Police bust illegal freight haulers

The law enforcement department of the Shanghai Transport Commission busted 40 illegal freight haulers on Friday morning within just one hour. Many of those nabbed were driving passenger sedans unqualified for commercial hauling purposes.

Law enforcement officers said many drivers registered their cars on freight service hailing apps like Huolala and Kuaigou Dache. The platforms did not verify whether the cars, or their drivers, were permitted to carry goods.

From 8:30am, officers came to the intersection of Hutai and Wenshui roads in Jing’an District. Several construction material markets are located nearby. The officers asked cars bearing Huolala or Kuaigou Dache logos to stop for inspection.

In one such vehicle with a Jiangsu Province license plate, police found the trunk and rear seat area packed with commercial goods.

The driver, surnamed Cao, will face a 30,000-yuan (US$4,476) fine for hauling freight without a license. Traffic police will also investigate illegal modifications made to the vehicle for the purpose of transporting goods.

Officials said many unqualified drivers and vehicles are registering on lightly-regulated freight transportation apps.

“We hope the platforms can do better at verification when they register drivers,” said an official from the law enforcement department.