This article is fromEconomic Observer author: Tian Jin, from the cover: vision China
“This road may not have time to sleep!”
After 25 days after the start of a new round of strict over-loading operations in China, the large truck driver Han Songkuo drove an 18-meter-long truck carrying 3 tons of express delivery.
Han Songkuo’s trip from Xi’an in Shaanxi to Hami in Xinjiang, with a journey of 2,000 kilometers. The time limit given by the courier company is 32 hours, and a fine of 500 yuan for one hour late.
In the year, November is the busiest time for truck drivers. Behind the double-eleven consumer carnival is a great test of logistics supply capacity. The overload of transportation overload has once again become the center of speed and security.
On October 10, the 312 National Highway in Jiangsu Province experienced a rollover of the bridge across the bridge on the Xigang Road. Three people were killed and two others were injured. Since then, Wuxi, Nanjing, Suzhou and other places have urgently launched the “super-treatment” action overnight. Starting from the accident, Henan, Gansu, Hunan, Guangdong, Hainan, Shanghai and other places have begun to seriously check the overload of vehicles.
According to the plan of the Ministry of Transport, starting from January 1, 2020, the toll method for truck tolls will be adjusted nationwide. Previously, the Ministry of Transport has deployed various localities to upgrade the toll system and toll lanes according to local conditions, and to recalculate the toll rates for vehicles in accordance with the prescribed procedures.
Road transportation is the main mode of transportation for China’s freight transportation. In the past five years, the proportion has increased year by year, and the growth rate of road transportation freight volume is greater than the growth rate of total freight volume.
The data shows that in 2018, China’s freight volume totaled 51.46 billion tons, of which 39.59 billion tons were transported by road transport, accounting for 77% of the total, accounting for an absolute lead.
China has more than 30 million truck drivers like Han Songkuo, with more than 16In the first nine months of 2019, the tens of thousands of medium and large trucks ran 1.747 billion vehicles and transported 12.85 billion tons of cargo. They are known as “roads upstream herdsmen.”
For many of them, a journey means a guerrilla war:
Although he is very annoyed with overload and knows the dangers, many people will still take risks. Because “no overload, no money” is the continuation of the driver’s mouth for many years. The requirements of carrying capacity and timeliness make many of them drive for more than ten hours without sleep.
In the past ten years, from the legal approval of private express delivery to the expansion of express delivery business to 50 billion pieces, Han Songkuo found that the rest time on the road was being eroded. From the moment he started, he became the most crucial part of the supply chain in the context of China’s fast-moving consumption. I want to stop, but I can’t stop.
Overload overrun check is coming
On November 6th, just six minutes after Han Songkuo just drove to the national road, the harsh brakes sounded without warning, and a fierce collision occurred.
A coal truck collided with a cargo truck. Wherever the gaze is, the railing on one side of the coal truck is deeply sunken and almost turns into a circular arc shape. The erected iron railings are broken, and the sprinkled fine coal and car debris cover one side of the lane, blocking the progress of the follow-up driver. the way.
Han Songkuo was also a member of the block. He looked at the probe from the cab and watched the traffickers sneak up the coal in the way.
Han Songkuo surprisingly calmly: “This is the unsafe place to save money on the national road. Two-way two-lane roads are all big trucks facing each other. If you are not careful, it is easy to collide. Now I am worried that I don’t know how long to block. Delayed delivery time.”
As early as November 3, in the WeChat group of Hansongkuo’s multiple truck drivers, which provincial toll station was “overweight before the high-speed, the overload will persuade the unloading”, the news began to be shared by the group friends who have been experienced. come out.
Han Songkuo said: “In the past, only some provinces implemented this measure. It is estimated that before the end of the year, all provinces in the country will be weighed at high speed.
In fact, the overload of trucks on highways was basically impossible. First, the existence of high-speed toll stations was weighed. Second, if the overweight was found at high speed, the fine was very heavy. For example, in Gansu Province, the total toll of an overweight truck is eight times the principal.
