There is a "driver's home" far away
Sip hot water, eat hot meals, take a hot bath, and sleep peacefully-for the more than 17 million truck drivers across the country who are on the road all the year round, having a "home" in the distance is what they care about most The most direct and realistic needs.
The "Driver's Home" came into being.
Since the beginning of the pilot construction in 2018, the Ministry of Transport and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions have promoted the construction of more than 700 "driver homes" across the country, and a point-to-face service network is being formed at an accelerated pace.
As one of the five pilot provinces for the National Federation of Trade Unions to promote the joining of truck drivers, Guangxi regards the joining of truck drivers and other groups as the top priority of the regional trade union's grassroots work, and vigorously promotes the construction of "drivers' homes".
Starting from mid-to-late October, reporters from "Workers' Daily" visited Hepu in Guangxi, Beibu Gulf Port, Liuzhou, Guigang, Nanning and other places to record the stories of drivers in the "drivers' homes".
At 7 o'clock on October 19, Master Yao, a truck driver from Nanning, Guangxi, took advantage of the last single stop and drove the car to Hepu County, Beihai City for annual inspection.
It takes more than half a day to queue up for inspection. In order not to delay the delivery of goods, he drove the car into the inspection station early in the morning.
Choosing to do the annual inspection here, Master Yao is fond of a "driver's house" in the test station, not only can get off the bus to rest, but also can go to the corporate canteen to eat with the free meal ticket issued by the "driver's house".
At 16:00 on October 22, in the "Driver's Home" of Huale Logistics Park in Liuzhou City, Zhao Guangyou, a truck driver in the park, had nothing to do. He flipped through the bookcase to a book on home improvement materials and read it.
Zhao Guangyou used to have a small company engaged in the decoration business, but later turned into a driver after failing to manage it well.
"Charging is better than swiping the phone." He plans to find opportunities to return to his old business in the future.
At 11 o'clock on October 26, at the "Driver's Home" in the Binyang Service Area of Nanning City, the truck driver Guo Li used the time he was waiting for the goods to come here to take a bath and wash his clothes.
The "driver's home" here covers an area of nearly 200 square meters and has a water heater and a washing machine with drying function.
Guo Li passes through Binyang County more than 20 times a year, and almost every time he chooses to stop in this service area for a while.
From inspection stations, logistics parks to expressway service areas, these "drivers' homes", which have been gradually built and operated since 2018, have quietly changed the work and life habits of many drivers.
"Drinking water, eating, bathing, sleeping, these are the most basic needs. If you can wash clothes, repair, and help with the distribution of goods, it will be better." said Ma Xiangchun, chairman of Guangxi Junma Transportation Group and representative of Beihai Municipal People's Congress.
Once a truck driver for 6 years, he has been engaged in freight ancillary services for more than 10 years, and he knows the actual needs of truck drivers.
In the past four years, his company has invested a total of more than 8 million yuan in the construction and operation of the "driver's home" and related supporting facilities. On the one hand, it has served the drivers, and on the other hand, it has also helped the company win word of mouth.
In addition to benefiting driver groups and related enterprises, building a "driver's home" has higher potential value.
Luo Zechang, deputy director of the Guigang Transportation Bureau, told the Workers Daily that fatigue driving is one of the main causes of large truck traffic accidents.
Many drivers wait too long for delivery, or cannot find a suitable parking place to rest. They are in a state of fatigue for a long time, and eventually lead to traffic accidents. Not only the victims of the accident suffer, but the perpetrators will also return to poverty as a result.
If the "driver's home" is built well, and the driver groups can eat and rest, many social problems can be alleviated from the root, and the social benefits will be immeasurable.
"We want to create a sense of'home' warmth and belonging." said Wei Liuyan, the grassroots work department of the Liujiang District Federation of Trade Unions in Liuzhou City. Before the construction of the "driver's home" in the local Huale Logistics Park, the District Federation of Trade Unions first helped The Federation of Logistics Park Trade Unions has been established so that every truck driver becomes a member of the trade union.
"This is not only a place for drivers to rest, but also a place for our trade union to carry out services." Wei Liuyan introduced, in addition to the annual "four deliveries" (send to post in spring, send cool in summer, send to school in autumn, send warm in winter) services and In addition to organizing labor skills competitions, the District Federation of Trade Unions also hired a team of lawyers. Every Wednesday, a lawyer is invited to come on duty to answer questions for the driver group in need.
In the interview, the vast majority of drivers gave a thumbs up to the construction of the "Driver's Home", but some drivers said that the current operation of the "Driver's Home" still has some shortcomings.
Such as the maintenance of service facilities, some of the equipment is broken and not updated in time; the promotion is not enough, and many drivers say they don’t know where there is a "driver's house" and do not know the specific service content; the problem with the most feedback is " The number of "driver homes" is insufficient, and it is difficult to meet the needs of the majority of driver groups across the country.
"I have a wish in my heart. I hope that one day, every county in the country will have a'driver's house' next to the national highway. Wherever the driver masters go, there is a place where they can park safely, and then come down to eat, take a bath, Sleep." Ma Xiangchun said.
Photographic report by our reporter Wu Fan