concerns very practical matters: reasonable time windows, sufficient ramp personnel, available forklifts, pallets, better advance data, and planning that doesn't order all trucks at the same time. Particularly interesting is the measurement requirement. Waiting time and actual loading or unloading time should generally be recorded separately. Work such as inspections, sorting, labeling, or warehousing also counts if the driver must perform it. So it's not just about when the vehicle enters the yard and leaves again. The first annual report is due by the end of July 2027. The first medium-term plan must generally be submitted by the end of October in the introduction year 2026. If measures prove significantly insufficient, authorities can issue recommendations. If these are ignored, public notification and later administrative orders are possible. Whether Europe will adopt such a CLO requirement remains open. However, the Japanese approach addresses a sore point: efficient transport does not begin with the truck. It begins with orders, ramps, time windows, and data quality. --- For freight forwarders, this approach is interesting because waiting times are no longer simply treated as a dispatcher problem. The shipper must provide figures and internally name someone who is responsible for improvements. Shippers would have to examine more carefully when vehicles are ordered, whether sufficient dock capacity is available, and what additional tasks are assigned to the driver. Procurement and sales would also be affected. Those who promise tight delivery schedules or trigger many small shipments directly influence vehicle utilization and effort on the road. In practice, this means: arrival, dock start, work start, and departure must be documented cleanly. Only with reliable time stamps can waiting times be proven, causes discussed, and costs fairly allocated. In short: Japan makes poor dock planning a management responsibility – and thus places greater responsibility on the shipper as well. --- The second stage of Japan's Logistics Efficiency Act has been in effect since April 1, 2026. For shippers, the threshold is generally 90,000 tonnes of handled freight weight per year. Approximately 3,200 shippers and franchise headquarters are expected to reach the threshold according to government estimates. The CLO must come from the management ranks and be involved in key business decisions. The CLO requirement applies to large shippers and franchise headquarters, not to all logistics companies in general. Large transport companies are covered starting at 150 vehicles. For warehouse operators, the threshold is 700,000 tonnes of stored freight annually. Waiting time and loading/unloading time must generally be recorded separately. The first medium-term plan must generally be submitted by the end of October 2026. The first regular annual report is scheduled for submission by the end of July 2027. ## Related Entities ### Countries - [Japan](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/jp) ### Glossary - [Procurement](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/procurement-2) - [Putaway](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/putaway) - [Label](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/label) - [Freight](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/freight) - [Pallet](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/pallet) - [Freight forwarder](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/freight-forwarder) - [Shipping](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/shipping) - [Unload Time](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/unload-time) - [Warehouse](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/warehouse) - [Window Slot](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/window-slot) - [processing time](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/processing-time) - [Yard](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/yard) - [loading ramp](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/loading-ramp) - [labeling](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/labeling) --- *Canonical URL: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/japan-verpflichtet-grossverlader-zu-einem-logistikchef-ein-modell-auch-fuer-europa-20260824183007](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/japan-verpflichtet-grossverlader-zu-einem-logistikchef-ein-modell-auch-fuer-europa-20260824183007)* *Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/japan-verpflichtet-grossverlader-zu-einem-logistikchef-ein-modell-auch-fuer-europa-20260824183007](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/japan-verpflichtet-grossverlader-zu-einem-logistikchef-ein-modell-auch-fuer-europa-20260824183007)*