SHANGHAI traffic police said over the weekend that they have engaged with local freight companies and major manufacturers in a summer campaign to improve road safety.

In Baoshan District, where there are an estimated 56,000 heavy trucks, including 28,000 container trucks, police have set up 20 roadblocks to check problems of overloading, and are also constantly monitoring targeted parts of the district from street surveillance cameras.

Directors of 83 Baoshan venues where freight goods are loaded have signed up to a pledge to ensure legal loading of goods, police said. Nevertheless four trucks from Baosteel, a leading steel manufacturer in China, were found to have overloaded 100 percent of steel coils in June. After police communicated the offenses to the company, its management has punished those responsible with salary deductions.

Police have also been inspecting freight companies for irregularities in their GPS monitoring systems of trucks. During a recent inspection, Air Products, a company that transports dangerous chemicals, was found to have problems with its GPS system, meaning staff in the monitor room could not contact drivers immediately when alarms of driving under fatigue or speeding were received.

In May last year, an overloaded truck carrying concrete tiles illegally used the Middle Ring Road and severely damaged a part of the road after overturning.