[PHOTOS] These Overloaded Vehicles In China Point To A Much Larger Issue
Photos of overloaded vehicles in China and the smiles its rider carries on his or her face point to a serious issue the nation has yet to overcome.
By Melody Oei — 19 Feb 2014, 05:43 PM — Updated almost 11 years ago
Overloading is a serious problem in China - 80% of trucks (or any means of transporation used to transport goods) are overloaded
While these hilarious photos feature mostly harmless images of wide-loads of materials like styrofoam, they are intended to bring attention to the very real safety issues surrounding overloaded trucks in China.
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Two bridges, one in Yancheng and the other in Wuyishan, collapsed in the same month in 2011 due to overloading
For months, a bridge over the Qiantang River in Hangzhou, that was designed for vehicles weighing only 30 tons and trailers weighing 55 tons, was abused by truckers carrying loads in excess of 100 tons. The bridge finally gave away in July 2011, when a 129-ton truck tried to cross it.
In the same month, a bridge in Yancheng, Jiangsu province and another 301-meter steel-arch bridge in Wuyishan, Fujian province, collapsed. Both bridges had been built about 10 years ago.
"Highway and bridge tolls in China are too high for transportation companies"
A collector pushes a tricycle loaded with bags of recyclable waste in Shanghai.
Image via telegraph.co.ukCui Zhongfu, secretary-general of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing. "Sometimes, they can account for as much as 20 percent of the total expense." Therefore, many companies carry too much freight to try to make trips more profitable and compete with rivals.
More major bridges in China that have collapsed due to "shoddy construction" and/or "over-loading" in PHOTOS:
Dozens of visitors fell into two-meter-deep water after a pedestrian bridge collapsed in Xihai park.
Image via gifsforum.com
A bridge collapses when an overweight truck crosses a bridge in Beijing on July 19. (The Epoch Times photo archive)
Image via theepochtimes.comHere is a bizarre collection of photographs that was published by China Foto Press to raise awareness...
A motor tricycle carrying bags of plastic bottles travels on a road in Yuyao
A motor tricycle carrying bags of plastic bottles travels on a road in Yuyao.
Image via telegraph.co.uk
A driver stops to examine his overloaded truck on 204 national highway in Hai'an
A driver stops to examine his overloaded truck on 204 national highway in Hai'an.
Image via telegraph.co.uk
A man and a woman sit on a motor tricycle carrying bags of goods in Nanjing
A man and a woman sit on a motor tricycle carrying bags of goods in Nanjing.
Image via telegraph.co.uk
A man and a woman ride a motor tricycle carrying bags of recyclable polystyrene in Shouguang
A man and a woman ride a motor tricycle carrying bags of recyclable polystyrene in Shouguang.
Image via telegraph.co.ukA recyclable materials collector rides a motor tricycle overloaded with huge bags of waste - and his wife and son - along a street in Xi'an
A recyclable materials collector rides a motor tricycle overloaded with huge bags of waste - and his wife and son - along a street in Xi'an.
Image via telegraph.co.uk