SENKO Group Holdings Co., Ltd. (Head office: Koto-ku, Tokyo; President: Yasuhisa Fukuda) opened the Group's first truck transportation large-scale relay station ("new facility") in August 2024 near the Hamamatsu SA/SIC on the Shin Tomei Expressway. Guests were invited to a groundbreaking ceremony held on September 22, 2023.
Restrictions will be coming into effect from April 2024 limiting the amount of overtime of drivers by one hour per day. For truck transportation between Kanto and Kansai, completing the normal amount of work for within the given time is difficult when including factors such as loading
time at delivery destinations and rest time, and deliveries taking two days per truck for a single driver cannot be achieved.
To comply with these regulations so that drivers can return the same day, there is a high level of demand throughout the transportation industry to use methods based on relay stations, where trucks on the way to their destination meet up with returning trucks on the way to swap over cab units, switch drivers, and reload cargo. The SENKO Group is also actively rolling out transportation relay points using the company's warehouse facilities located throughout Shizuoka Prefecture.
In light of this, the new facility is located approximately mid-way between Tokyo and Osaka at around 230 km from the Tokyo IC on the Tomei Expressway and around 250 km from Suita IC on the Meishin Expressway, meaning means drivers are able to return to either the Kanto or Kansai region on the same day. Its location around one km from the Hamamatsu SA/SIC also enables efficient operations.
With the opening of the new facility, the SENKO Group is strengthening and streamlining its transportation relay operations, and will hopefully help the transportation industry overcome the 2024 problem by having suppliers and other competitors make extensive use of the new facility.
With parking space for around 50 trucks, the new facility is one of the largest dedicated transportation relay stations in the industry, and also features loading and small-scale storage equipment required for transportation relay by reloading cargo. Showers for drivers, a break room and nap room are also planned to be installed after the facility opens, meaning its features will make it one-of-a-kind transportation relay station.
The facility will also be used to provide a new range of long-distance transportation services based on multi-modal transport systems* by leveraging the diverse scope of transportation methods available at SENKO Group, such as using rail containers for the initial transportation sections, reloading to trucks at the new facility, and using land transportation for the final section.
A large three-temperature zone warehouse ("new warehouse") will also be constructed adjacent to the new facility in February 2025 to address the so-called 2024 problem, tap into new demand from cargo owners seeking new warehouse sites between Tokyo and Osaka, and expanding the warehousing business throughout the western area of Shizuoka Prefecture.
With the opening of the new facility, the SENKO Group is strengthening and streamlining its transportation relay operations, and will hopefully help the transportation industry overcome the 2024 problem by having suppliers and other competitors make extensive use of the new facility.
* Transport system to contribute to a smooth and efficient traffic environment that caters to the needs of users by coordinating operations between numerous transportation facilities
<New facility overview>
| 1. Address: | Miyakoda-cho, Hamana-ku, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture |
| 2. Site area: | 15,000 m2 |
| 3. Facilities: | Truck parking area (approx. 50 trucks), amenities (showers, change rooms, rest areas, nap rooms, shops, toilets) * Only parking area will be available when facility opens |
| 4. Opening date: | August 2024 |
<New warehouse overview>
| 1. Address: | Miyakoda-cho, Hamana-ku, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture |
| 2. Building structure: | Steel-framed, 6 story |
| 3. Site area: | 16,700 m2 |
| 4. Total floor area: | 26,700 m2 |
| 5. Facilities: | Cargo elevator, vertical conveyor |
| 6. Opening date: | February 2025 |
