Specific SkillsFirst time in Hasami-cho, Nagasaki Prefecture! Shinei Corporation's first employee! Birth of a foreign heavy-duty truck driver Newly joined the company after passing the evaluation test

We would like to introduce a foreign heavy-duty truck driver who is driving the approximately 800 km between Fukuoka and Nagoya, with the hope that it will be a "road of hope.

Foreigners driving heavy-duty trucks are still a rarity in Japan, and this is how he vows to play an active role to become a pioneer in the industry.

Sigit Purwant in the driver's seat

Sigit Purwanto, 30, an Indonesian, is a new employee of Shinei Corporation, a transportation company in Hasami-cho, Nagasaki Prefecture, who joined the company on September 1, 2025, and is showing a serious expression on his truck.

Shintaro Yamawaki, 41, the company's representative director, says, "He has a good driving streak and is serious and hardworking. He is cheerful, and the other employees are united in their support for him, which has softened and brightened the atmosphere in the company," he said happily.

Sigit Purwant happily says, "Someday I want to drive a truck all over Japan.

From Passenger Seat to Driver

Immediately after joining the company, Sigit learned loading and unloading by sitting in the passenger seat of a senior driver on the Fukuoka-Nagoya round-trip course. Especially on the "return trip," he is required to quickly determine which cargo is to be "unloaded from Kitakyushu" and which from "unloaded from Minami-Kyushu," and to load them in an orderly manner. Slips and other documents are, of course, in Japanese. Accurate reading comprehension is also required.

In late October, I finally got behind the wheel. This time, a senior staff member sits in the passenger seat. Normally, the ride is conducted with only one driver, but Mr. Sigit is still unstable as to whether Okayama or Hiroshima comes first on the outbound or inbound route. Also, when passing through urban areas, if the driver relies solely on the car navigation system, he may get lost in narrow streets, so safety is a top priority.

Sigit confidently states, "But I'm getting used to it, and now I know where to take a break after four hours of driving, and which parking areas are open. Parking a large truck requires skill in moving it left and right, back and forth, and at the level of a few centimeters.

Mr. Yamawaki, too, has seen the growth in his skills through actual driving and listening to the evaluations of senior employees. One day when Mr. Sigit stopped by the office, he said, "Okay, from mid-November, you'll be on your own. Good luck, Sigit." I decided to recognize Mr. Sigit as a "full-fledged" employee.

Mr. Shintaro Yamawaki discusses Mr. Sigit Purwant's work ethic

Mr. Shintaro Yamawaki, President of Shinei Corporation Mr. Sigit Purwant

■Systems Surrounding Foreign Labor

Here, we would like to summarize the systems for technical intern trainees and specified skills. The technical intern trainee system was initiated in 1993. The purpose of this system is to support developing countries, and technical intern trainees are not intended to be a labor force, but rather to acquire technology and skills that will be useful after they return to their home countries.

The Specified Skill System began in 2019. Companies in need of human and labor resources will be able to hire foreign nationals for immediate employment. The first category allows a stay of five years, while the second category allows a stay of no longer than five years, and allows spouses and family members to live with the trainee.

Technical intern trainees are paid the same wages as Japanese nationals, while those with the specified skills are paid the same wages as Japanese nationals. Technical intern trainees can also move to the specified skills after taking tests of Japanese language proficiency, technology, and skills.

In 2024, the law was amended to add transportation, bus, and cab drivers to the list of available specified skilled trainee jobs. Mr. Sigit was hired by Shin-ei as one of these specified skills.

The Fukuoka branch of a major transportation company said, "Truck drivers with specific skills are still rare. Each transportation company has a shortage of drivers, and they are interested in hiring foreign drivers," he said.

Mr. Sigit still seems to be one of the rarest foreign truck drivers in Japan. Mr. Sigit's future activities are highly anticipated, as he is likely to become a billboard for expanding the range of employment opportunities for technical intern trainees and people with specific skills.

Mr. Keijiro Saito, Representative Director of RPJ Inc.

Coming to Japan as a Technical Intern

During his high school years in Indonesia, Mr. Sigit was exposed to Japanese manga, anime movies, etc. and wanted to go to Japan to experience Japanese nature and culture. He wanted to make life easier for his father (50), who is a farmer, and his mother (47), who runs a restaurant business, and for his younger brother to have a college education, so he trained at a shipyard in Nagasaki City as a technical intern. He took advantage of his time off to fully enjoy life in Japan, including climbing to the top of Mt.

Even in Indonesia, he had always loved driving cars and switched to a Japanese driver's license so that he could drive in Japan. "If possible, I would like to become a truck driver and drive around the country," he said with a strong desire.

■Meeting Shinei and Mr. Sigit

Meanwhile, Mr. Yamawaki of Shin-ei found out that a nearby construction company was accepting technical intern trainees. Mr. Yamawaki was pleased to hear that the trainees had become a cushion for the Japanese employees, and that the company's internal relationships had become much smoother. I began to think, "If that's the case, why not hire foreigners at our company as well?

At the beginning of 2025, he expressed his wish to RPJ, a Fukuoka City-based company that provides support for the introduction of technical intern trainees and operates a business for the acceptance of specified skills. In response, Mr. Noguchi, RPJ's sales manager, informed the company that he knew Mr. Sigit from his daily work and was interested in hiring him as a driver.

This is how the "meeting" between Shinei and Mr. Sigit came about. Mr. Yamawaki liked Mr. Sigit upon meeting him and promised to support him in obtaining a large driver's license, including the cost of the license, on the condition that he would be hired.

Mr. Sigit was embarrassed, saying, "I failed my provisional license five times," but he successfully obtained the license.

He is 176 centimeters tall and slender, but his enthusiasm for large trucks is great. Today, Mr. Sigit continues his Fukuoka-Nagoya trip.

Mizuki Noguchi, RPJ Corporation, talks about his encounter with Mr. Sigit Purwant.

■Company Information

Shinei Corporation

Company Name ： Shinei Corporation

Headquarters ： 344-1, Tanokashira, Hasami-cho, Higashisonogi-gun, Nagasaki

TEL ： 0956-85-5416 (Representative)

FAX: 0956-85-7182

Representative: Shintaro Yamawaki, President

URL : https://833shin-ei.jp/

RPJ Inc.

Address: 2-39-20-103 Doi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka 813-0032

Representative: Keijiro Saito, President

Phone number: 092-235-2057

URL : https://r-p-j.com/

Reporter: Katsuhiko Miyahara

Photography/Editing: Naohiro Uemoto, President, Noah Nine Co.

　　　　　　 https://noahnine.design/