Overloaded trucks pose threats

BEIJING - Overloading is a serious problem in China and preventing overloaded trucks from hitting the roads is an urgent task, a spokesman with the Ministry of Transport said on Thursday.

From July 11 to 19, four bridges across the country collapsed, and three of the accidents were partly caused by overloaded vehicles.

"Bridge collapses have several causes, including outdated design and poor construction but overloading of vehicles is a problem that must be addressed," He Jianzhong, the ministry spokesman, said at a news conference.