Always, overloaded cars basically choose to go national. “
At 14:00 on November 6th, Han Songkuo drove the truck through the Heishan Lake toll station in Gansu Province and began to take the national highway. At this time, it was 600 kilometers away from Hami City, Xinjiang.
Han Songkuo said that trucks with relatively high density such as steel and cement are easily overloaded. Most of these types of goods are short-distance transportation. They are all on the national road. Drivers are also familiar with the road environment and know how to avoid over-limit inspection.
Short-haul transportation rate is very low, overload will definitely increase some income, but the risk is relatively large, such as the brake distance is extended, the probability of puncture is increased, and the vehicle loss is relatively large.
Save money, which is why Han Songkuo walked the national road.
Han Songkuo said: “There is no charge for taking the national road. It is better to build this section of the national highway from the black mountain lake toll station to the border of Xinjiang. So it is better to save money. The national road of 400 kilometers can save about 800. Yuan’s toll fee. This is also the choice of most truck drivers who are not so hurry.”
From 15:00 to 19:00 on November 6th, there are two completely different scenes in the national roads and lanes that are almost parallel: the national highway is basically a large freight car coming and going, one or two hours on the highway. No freight car was seen.
In the past year and a half, Han Songkuo’s trucks have driven nearly 300,000 kilometers. At the beginning of 2010, the average annual driving distance was about 150,000 kilometers.
On November 6th, one hour after driving off the expressway on the national road, Han Songkuo stopped at the rest area on the side of the national road for lunch, which was 27 hours from the last official meal.
Among the more than ten trucks parked in the rest area, Han Songkuo pointed out to reporters which ones were definitely overloaded.
“Our drivers actually hate overloading, worrying all day, and security is not guaranteed. Every time I cross the bridge with an overloaded car, there will be a little fear in my heart. Now the truck driver is basically 30 years old. -50 years old, they are the pillars of the family. In the event of an accident, the family may be jealous.”
Let’s hurry up, then cheaper
At 22:37 on November 6th, when driving for 25 hours and only 30 kilometers from the destination of Hami, HanSong Kuo suddenly sang a song with the southern dialect of the river, and then clicked on the twelfth cigarette of the journey. “Actually, I have already collapsed, haha! I feel incredible.”
This is a slap, he earned 6,000.
Han Songkuo wants to rest, and he can rest before.
He misses the transportation time ten years ago. When passing through the Shaanxi coal producing area, Han Songkuo excitedly pointed to the densely distributed coal companies on both sides of the expressway to introduce to reporters the places he used to visit most: the large coal mines in Shaanxi Zhongda and Binchang Xiaozhuang Mining.
“At that time, even the cab was dusty, but the profit was high, and the transportation was not anxious. I went to sleep in the car at 10 o’clock in the evening.”
“Let’s hurry up, then cheaper.” This is what Han Songkuo most often hears when he picks up the courier.
Han Songkuo most likes to ship express delivery, even if express delivery accounts for about one-fifth of his total transportation.
“If you do not deliver the courier during the off-season, you will face a situation where there is no cargo to be shipped. If you want to find a delivery company, they will kill the price – usually the transportation price is 10,000 yuan, the courier company can kill the price to 5,000 yuan.
In recent years, the rapid development of e-commerce has brought about an explosive growth in express delivery. The most intuitive feeling of Han Songkuo is that the supply of contacts is constantly decreasing.
He said: “In addition to the reduction in the supply of coal and steel, the logistics company began to do it in 2013. In the past three or five years, the express delivery company has been crazy, rapid and large-scale expansion, forming its own new fleet or recruiting alliances and partnerships. The fleet and the number of trucks have grown rapidly. The courier company has even begun to compete for orders outside the express delivery company while monopolizing the express delivery market. For example, the transportation of physical goods such as clothing and department stores across the country is now more contracted to the express delivery company. Profit is not as good as one day.”
