What Zero does

Zero Co., Ltd. (株式会社ゼロ) is a publicly traded Japanese vehicle transportation company founded in 1961 and headquartered in Kawasaki, Japan, operating under Tokyo Stock Exchange ticker 9028. The company runs Japan's largest carrier car (carrier vehicle) fleet and claims the No. 1 position in commissioned vehicle transport volume in Japan. It delivers a comprehensive portfolio of vehicle logistics services including new car delivery, used car transport, private/motorcycle transport, lease fleet transport, immobility/specialty vehicle transport, luxury and vintage car transport, and event support transport, alongside vehicle maintenance, used car auction hosting (Zero Car Selection), car wash services, group automobile insurance, used car export, and a human resources business.

Zero's primary customers are automobile dealers and manufacturers, auto auction companies, and leasing firms, with secondary segments serving individual consumers for personal vehicle/motorcycle relocation and overseas buyers via used car export. Revenue is generated predominantly through transaction-fee-based transport services (FY June 2025 revenue of ¥147,843 million), supplemented by service fees for maintenance, commission income from insurance, and professional services revenue from HR staffing. Pricing is quote-based per transport job, with a diesel fuel surcharge mechanism adjusted quarterly against the national diesel price index. The customer-facing technology stack is anchored by the Web Concierge portal for order/quotes/status tracking and the newly introduced moℓa mobile application supporting the Digital Standards (デジタル基準) system, which captures objective photographic vehicle condition records at pickup and delivery. The company delivers service through a network of wholly-owned regional subsidiaries (Zero Plus East Japan, Kanto, Chubu, West Japan, Kyushu, BHS, IKEDA, Maintenance) plus specialized entities for port/maritime transport (Kanda), warehousing (Kyuso), and international operations (World Windows).

Name

Zero

Legal name

株式会社ゼロ (Zero Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://zero-group.co.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Zero Co., Ltd. is a publicly traded Japanese vehicle transportation company operating Japan's largest carrier car fleet, providing nationwide new/used/private car transport, vehicle maintenance, used car auctions, export, and insurance services to dealers, auctions, leasing firms, and consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vehicle Transportation Services

SIC

Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Trucking (No Local) (4213)

akta.pro primary industry

Automotive & Finished Vehicle (Car Hauler) TL Carriers (TLADADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Inoperable / Non-Running Vehicle Transport (HSAKAFAI)

Keywords

• Vehicle transportation services
• Automotive logistics
• Carrier car transport
• Used car transport
• Vehicle maintenance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kawasaki

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Vehicle Transportation Services: Core business providing vehicle transport services including new car delivery, used car transport, private car/motorcycle transport, lease car transport, immobilized/specialty vehicle transport, luxury/vintage car transport, and event support transport. Revenue generated through service fees per transport job.
2. Vehicle Maintenance Services: Vehicle inspection and maintenance services for transported vehicles.
3. Used Car Export: Export services for used vehicles to international markets.
4. General Cargo Services: General freight/logistics services beyond vehicles.
5. Human Resources Services: Staffing and human resource services within the transport/logistics sector.
6. Insurance Services: Group automobile insurance and other insurance products for customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Zero (株式会社ゼロ / Zero Co., Ltd.) is a Japanese vehicle transportation services company that transports new cars, used cars, private/personal vehicles, motorcycles, business/lease vehicles, specialty/immobilized vehicles, luxury and classic cars, and event-support vehicles nationwide. The company supplements its core transport services with vehicle inspection and maintenance, a member-only used car auction (Zero Car Selection), car wash and coating, group automobile insurance, used vehicle export, general cargo logistics, and human resource services for the transport sector.

