Road transport - bus, taxi and truck driving - was added to the Specified Skilled Worker programme in 2024. It is unlike the other fields in one important way: the job requires a Japanese driving licence, and that is a separate process from the visa.
Requirements in a new field move, so confirm the current position with the official bodies before making plans.
What is different about this field
In most SSW fields, the two exams make you eligible and the employer does the rest. Here there is a third requirement:
- A Japanese driving licence of the correct class for the vehicle - and for bus and taxi work, the professional (second class) licence.
- Converting a foreign licence involves a knowledge and practical assessment in Japan.
- Passenger-carrying work generally requires a higher standard of Japanese than the SSW minimum, for obvious reasons.
Expect employers to want more than the floor, and expect a period after arrival spent obtaining the licence rather than driving.
The three streams
Truck (freight). Goods delivery and logistics. Long hours are common; the industry is under pressure from driver shortages and working-time rules.
Bus. Route and charter services. Passenger safety, schedules, announcements - and therefore the most demanding Japanese of the three.
Taxi. Passenger service, navigation, fares, and constant unscripted conversation with customers. The highest conversational bar in the field.
What you need
- Language: JFT-Basic or JLPT N4 and above as the floor - JFT-Basic or JLPT - with bus and taxi employers typically asking for more.
- Skills: the evaluation test for the relevant stream.
- Licence: as above.
The Japanese to prioritise
Listening and speaking, more than reading. Specifically:
- Directions and places - transport Japanese
- Numbers, times and money - fares, schedules, addresses. Numbers and time
- Polite customer language - keigo basics and polite requests
For passenger work, workplace culture is worth reading too: expectations around punctuality, appearance and apology are high and explicit.
Conditions
Terms equal to a Japanese national in the same role: salary and deductions. Driving work often includes allowances tied to hours or distance - understand how yours is calculated before signing, using the contract checklist.
Ask specifically who pays for the licence conversion and the training period, and what happens if you do not pass it.
Is it for you?
If you drive professionally already and are willing to invest in the licence and a higher standard of Japanese, it is one of the better-paid SSW fields with genuine long-term demand.
If your Japanese is at the minimum, start there: our free exam demo is a full JFT-Basic mock and will tell you how far off you are.