China’s Heavy-Cargo Truckers Feel the Heavier Hand of Regulation

Cheng Kang hasn’t had this much trouble getting an overloaded vehicle permit in his more than 20 years working as a heavy-cargo truck driver in China.

In an interview with Caixin, Cheng said it “now takes at least 10 days” to get a permit that used to take two.

The longer wait times for obtaining the permit, which allows truckers like Cheng to haul cargoes that exceed the legal limit for things like weight and height, is one example of how the job of the heavy-cargo trucker has gotten harder since a fatal bridge collapse in December, which some have blamed on overloaded trucks.