TWO months after Shenzhen imposed heavy fines on overloaded dump trucks, offenses involving the vehicles are still frequent in Longgang and Bao an districts.
According to a traffic rule introduced Aug. 1, drivers, hirers, and owners of trucks face fines of up to 80,000 yuan (US$12,021) for overloading them. But the fines the heaviest that can be imposed for any traffic offense have apparently failed to curb violations.
After receiving reports about overloaded dump trucks on Xixiang Road and Xinye Road in central Bao an, police set up a checkpoint in central Bao an on Saturday night, but caught just two overloaded trucks, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.
Many dump trucks are equipped with intercoms that are more advanced than police equipment, one officer told the Daily. This allows truck drivers to communicate and avoid police checks.
Many overloaded dump trucks that failed to materialize during the police inspection re-appeared the next day, with some even seen on Bao an Road, which is off limits to heavy trucks.
But according to one insider, who described himself as an entrepreneur in the dump truck industry, traffic police did not enforce the new rules strictly enough. The unnamed businessman said one dump truck earned about 10,000 yuan a day. The fine is hefty. Nobody would risk violating the rules if they could easily be caught, he said.
If police launched more inspections, few people would dare to break the law, he added.
Legislator Wu Limin said the new rules had not produced the desired effects. Traffic accidents involving overloaded dump trucks still happen frequently, he said.
Inspections by traffic police cannot solve the truck problem. Urban administrators and construction administrators should also get involved.
Wu said constructors that hire overloaded trucks should be disqualified from government projects. (Helen Deng)
