The six-axle semi-trailer driven by truck Yang Xiong only pulled a roll of steel. He took a video and posted it on his Moments and said, "I'm a little unaccustomed."
On October 12, after pulling goods from the dock of Jiangyin , he headed south along Xicheng Road and arrived at Jiangsu Daming Metal Products Company near Wuxi 312 National Highway. The unloading was particularly smooth. Because each truck only had one roll of steel coil , Yang Xiong didn't have to queue up and drove out of the factory in just ten minutes.
Two days ago, on the evening of October 10, the bridge crossing on K135, National Highway 312, Wuxi City overturned, killing 3 people and injuring 2 people. The Wuxi Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department reported that after preliminary analysis by the accident investigation team, the overturning of the upper bridge was caused by overloading the transport vehicle. This truck is roughly the same as Yang Xiong's driving route.
The entire Wuxi freight circle is in tension. Yang Xiong, who often overloaded, also consciously stopped overloading: "No one officially notified that he would not allow overloading. As soon as something happened, everyone would not dare to do anything. Who would commit crimes against the wind?"
On October 12, a reporter from the Beijing News retraceed the road from Jiangyin Pier 4 to the scene of the incident and found that there was no overdraft treatment station on the way.
Jiangyin Pier 4 has many steel coils that have not been transported yet. Photo by Konka, Beijing News reporter
Do not interfere with overload
"frequently" Yang Xiong, a "frequently-client" of Jiangyin Port , said that Jiangyin Port is a distribution center for steel. Usually, steel transported from Shandong and Northeast seas will be loaded at Jiangyin Port and transported to other surrounding cities. Pier No. 4 is a port dedicated to transporting steel.
is at Jiangyin Pier 4. The person responsible for loading is Jiangyin Xiagang Changjiang Bridge Demolition Plant Port Branch. The production manager Mr. Ding confirmed that the overloaded vehicle in the accident was loaded from the terminal. He remembered that on the day of the incident, there were five trucks involved in Wuxi Chenggong Transportation Co., Ltd. who were involved in the incident, transporting steel coils to the terminal, one of which carried six coils.
Mr. Ding recalled that the company involved started to pick up goods from 2019. Because of the large number of business, the company also has a special person responsible for docking at the dock.
Usually, the above-mentioned docking person will come to pick up the goods with a letter of introduction issued by the customer, and it will decide how the goods are shipped. "He will decide how to distribute the car based on the quantity and specifications of the goods. Whether this batch of goods is equipped with one car or two cars, and what kind of car should be equipped. Our work site loads the car according to his requirements. He said that we can install it as much as we install it." Mr. Ding said.
Beijing News reporter noticed that there was a warning sign in the dock with "Safety Risk Notification" and was equipped with signs such as speed limiting, weight limiting, and prohibiting fireworks. "Safety Risk Notification" established by Pier
4. Photo by Konka, Beijing News reporter
Mr. Ding explained that they also saw trucks carrying steel overturned on social platforms, so they erected warning signs, but they had no practical effect.
Due to the low cost of excessive goods, there is a market for low prices, and overloading is almost a common problem in the entire industry. He gave an example to illustrate the cost of transporting steel: "One ton of steel is 9.5 yuan, one steel coil is about 20 tons, and one steel coil is 190 yuan, and it is not enough to pay for oil."
Therefore, the dock does not actually interfere with overload. "I can say that I have never seen many tons of any pier that you can't load," said Mr. Ding. After the incident, the business of Mr. Ding's company at Jiangyin Pier 4 has been suspended. The originally lively pier has seemed extremely deserted these two days.
There are hundreds of coils of steel coils that have not been taken away on the east side of the port, including those produced by Shanghai Baosteel, Rizhao Donghua and other factories. Workers nearby would talk about accidents in Wuxi during their work. A worker said that when a large ship comes on weekdays, one ship can carry nearly a thousand steel coils.
is an overload modified truck
From Jiangyin Pier 4 to the site of the incident, there was no overdraft treatment station. Near Xigang Road, where the incident occurred, it is known as "the largest stainless steel distribution center in East China", and it is gathered with hundreds of steel-related stores and factories.
Among them, Oriental Steel City, which is only next to National Highway 312, is a concentration of "retail investors". Most of the companies here are processing materials in return, providing shear bends, grooves, punching, cutting and other services for steel coils and steel plates.
Within two days of the incident, the shipping fee increased.A merchant in Oriental Steel City said that a logistics company raised prices more than twice, "It used to be 20 yuan, but now it is more than 40 yuan."
