As the old saying goes, “Hurry to harvest in autumn, or lose the crops.” Clearing the transportation bottlenecks for cross-regional harvesters is also to buy more time and add another layer of security for every grain to be stored. Hopefully, in the future, drivers of cross-regional harvesting transportation vehicles will no longer be troubled by the issue of whether they can travel on highways for free.
During the autumn harvest season, cross-regional harvesting transportation vehicles were once again stopped at highway exits due to the issue of whether they could travel for free. Recently, a netizen posted a video questioning why his harvesting transportation vehicle was charged 383 yuan in toll fees when exiting a toll station in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, while he was not charged in Hebei, Henan, and other places he passed through.
Is the toll fee charged by the toll station reasonable? Relevant documents from the Ministry of Transport indicate that toll fees are exempted for transportation vehicles carrying combined harvesters (rice transplanters) that hold valid “Cross-Regional Operation Certificates for Combined Harvesters (Rice Transplanters)” and whose total vehicle and cargo weight and overall dimensions do not exceed the maximum limits stipulated by the state (including vehicles that have legally obtained “Over-limit Transportation Vehicle Permits” and whose vehicles and cargo match). It can be seen that, according to relevant regulations, even if a vehicle holds a cross-regional operation certificate, if it has not obtained an over-limit transportation vehicle permit, it still needs to pay to travel on highways. The response from the local relevant department also indicates that although the vehicle in the video holds a valid “Cross-Regional Operation Certificate for Combined Harvesters (Rice Transplanters)”, its overall dimensions exceed the maximum limits, making it an over-limit vehicle, and since it has not obtained an “Over-limit Transportation Vehicle Permit”, it does not meet the requirements for free passage, and there is no issue with the toll station’s charging. However, from the subsequent videos and comments posted by this netizen, it seems that this explanation has not convinced everyone.
Why do management departments insist on requiring over-limit transportation vehicles that already hold cross-regional operation certificates to obtain another permit? This is primarily considered for road safety. Due to factors such as design load limits of road bridges and the difficulty in controlling over-limit vehicles, over-limit transportation vehicles that take to the road without caution may endanger road safety. Therefore, according to the “Regulations on the Management of Over-limit Transportation Vehicles Traveling on Roads”, over-limit vehicles must first submit an application to the road management agency before taking to the road, and the road management agency needs to survey the travel route of the over-limit vehicle. If reinforcement or modification is required, preparations need to be made in advance. For bridges that are not suitable for passage, temporary detour bridges or detours need to be built. The truck in the video traveled from Hebei to Chifeng, Inner Mongolia via the Da-Guang Highway. Due to terrain constraints, there are many tunnels and viaducts along this route. If road safety issues arise due to over-limit vehicles, the consequences would be disastrous. “There are thousands of roads, but safety is the first.” Ultimately, the traffic management department prioritizes road safety, and this consideration is obviously understandable.
Since the management department’s fees are well-founded, is the transportation vehicle driver “making a fuss”? Is there really no room for further optimization in management? I believe that is not necessarily the case.
Firstly, it is the implementation standards. As many netizens are puzzled: Why is it okay everywhere else in the country, but not here? When the same truck carrying the same harvester experiences completely opposite treatments within a short period of time, solely due to differences in the specific implementation of different road segment management agencies, this sense of disparity and lack of understanding naturally becomes stronger. For over-limit transportation vehicles carrying harvesters that have not obtained permits in a timely manner, can they be allowed to pass? Should they be allowed to pass directly, or with other preconditions? For cross-regional transportation vehicles, formulating and implementing unified management and enforcement standards is an effective way to avoid confusion.
Secondly, it is the management concept. Similar issues almost always arise during the “three summer” and autumn harvest seasons, indicating that this is a fairly common problem. Attributing it solely to drivers “not following the rules” may be unfair. Relevant management departments may ask themselves, have they really considered things from the perspective of their service targets? During the “three summer” period last year, the transportation department in Ningxia promoted the process for obtaining over-limit transportation vehicle permits, gave priority to inspecting, approving, and issuing permits for vehicles transporting agricultural machinery, and implemented a “fault-tolerant” mechanism for out-of-province combined harvester transportation vehicles, informing them of relevant policies. During the “three summer” this year, Hebei also proposed that for vehicles without permits, they should be allowed to travel for free first and then reminded to obtain permits, ensuring rapid passage of vehicles. Henan also implemented a “fault-tolerant and quick release” mechanism for agricultural machinery transportation vehicles without carrying cross-regional operation certificates. Such “fault-tolerant” and “quick release” mechanisms can also ensure timely farming and better serve agricultural production.
Just over a month ago, someone consulted on the official website of a provincial transportation department: If a truck carrying a combined harvester holds a valid cross-regional operation certificate but the truck is over-limit and has not obtained a large cargo transportation permit, and the traffic police and road administration give it a warning and inform it of the permit application process, and the driver acknowledges it, should the truck pay the toll or pass for free when passing through the toll station? The local transportation department’s response was that both the cross-regional operation certificate and the large cargo transportation permit are required, so the vehicle is required to pay the toll as per requirements. Whether it is free or charged reflects the differences in management concepts among relevant departments in various regions.
Finally, let’s talk about the workflow. In recent years, with the upgrading of combined harvesters and the increase in their overall dimensions, they are more likely to exceed limits during cross-regional transportation, and the demand for obtaining over-limit transportation vehicle permits will only increase. Can the current permit application process be further streamlined and optimized? I have noticed that some local management departments will indicate that there is a QR code on the back of the cross-regional operation certificate, and scanning it can facilitate the application for an over-limit permit. Since it is not cumbersome for harvesting transportation vehicles to apply for over-limit permits, is it possible to “one-stop” obtain both the cross-regional operation certificate and the over-limit permit in the future? If the management department provides adequate services, allowing the public to follow regulations with less hassle, it will ultimately benefit not only the public.
As the old saying goes, “Hurry to harvest in autumn, or lose the crops.” Clearing the transportation bottlenecks for cross-regional harvesters is also to buy more time and add another layer of security for every grain to be stored. Hopefully, in the future, drivers of cross-regional harvesting transportation vehicles will no longer be troubled by the issue of whether they can travel on highways for free.