Looking strong isn't enough to last. A discussion on the foundations shared by the sumo world and the trucking industry

I am Teruaki Yokoyama, an administrative scrivener.

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/31814177e53980f4ae30c4dfc15b26a56c061dc7

Looking strong and being truly strong are not the same thing.

Seeing the news about the sumo world this time reminded me of that.

I loved sumo in junior high and high school and was in the sumo club. Back then, I wanted to build up my body, so I drank too much protein and ended up with enteritis. The muscles I had worked so hard to gain disappeared all at once. Even if you make the outside look big, if the foundation is weak, it won't last. Because of that experience, this news felt a bit personal to me.

When I was in high school, I went to see the Osaka tournament with my sumo club friends several times. I once touched Konishiki's arm in the hallway. I had thought his arms were soft from watching him on TV, but they were harder than I had imagined. Akebono was just huge. I also once went to ask Akinoshima for an autograph. However, perhaps because he had lost that day, he turned me down.

The Japan Sumo Association announced that it would double the prize money for the Makuuchi division winner from 10 million yen to 20 million yen. This is the first change to the winner's prize money in 33 years. The monthly salaries of the wrestlers are also being increased, with Yokozuna set to receive 3.3 million yen and Ozeki 2.75 million yen.

33 years. During that time, prices have risen. The money needed for daily life has also increased. Even so, the prize money and compensation did not change much. Perhaps this decision could have been made sooner. However, I believe there is significance in the decision to change it now.

So, what about the trucking industry?

With the 2024 problem as a catalyst, calls for improving the treatment of drivers have grown louder. There are moves toward wage increases at major trucking companies. On the other hand, there are voices in the field at small and medium-sized trucking companies saying, "We still can't feel the change."

The reason is simple. If freight rates do not rise, it is difficult to keep raising wages. With various costs such as fuel, labor, and vehicle maintenance rising, if companies do not negotiate with shippers and review their rates to appropriate levels, their corporate strength will be eroded.

The background to the sumo world being able to double its prize money for the first time in 33 years was likely a sense of crisis that "the future won't continue like this." The trucking industry has reached the same point.

The driver shortage is not a temporary problem. If treatment is not improved, young talent will not choose this industry. It is not just a matter of raising salary amounts. Long working hours, waiting times for loading, and opaque freight rate structures—unless these foundations are changed, it will not lead to true improvement.

In high school, the muscles I built with protein were lost the moment I became ill. Strength that is only on the surface does not last long.

I think the same applies to companies. Even if you only fix the superficial numbers, if the foundation is weak, you will face difficulties somewhere.

For the trucking industry to continue to be a necessary industry, the time has come to review not just compensation, but the working environment itself.

The sumo world made a move after 33 years. The next to change significantly might be the trucking industry.

To all professionals and trucking company managers, please feel free to connect with me.

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