A glimpse into the life of a truck driver
- By Wu Jin
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E-mail China.org.cn, May 14, 2016
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| The job of a truck driver is both tedious and dangerous. |
"It's better than working in a factory," Zhang said.
Born in a village in Henan in the 1960s, Zhang worked as a farmer and coal miner to support his family; but in 2006, after watching his relatives become rich by working as long-distance truck drivers, Zhang gave up his previous job and hunted for a position as a truck driver in Shenzhen.
Five years later, he had saved tens of thousands of yuan. He then borrowed money to buy a semi-trailer which was out of use within two years. He then purchased a second-hand truck and made millions of yuan during his decade on the road.
In the fall of 2015, when his second-hand truck broke down, Zhang borrowed 300,000 yuan (US$46,020) from the bank to buy a new semi-trailer Jiefang truck. It was his first brand new truck and he planned to pay off the debt within two years.
Several years ago, Zhang took out his savings to build a new house with a courtyard in his village, a compound which he is very proud of.
But sometimes he felt that, despite all his painstaking efforts, he still had to give an excessively large portion of his earnings to banks and logistic companies; he must have an affiliation with the latter or he will be kept away from the major roads of Shenzhen, according to local traffic regulations.
To make more profit, many truck drivers are unwilling to share their vehicles with other drivers, which means they often have to undertake a 16 hour drive alone.
According to the country's traffic rules, a driver who works for four consecutive hours without a break of at least 20 minutes is considered a drowsy driving.
Fatigue and loneliness haunt the truck drivers like dark shadows. They often far exceed the restriction of four-hour driving limit, forcing themselves to stay awake by smoking, chewing areca and drinking coffee or thick tea. In rare occasions, some of them are caught taking alcohol, and sometimes even drugs.
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