“The two years are the most difficult for retail investors. The squeezed has almost no space for survival. To maintain income, you can only pick up more orders in the same period of time, and quickly go back and forth. Han Songkuo said.
The data shows that in 2018, the express market scale was 600 billion yuan, the vehicle market size was 4.0 trillion yuan, and the LTL market was 1.4 trillion yuan, 2.3 times the size of the express delivery market.
There is an industry report that: by 2020, the market for the LTL market will reach 1.45 trillion yuan, and the compound growth rate of LTL for the next two years should be 7.15%.The growth rate of commercial truck freight is relatively consistent.
Han Songkuo said that the freight rate of the double eleven can be increased by one-third compared with the usual. In his view, the usual express delivery company limited time, the price, the double-eleven period retail investors (the driver of their own trucks) price increases, no one can complain about, are determined by the market, each time they need each other.
At 9:00 on November 7th, after sleeping in the car for 7 hours, Han Songkuo departed from Hami to Dunhuang to prepare for the next transportation.
Profit: 43,000 a month
High income is a feature of this industry.
Han Songkuo’s bill for nearly half a month shows: from November 2nd to 4th, from Shijiazhuang to Baoji, the net profit is 7,000 yuan; from November 5th to 6th, from Xi’an to Hami, the net profit is 6,000 yuan; November From 8th to 11th, from Dunhuang to Shenzhen, the net profit was 10,000 yuan; from November 11th to 16th, Shenzhen and Beijing went back and forth, with a net profit of 20,000 yuan. In the past two months, Han Songkuo’s total profit was 43,000 yuan.
But he repeatedly said that this job is not for anyone.
Nowly young people who are not in their 20s are entering this business. Most of them are 30-50 years old, earning hard money and raising money. Three years ago, his son who was in college had followed him for a long journey, and he was no longer willing to follow the car.
When there is no goods or at rest, the car stops and the ice is the same, and the money flows out like water,” Han Songkuo said.
Each net profit is only freight minus oil and tolls, and does not include maintenance, insurance, and car purchase. Maintenance and insurance for 60,000 yuan a year, an average of 5,000 yuan a month, plus 12,000 car loans per month, if a month’s net profit of 20,000 is basically equal to a penny does not earn.
So he didn’t dare to stop. “At present, 80% of retail new cars are carrying loans. If the freight rate continues to be low and there is no supply in the future, the driver may really collapse and cannot afford the loan.”
When the supply is high and the freight rate is high, Han Songkuo will spend 7,000 yuan/month to ask a driver, and the two will stay open all night. In the off-season of transportation, only one person can bite his teeth.
High risk is another feature of the industry.
At 8 pm on November 5, the truck left Shaanxi and just entered Gansu. The expressway began to be congested.Everything is in the truck.
Ten minutes passed, there was no trace of movement in front of the vehicle, all trucks were waiting for fire, and the express order software began to issue a reminder: “You have not moved for a long time, please report the reason and avoid deduction!”
One hour of sleep during a traffic jam is Han Songkuo’s only rest time during this 27-hour journey. He has not counted how many times he has experienced such a scene.
Han Songkuo said that in the transportation industry, drivers have been ignorant of the accidents they have had. “They are running all the year round. The driver is not the story of an accident. If something goes wrong, it may be done in a few years. The driver hopes.” I can go home safely for the New Year. Of course, how long I stay at home during the Chinese New Year depends on the harvest of the year.”
A few years ago, Han Songkuo left the truck driver industry to go to the hometown construction industry. He found that income had dropped significantly.
At that time, he needed to buy a house for his son. In his hometown customs, when a man was married, the boy had no right to speak without a house in the city; he needed to renovate the house for the family, and the villagers covered it. He has three or four floors of Xiaoyanglou; he needs to pay for the car, prepare his son’s gift, and the family’s expenses.
For the future, he said that he may eventually join the logistics company because it can continue to guarantee the supply, although the freight rate will be much lower. At the moment, you can only take one step and take a step.