Ministries protect truck drivers' rights

Sixteen ministry-level departments, including transport and public security, jointly released a guideline to protect the rights of truck drivers.

The guideline, released on Wednesday, aims to create a better working environment for truckers and protect their legal rights. It includes measures for building more rest stations for truckers and offering property insurance to ease their troubles.

Wang Yang, vice-minister of transport, said the guideline focuses on issues raised by truckers, such as difficulty parking in service areas, passing through urban areas, a lack of places to rest and thefts of cargo and diesel.

A service line has been established by local transportation or public security departments, and truckers can call to file complaints for unreasonable fines or misconduct during inspections. It also has streamlined the procedure for truckers to carry out vehicle inspections and allow drivers to handle most government-related affairs in different provinces.

Cai Tuanjie, director of the ministry's transport service department, said that this year, more than 30 civil servants from the ministry joined truckers on trips to learn about their problems firsthand.

They discovered many truckers have a hard time finding parking spaces in service areas and few places to take a break.

The ministry has promoted the building of more parking spaces for trucks in service areas and more rest centers for truck drivers.

China has nearly 230,000 parking spots for trucks in its freeway network and more than 700 rest centers for truckers nationwide. The drivers can take a break, have a shower and do laundry at the centers.

"We found that many truckers are reluctant to leave their trucks and take a break because they worry about cargo and diesel being stolen. So we guide service areas to set up more cameras in parking areas and increase patrols to ensure the safety of the cargo and to reassure truckers," Cai said.

The transport sector in Gansu province has promoted an insurance program and paid the insurance fee for truckers. When truckers lose property on freeways in the province, the insurance company will pay for their loss.

China has about 10.8 million commercial trucks and nearly 17.3 million truck drivers. Last year, trucks transported 34.2 billion metric tons of cargo, accounting for 74 percent of the annual freight volume.

Truck drivers are usually known as hardworking people who have to endure long working hours and a heavy workload.

While visiting the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in April, President Xi Jinping said it was important to protect the legal rights of truck drivers and couriers.

The president talked to a private trucker in Changsha, Hunan province, in September last year to hear about his difficulties at work and in life.