Product overview

Zero (株式会社ゼロ) operates primarily as a vehicle transportation services company with a comprehensive portfolio covering new car, used car, private vehicle, business car, specialty vehicle, luxury/vintage car, and event support transportation. The core vehicle transportation service (車両輸送サービス) is the main offering, supported by sub-products including vehicle maintenance (車両整備), car selection/auction services (カーセレクション), car wash services (洗車サービス), and group automobile insurance (団体自動車保険). Web-based services include Web Concierge (ウェブコンシェルジュ) for customer portal access and transportation status inquiry (輸送状況照会). The company recently introduced a digital standards system (デジタル基準) using a dedicated mobile app (moℓa) for objective vehicle condition recording. Additional services include used car export (中古事輸出), general freight (一般貨物事業), and human resources (ヒューマンリソース事業).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• moℓa: Dedicated app used for photographing and recording vehicle exterior conditions during pickup and delivery in the digital standards initiative for vehicle transport services.

Products and services

• Vehicle Transportation Service (車両輸送サービス)
• New Car Transportation Service (新車輸送サービス)
• Used Car Transportation Service (中古車輸送サービス)
• My Car / Motorcycle Transportation Service (マイカー・オートバイ輸送サービス)
• Business Car Transportation Service (ビジネスカー輸送サービス)
• Immobility / Specialty Vehicle Transportation Service (不動車両・特殊車両輸送サービス)
• Luxury / Vintage Car Transportation Service (高級車・クラシックカー輸送サービス)
• Event Support Transportation Service (イベントサポート輸送サービス)
• Vehicle Maintenance (車両整備)
• Zero Car Selection (カーセレクション)
• Auto Auction Related Services (オートオークション関連)
• Car Wash Service (洗車サービス)
• Group Automobile Insurance (団体自動車保険)
• Used Car Export (中古車輸出)
• Web Concierge (ウェブコンシェルジュ)
• Transportation Status Inquiry (輸送状況照会)
• moℓa (Dedicated Digital Standards App)

Quantifiable outcome

• No.1 in vehicle transportation industry for trust and commissioned transport volume

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Seino Holdings: Seino Holdings is a major Japanese trucking and logistics group with strong positions in LTL, distribution, and international logistics. It overlaps with Zero in general cargo and freight transport services within Japan, though Seino's primary strength is in LTL rather than specialized vehicle carrier services.
• Tonami Holdings: Tonami Holdings (formerly Tonami Transportation) is a major Japanese transportation and logistics company with a strong presence in trucking, air cargo, and warehousing. While it operates across multiple transport modes rather than specializing in vehicle haulage, it competes with Zero for general cargo and freight contracts in Japan.
• Sankyu: Sankyu is a long-established Japanese logistics and freight forwarding company with capabilities in international logistics, automotive transport, and warehousing. It provides vehicle transport and related logistics services that overlap with Zero's offerings, particularly for automotive industry customers.
• SENKO Group Holdings: SENKO Group is a diversified Japanese logistics provider covering freight forwarding, warehousing, trading, and mobility services including used vehicle exports. Its used car export business and logistics network position it as a partial competitor to Zero's international used car export and freight services.
• LOGISTEED (Hitachi Transport System): LOGISTEED, the renamed Hitachi Transport System, is a major Japanese third-party logistics provider with global operations in freight forwarding, warehousing, and supply chain management. It serves automotive OEMs and dealers with logistics solutions, making it a broader-scale alternative to Zero for automotive supply chain contracts.
• Nippon Express Holdings: Nippon Express is Japan's largest logistics company offering multimodal freight forwarding, trucking, and warehousing services globally. While it operates across the full logistics spectrum rather than specializing in vehicle haulage, it competes with Zero for automotive logistics contracts and has a far broader scale and international footprint.
• Kintetsu World Express: Kintetsu World Express (now part of Kintetsu World Express group) is a Japanese-headquartered global logistics company specializing in international freight forwarding and supply chain solutions. While its primary focus is airfreight forwarding rather than domestic vehicle haulage, it competes for automotive logistics contracts across the international portion of the value chain.

Direct peers

• Maruwa Unyu Kikan: Maruwa Unyu Kikan (丸和運輸機関) is Japan's other publicly listed vehicle transportation specialist, providing carrier car services for new and used vehicles, automotive logistics, and related services. It is the most direct head-to-head competitor to Zero in the Japanese vehicle haulage market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zero