Good days seem to be returning. In January 2007, China's heavy truck market started the year strong, with 27,629 units sold—a year-on-year increase of 136.44%. By March, sales hit 53,502 units, surpassing the previous record of 43,584 set in August 2004. However, this was quickly beaten by April’s 53,929 units.
According to industry data, as of the end of August 2007, total heavy truck sales had reached 334,552 units—surpassing the full-year 2006 sales by 108.87%. Some market analysts even predicted that annual sales could reach 480,000 units this year.
In response to this booming demand, the three major Chinese heavy truck manufacturers using the Steyr platform have significantly raised their production and sales targets. China National Heavy Duty Truck Co., Ltd. now aims for 100,000 units (up from 80,000), Shaanxi Automobile Heavy Trucks targets 60,000 (previously 50,000), and Beiqi Foton has also increased its goal to 60,000 units.
But is this a repeat of 2004? That year saw an all-time high of 374,833 heavy truck sales, leading to warnings of overheating. The following year, sales dropped to 236,230. Even after a recovery in 2006, sales were still 71,241 units below the 2004 peak.
This year’s surge in demand has sparked debate among analysts. Some point to fixed asset investment and vehicle replacement, while others cite export growth and the shift toward middle-card products. A few even say it’s “unexplainable.â€
Having spent years in the heavy truck market, the author conducted extensive research and believes that macroeconomic conditions aren’t significantly better than before. Instead, the real driver behind the surge is the gradual implementation of weight-based toll policies.
Since 2000, the Ministry of Communications introduced regulations limiting overloading. By 2003, pilot cities like Jiangsu and Henan began testing weight-based tolls. In 2005, the ministry encouraged nationwide adoption to tackle overloading issues.
Weight-based tolls discourage overloading by charging more for heavier vehicles. For example, a two-axle truck carrying 8 tons would pay around 135 yuan per 100 km trip, compared to 65 yuan when empty—totaling about 200 yuan. Previously, under flat-rate tolls, the same trip would cost 130 yuan each way, totaling 260 yuan. This difference makes a big impact on profits.
As a result, road freight volumes have more than doubled, boosting demand for heavy trucks. Companies are now producing more, and sales continue to rise. It’s a simple math problem: before toll-by-weight, one truck could carry 60 tons; now, two trucks are needed.
By August 2007, 19 provinces had implemented weight-based tolls on highways, covering 68% of the national highway network. This is expected to rise to 88% by year-end, with over 90% of roads implementing the policy by 2010.
The new toll system has also influenced truck design. Models like the 6×2 became popular, with suspension bridges and multi-axle tractors gaining traction.
Industry data shows that the tractor market has recovered from the 2005 slump. In 2006, tractors accounted for 30.15% of heavy truck sales, rising to 36.37% in the first eight months of 2007.
A notable trend in 2006 was the “Shaanxi Modelâ€â€”fuel-efficient, reliable, and easy to maintain. With freight rates stagnant, users focused on maximizing efficiency through these trucks.
The heavy truck market is clearly on the rise again, but whether this growth will last depends on how well the industry adapts to new policies and market demands.
Steel Angle
The steel angle is a carbon structural steel for construction. It is section steel with a simple cross-section. It is mainly used for metal components and the frame of the workshop. It is required to have good weldability, plastic deformation performance and certain mechanical strength in use. The raw steel billet for the production of angle steel is a low-carbon square billet, and the finished angle steel is delivered in the form of normalized or hot rolled.
Steel angle bar can be made into pressure structural bracket based on different size and grade, and also can be made into connector between structural beam. Widely used for various building structures and engineering structures, such as house beams, bridges, power transmission towers, lifting, and transportation machinery, ships, industrial furnaces, reaction towers, container racks, cable trench brackets, power piping, busbar bracket installation, and warehouse shelves.
Equal and unequal are the two major types of steel angle:
Steel angles are fashioned using a single Flat Steel section and bending it, generally at a 90-degree angle with both legs the same size. See below for a rundown of the different steel angle types:
Equal angle
Equal steel angles have 2 axes` that are the same length, hence their name. They are the most common types of steel section and can be made to various specs and cut to any size, making them extremely versatile. Their sizing is represented by side A x side B x thickness.
Unequal angle
Unequal steel angles are also right-angled; however, they have different sized axis` making them L-shaped. This section is much stronger (up to 20%) with a much higher strength to weight ratios. Their sizing is represented by side A x side B x thickness.
Steel Angle Bar,Steel Angle,Angle Iron,Mild Steel Angle Bar,Galvanized Steel Angle Bar
Tianjin YF Steel Co., Ltd , https://www.youfametal.com
