How much does a truck driver make in Japan?
Answer: The average truck driver in Japan makes $33,816 (¥5.07M) a year (monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).
Monthly pay $2,579 × 12 + bonus $2,864. Average age 51.5; about 472,000 people work in this job. About the same as the Japan-wide average ($33,720).
Truck driver pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex)
| Company size | Everyone | Men | Women | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any size | $33,816 | $33,957 | $29,197 | 51.5 |
| Big company | $36,261 | $36,554 | $26,701 | 50.2 |
| Mid-size | $37,269 | $37,443 | $31,659 | 50.5 |
| Small company | $31,168 | $31,257 | $28,253 | 52.4 |
Why does pay differ?
In Japan, pay can rise with experience and useful licenses, such as trailer, forklift, or dangerous-goods qualifications. It also varies by employer and its pay system, company size, region, cargo type, and night or long-distance shifts.
What if you were…
In Japan, age and company size matter mostPick a company size, sex or age to see that group's average here.
How it changes with age
Tap an age to update the number above (Any company size, men and women combined)
How it changes with company size
What does a truck driver do?
What's a typical day like?
Before leaving, the driver checks in, takes an alcohol test, inspects the truck, and matches the cargo to its paperwork. Then they load and secure it, drive to the destination, unload, and report back.
How to get this job
In Japan, no special school degree is needed; the usual route is a regular license, three years’ experience, then a Class 1 large-vehicle license at 21. New hires train with an experienced driver; special training can allow testing at 19.
Did you know?
Trucks carry more than 90% of Japan’s domestic freight when cargo is counted by weight.
What about the US?
Nearly the same jobJapan's figure is the average and the US figure is the median. Prices and exchange rates matter too, so it's a rough comparison.
Similar jobs
Office, sales and retail jobsEarn more in the same field
Office, sales and retail jobs that pay a bit moreSources and data
Source: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 (regular workers, by occupation) (e-Stat). Yearly pay = monthly contractual cash earnings × 12 + annual bonus. Averages for regular workers at firms with 10+ employees. Public employees (teachers, police, firefighters) and company executives are not in this survey. e-stat.go.jp
Pages used for the text
- shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/Occupation/Detail/477
- www.npa.go.jp/bureau/traffic/jyuken_tokurei.html
- www.mhlw.go.jp/content/11800000/001686624.pdf
- www.e-stat.go.jp/dbview?sid=0003426315
- jta.or.jp/ippan/driver_recruit.html
- jobhouse.jp/driver/columns/79
Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY