“In these conditions, you might as well leave the truck in the parking lot”

After the lunch break, it will only be an hour’s drive for Yang Dong and Yu Qiuxiao. The trucker couple drives a chemical truck from central to southwest China: from Xi’an, in the dry province of Shaanxi, to Leshan, in green Sichuan. They have already done most of the journey, almost 900 kilometers, spread over two days to respect the regulatory driving times. He is at the wheel, she manages the rest, including meals, and keeps him company. Many truck drivers work as couples in China.

Before leaving the Sinopec station in Meishan (Sichuan), they take a breath of fresh air in front of the red cabin of the large truck with the gray tank full of liquefied natural gas. They do not hide their fears for the future. Because, after this journey, the transport company which uses them as semi-independent has not planned other missions. New charters are stopped for the moment, business is no longer profitable. The rapid rise in fuel prices is undermining the economic balance of transport, where margins were extremely low. Since the start of the year, gasoline prices have increased by 30%. Of course, they remain much lower than in Europe, at around 8.5 yuan per liter, a little above 1 euro, but the per capita income is also much lower there.

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