I’ll briefly talk about the wages of truck drivers. My current investigation is not very comprehensive, so if anyone working in this field has additional information or can point out issues, please feel free to add. Based on the current survey, the freight trucking industry generally prices by vehicle type. The reason for this distinction is mainly because different vehicle sizes have different cargo capacities, so the unit price also varies. Typically, the freight sector categorizes trucks mainly by size, such as 17.5 meters, 13 meters, 9.6 meters, 6.8 meters, 4.2 meters, etc. The numbers above all refer to the truck dimensions.
China’s truck industry has a relatively low level of socialized production compared to some other countries. The exploitation method within the industry mainly involves establishing order platforms, monopolizing “procurement channels,” or using the method of Party A’s orders to take a cut and exploit truck drivers across various regions. Major platforms include Huolala, Yunmanman, and others. Most Chinese truck drivers buy their own trucks (often through loans) and earn money by accepting orders via these platforms. Usually, the “technical service fee” marked on orders is deducted from the total order price. This is essentially the platform’s commission. The rate of this commission varies depending on the order, sometimes around 5%, sometimes up to 15%, or even higher. The phrase in the strike call “clenching 30% commission and squeezing it to death” is not unfounded. Moreover, the actual costs deducted for a single trip are far more than just these fees.
Some liberal media outlets online have also reported on this strike, mentioning the wages of truck drivers, saying: “Now, if a truck driver earns 100 yuan, they need to pay 50 yuan for fuel, 20 yuan for tolls, 10 yuan for miscellaneous expenses, and are left with 20 yuan. After paying for loading and unloading, they are left with just a little pocket money.” This statement does have some truth. Fuel prices in China are quite high, generally over a yuan per liter, sometimes two yuan or more. If a single trip covers over 200 kilometers, it might cost two to four hundred yuan just for fuel.
Before discussing the proportion of fuel costs, let’s talk about the unit price. The unit price is generally the total freight charge for the entire trip. Additionally, drivers often divide the total freight by the total kilometers to get a per-kilometer rate. Ideally, for trucks under 6.8 meters, the per-kilometer rate is about 4 to 6 yuan; for 9.6-meter trucks, around 8 yuan. But this is only in ideal conditions. The reason for saying “kneeling to accept白菜价 (dirt-cheap) orders is actually ruining our own brothers’ livelihoods” is because sometimes the platform’s order prices are only around three yuan per kilometer, or even less than two yuan, and even for 9.6-meter trucks, it might only be around four yuan. You can refer to this video for the per-kilometer rate of 9.6-meter trucks:
https://v.douyin.com/i5hYpeNe/
Now, looking at the comparison between the per-kilometer rate and the per-kilometer postage, it becomes very clear how much of the total income is actually taken up by postage. If an order’s unit price is only a few yuan, but the fuel cost per kilometer is over a yuan, it’s like half of the earnings from running the order are spent on fuel. In the video, the driver running a 9.6-meter truck without using highways (because highway tolls are very expensive) has to travel 720 kilometers. After deducting the commission, they can earn about 200 yuan, but nearly 1,300 yuan is spent on fuel. It’s important to note that fuel costs are only the initial deduction from the income, not the final one. Just this part already takes away half of the truck driver’s income. After all deductions for non-living expenses, how much do truck drivers actually earn?
Continuing with this example, if we only look at the remaining money, some people without a concept of the industry might think it’s a high income. But in reality, the entire process from loading at the start to unloading at the destination takes a lot of time. The driver in the video says that traveling 720 kilometers from loading to unloading takes about two days of almost not eating or drinking. If this remaining income is converted into daily wages, it’s only about 400 yuan a day. However, this 400 yuan is not just for personal living expenses; it often needs to cover subsequent truck maintenance costs, such as tire repairs, vehicle repairs, etc.
So far, the remaining money is probably used for personal expenses, right? But in fact, truck drivers’ consumption differs significantly from that of ordinary industrial workers. Since truck drivers are on the road for long periods (basically traveling all over the country), they do not have stable residences or regular places to eat and stay. They usually rely on roadside fast-food restaurants and convenience store bottled water. Compared to workers who eat at factory canteens or at home, truck drivers tend to spend more in this regard.
The expenses are far from over. Because on the road, there are some costs that truck drivers have no choice but to “spend,” even if they don’t want to—namely, traffic police fines.
