Chinese truck driver fined £15.5 million

A Chinese truck driver that caused a road bridge to collapse with his overloaded articulated wagon has been handed a 156 million RMB bill – that’s around £15.5 million.

On the 19th July 2011, the truck driver – known only as Mr Zhang for legal reasons – drove his vehicle weighing 110 tons gross over the elevated roadway. The bridge subsequently collapsed leaving the wagon stranded.

MSN Cars drives an articulated truck

Chinese car buyer drives through showroom window

It is unclear whether the weight of the vehicle is expressed in imperial tons or metric tonnes by Chinese authorities, however, even if expressed in the older imperial format, the outfit’s adjusted weight still comes in at 100 metric tonnes.

By comparison, the maximum permitted gross weight for an articulated vehicle in the UK is 44 tonnes, less than half the mass of this Chinese truck.

After a yearlong police investigation, Mr Zhang was handed the hefty bill for repair costs to the bridge on the outskirts of Beijing.

In his defence the Chinaman claims he was carrying out the instructions of the haulage company. However, prosecutors have imposed the fine upon the driver himself.

It is unclear how Mr Zhang intends to pay the financial penalty, or even if he has the means to do so. Could be an interesting conversation with the bailiffs…

MSN Cars drives an articulated truck

Chinese car buyer drives through showroom window

Image credit: Rex Features