Yang Xiong has no objection to the increase in freight prices. His transportation company only has a few cars, responsible for short-distance steel transportation between Wuxi, Jiangyin and Zhangjiagang. In the past two days, the transportation fee of his company has increased from 20 yuan to 35 yuan. With a monthly salary, plus the commission of "only 100 yuan (Yangtze River) and 150 yuan passed" for every train, his monthly income can reach about 15,000 yuan.
Yang Xiong feels that if each car is loaded less, it will save time for loading and unloading goods. He no longer has to hide from the traffic police to carry it morning and evening: "Don't be afraid, you can go a few more trips and get a commission a few more times."
Yang Xiong, who often overloads, said that few trucks transporting steel are not overweight, and the most serious ones are trucks transporting steel coils, so there is a common saying in the industry that "pull steel but not pull coils".
The last time Yang Xiong was punished was because of overload. One late one night in the summer of 2019, after he pulled goods from Jiangyin Pier 4, he encountered a traffic police inspection not long after. He was fined 2,000 yuan for overloading, deducting 6 points: "We cannot decide on Rado and Lara, and the fine is also paid by the company. Sometimes when we meet a traffic policeman who is easy to talk to, the fine will be released. If we are not easy to talk to, the car will be deducted and points will be deducted."
Yang Xiong calculated the calculations for the boss. Each ton of steel is 35 yuan, and a normal load of less than 30 tons of steel is less than 1,000 yuan.
"The gas is at least 500 yuan, my commission is 100 yuan, plus other expenses, there are not much left, I'm afraid the boss will not do it," said Yang Xiong.
Some people do not hesitate to modify the vehicle in order to install more.
In the eyes of a practitioner in the auto repair industry, this type of modified truck is a very common thing. Usually, car owners customize the car when buying a car, mainly reinforcing tires, frames, beams, and steel plates: "Just add a few more beams horizontally and vertically when building a house, the load bearing is larger. How many do you add depends on your personal needs."
Yang Xiong's car has also been modified.
Workers installed fences on the part of the bridge where the incident occurred. Photo by Konka, Beijing News reporter
practitioners hope to act according to the rules
Because of the low freight, Mr. Wang, the owner of the logistics company, thought of withdrawing from the transportation industry: "There are many worries and the risks are high."
His logistics company has 15 trucks, which do short-distance steel transportation business. He usually receives goods from Jiangyin Port and then delivers them to Wuxi, Suzhou , Zhangjiagang and other places.
Mr. Wang said that it usually costs about 500,000 yuan to buy a six-axle truck for transporting steel, and the salary of each driver is about 15,000 yuan per month. In addition, there are expenses such as fuel consumption, vehicle damage, and insurance.
But before the market was not good, it would only earn more than ten yuan per ton of steel from Jiangyin to Wuxi. "For example, a 30-ton steel coil, we can only pull one roll according to the standard, and earn five or six hundred yuan per train. But in fact, it is impossible to only transport this little bit, and making this little money is not enough to make enough." Therefore, the company's car must be equipped with at least 30-ton steel coils, and at most 7.
Mr. Xu, the owner of the logistics company in Oriental Steel City, is also in the ranks of price increases. The company has dozens of two-axis to four-axis trucks, traveling to Wuxi to Nanjing, and transporting steel plates and stainless steel finished products. Now, his freight rate has increased from 100 yuan per ton to 150 yuan per ton: "All old customers for a long time, it's not easy to increase too much."
Mr. Xu's company drivers go to work at 8 am and get off at 11 pm every day. Compared with large trucks that pull steel coils, they earn less money: "The annual salary is 60,000 to 70,000 yuan."
Mr. Xu, who has been in the industry for 15 years, is very happy.
Mr. Xu recalled that starting about 10 years ago, the overload situation in the transportation industry has become more and more serious. Due to vicious competition, freight costs have become lower and lower. In order to make money, "Your freight costs are cheaper, so I will earn more money by pulling more goods. Then I want to grab your business. The freight costs are cheaper than you, so I will definitely bring more (cargo)."
On the road near the incident where the bridge overturned, only one steel coil was carried on the truck. Photo by Konka, Beijing News reporter
He hopes that Yang Xiong's "unhabits" can become daily life.He said that if everyone can act according to the rules and not overload, the freight will naturally be high, "and safe, and everyone has money to make."
(Yang Xiong is a pseudonym)
Beijing News reporter Konka Wang Hongchun Intern Feng Huiru Wu Yuqing
Editing Guo Chen
Proofreading Fan Jinchun
