Our reporter Li Chunlian Li Qiaoyu
Due to the repeated epidemics in many places, logistics and freight are facing many problems such as tight supply, insufficient transportation capacity, and high costs.
As the most critical figure in the "large artery" of freight, drivers are facing more and more pressure and difficulties, and the logistics industry is facing a huge test.
As a truck driver with 7 years of work experience, Xiao Chu told the Securities Daily reporter, "This year is more difficult than the previous two years."
"It is expected that with the efforts of all parties, the difficulties faced by the logistics industry will be alleviated in the next period of time." Zhao Xiaomin, an expert in express logistics and CEO of Guanshuo Capital, told the "Securities Daily" reporter that during the epidemic, the express logistics industry's difficulties The shortcomings of the coordination mechanism have been exposed, and we call on all parties to work together with express logistics companies to better conduct channel circulation and strengthen the ability to cooperate with all relevant parties in the industry chain.
Manpower shortage becomes a logistics shortcoming
Master Qu, a truck driver who has been running long-distance freight for more than ten years, told the "Securities Daily" reporter that freight in many areas is blocked, and trucks are not allowed to get off the high-speed. trouble.
Under such circumstances, many drivers had to suspend the road, but Master Qu had to pay off the car loan of more than 10,000 yuan a month. Although it was difficult to get on the road now, he did not dare to stop.
On April 8, when the reporter interviewed Master Qu, he had just shipped a batch of goods to Liupanshui, Guizhou, and had not yet decided where to go next.
On April 9, Master Qu decided to deliver the support materials to Shanghai. After delivering this batch of materials, he would either go back to Yunnan for isolation or stay in Shanghai to do volunteer transportation.
A relevant person in charge of fresh food e-commerce told the "Securities Daily" reporter that some areas lacking materials belong to high-risk areas, but the source of goods belongs to low- and medium-risk areas. Once the driver enters the high-risk area and wants to return to the place of departure, he needs to Faced with the problem of isolation, many drivers have been "on the road".
"The platform has now offered double wages to encourage drivers to deliver goods." The above-mentioned person in charge of the fresh food e-commerce company admitted that some drivers are worried about isolation, and some drivers are in isolation and cannot work normally. Therefore, the lack of manpower is the cause of the current situation. The key reason for the shortage of some materials.
The truck problem has also become a short board that restricts the smooth operation of logistics.
The relevant person in charge of the e-commerce company told reporters, "Even if the manpower problem can be solved, the epidemic prevention requirements in various places have very strict requirements for transportation vehicles. Now companies are fighting for government passes, but each company can apply for a limited number. , and even if you get a pass, you have to face different policies in each district and each street in a specific city."
"The current solution is that trucks without a pass collect materials at a location outside a specific area, and then they are transported by vehicles with a pass." The person in charge of the above-mentioned e-commerce company said.
Fuyou Trucks also mentioned that due to the epidemic, the traffic control has been upgraded, and most of the truck drivers in the epidemic area are currently stagnant at the expressway.
Therefore, vehicles and goods are "connected" locally to ensure the supply of materials.
Tight supply and insufficient capacity
The slowdown in production and operation under the influence of the epidemic has become another reason for restricting the speed of logistics and transportation.
According to the relevant person in charge of Changchang Logistics, a reporter from Securities Daily said that in the context of real-time adjustment of epidemic prevention and control policies in various places with changes in the epidemic situation, front-line truck drivers will be limited by vehicle traffic, unstable in customer production and operation, and frequent nucleic acid testing to increase the number of drivers. time and cost difficulties.
"Under the influence of the epidemic, there has been an imbalance between supply and demand of market transportation capacity, which is mainly reflected in tight supply, insufficient transportation capacity and low efficiency. Truck drivers, as the logistical support for material transportation, affect the smoothness of freight arteries." The relevant person in charge of Fuyou Truck said A reporter from Securities Daily said that at present, facing the dual pressures of "strict, meticulous and tight" epidemic prevention policies and rising oil prices, truck drivers have encountered difficult challenges in their daily transportation.
A relevant person from Huo Lala also said that a reporter from Securities Daily said that due to the recent epidemic in my country, some cities have implemented control measures on transportation, which has had a certain impact on transportation work.
At present, the difficulties faced by front-line truck drivers are mainly due to the restricted travel in some cities during the epidemic.
"It's too difficult to make a trip, and I'm forced to increase the freight rate. Now the high-speed fee and fuel fee are very expensive." Xiao Chu told reporters that when the goods arrived at the high-speed entrance, they were sealed and they were not allowed to get off the car. Goods, return directly empty.
If a seller has a demand for shipping, they have to turn around and load the goods at the high-speed port, which is a high cost for both parties.
Xiao Chu also introduced that the goods could not come in or go out due to poor transportation.
For example, if the recently transported pesticides and fertilizers are delayed, spring ploughing will be affected.
Only by allowing the circulation of goods, the relevant industrial chain will be "alive".
Amway shares also stated on the investor interaction platform that since March 2022, domestic epidemics have frequently occurred, spread in many places, local closures, blocked logistics, poor transportation, and rising freight rates. The real economy has faced shrinking demand, supply shocks, and weakening expectations. Triple pressure, sluggish demand compared to the same period in previous years.
The production and operation of the company are faced with the troubles and troubles in the growth, and the risks and challenges in the development, and there are uncertainties.
As mentioned by Xiao Chu and Master Qu, the problem of poor logistics has become more and more prominent recently.
On the one hand, the logistics obstruction has led to the rising cost of goods transportation, and on the other hand, the order volume is also decreasing.
The big data provided by Fuyou Truck shows that since late February this year, due to factors such as the epidemic and rising oil prices, the overall freight cost of the market has increased by 5% to 8%; , The freight rates of some short-distance routes increased by more than 10% year-on-year, and most of the long-distance routes also increased by more than 5%.
However, the arrival orders in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the short-haul price in North China continued to be relatively high. For example, the recent short-haul routes entering Beijing increased by more than 20% year-on-year.
Especially in the past week, the activity of truck drivers in receiving orders decreased by 7.6% year-on-year, and the total mileage decreased by about 11% year-on-year. Among them, the activity of drivers in the Yangtze River Delta region with Shanghai as the center decreased by 12% year-on-year. %about.
The above-mentioned person from Huolala also cited the Yangtze River Delta region as an example. In April this year, the capacity of active cross-city large trucks on the Huolala platform decreased by more than 50% month-on-month, and the order response rate and order completion rate also decreased accordingly.
Logistics and freight companies take active actions
Freight and logistics companies are actively responding to various difficulties.
The above-mentioned person in charge of Fuyou Truck said that under the background of the "dynamic clearing" policy, the epidemic prevention and control will not be relaxed for a long time in the future, and the problems of tight supply and shortage of transportation capacity will exist.
In the future, Fuyou Truck will, under the guidance of relevant government departments and industry associations, actively leverage the value of the platform and provide relevant support for the promotion of relevant passes for truck drivers.
Long-term logistics told reporters that the company is fully supporting the epidemic prevention and control policy, and supports drivers who need to implement the epidemic prevention policy for control; report the driver's health status every day, and provide drivers who perform transportation tasks with masks, disinfection supplies and other necessary items. Anti-epidemic materials to ensure the health of drivers.
It is worth mentioning that high and new technologies are gradually being applied to the current logistics and transportation.
According to the introduction of long-term logistics, for the limited transportation in the control area, such as Zhengzhou City, which has been affected by the epidemic for a long time in the early stage, the company uses the intelligent dispatching platform to timely coordinate the company's transportation capacity and social transportation capacity in the control area. The terminal transportation task is performed by means of handover and transfer, and the stability of the company's trunk line transportation is guaranteed on the premise of ensuring the timeliness of the delivery of customers' goods.
In addition, the way of land and water transportation is being applied in the recent logistics transportation.
According to the long-term logistics, due to the greater impact of the current round of the epidemic on major port cities, the operation of some water transport lines has been affected.
Through the mode of multimodal transport and the previous accumulation of resources, long-term logistics can match the required resources.
"For example, the Guangzhou-Shanghai water transportation line is affected by the Shanghai epidemic. The company communicates with customers as soon as possible, formulates road transportation plans for customers, and allocates transportation resources for implementation to ensure timely delivery of customer goods."
At the same time, recently, many departments have begun to focus on solving the problem of blocking the "large arteries" of freight.
On April 7, the Premier of the State Council presided over a symposium of experts and entrepreneurs to analyze the economic situation and listen to suggestions on the next step in economic work.
Among them, it is mentioned that targeted measures should be taken in terms of serving truck drivers, alleviating the difficulties of freight operators, and reducing logistics costs, so as to promote the smooth flow of international and domestic logistics and maintain the stability of the industrial chain and supply chain.
On April 9, the Ministry of Transport issued a document stating that in response to the outstanding problems in the current freight logistics, the Ministry of Transport has deployed and implemented the work of ensuring the smooth flow of freight logistics, requiring that it is strictly forbidden to set up epidemic prevention testing points on the main lines and service areas of expressways, and it is strictly forbidden to close the doors without authorization. Park in the expressway service area.
It is necessary to establish a pass system with a unified format, national mutual recognition, and convenient handling to ensure the passage of the pass across the country.
According to the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Transport, the problem of inadequate implementation of policies in some areas and overweighting at various levels still exists. The problem of poor logistics operation in some epidemic-related areas such as the Yangtze River Delta is more prominent, and more practical and effective measures must be taken to break through the blocking points. Card points, ensure the smooth operation of national logistics, and strengthen the service guarantee of truck drivers.
According to the actual difficulties encountered in the transportation process, many truck drivers interviewed by the "Securities Daily" reporter suggested that the high-speed fee be reduced by half; it is recommended to apply for the relevant driving safety certificate online.
(Securities Daily)