Adapting to the New Era: Experiences and Challenges of Chinese Trucks in Russia

Welcome to my blog! Today, I’m going to share with you one Russian driver’s experience with Chinese-branded trucks, as well as his discoveries and feelings during the process of adapting to the unique characteristics of these trucks.

First experience with a Chinese truck:

When confronted with this Chinese-branded truck, the Russian driver found a special note when refuelling: not to refuel only one tank. This aroused his curiosity. The truck has two fuel tanks, the main one with a capacity of 800 litres and the secondary one with 350 litres. He was puzzled by this method of refuelling.

A professional explanation of the fuel tank design:

An experienced Chinese truck driver explained that the two tanks are for different grades of diesel fuel: one for regular diesel and the other for low temperature diesel. The low-temperature diesel is used first at start-up, and the No. 0 diesel is heated by a heating device to save costs.

Advantages of the heating system:

One of the great advantages of Chinese trucks is that the fuel tank has its own heating system, which is very necessary for driving in the Russian winter. This design directly meets the needs of Russian truck drivers. The truck’s antifreeze and oil-water separator are also equipped with heating systems to avoid starting difficulties in cold weather.

Cost-effective operating strategy:

Another experienced driver added that the secondary fuel tank only needs to be filled with about 70 litres of high grade fuel, which is sufficient for cold weather starting. Switch to No. 0 diesel in the main tank once driving has stabilised. Effective cost savings due to the continuous operation of the water circulation heating system.

Refuelling tips and strategies:

When there are few vehicles at the petrol station,to facilitate refuelling, the driver parks the truck very close to the fuel locker to reduce the moving distance. Chinese truckers prefer to park their trucks between two dispensers and refuel both tanks at the same time to improve efficiency.

Safety features and night driving:

Drivers are satisfied with the truck’s lane departure system and high and low beam features. These features ensure safety when driving at night or when fatigued.

Meeting the challenge of bad weather:

Drivers had to deal with the challenge of adding urea during rainy night driving in Russia. Despite the weather, adding urea and fuel were both necessary steps.

Market changes and adaptation process:

With the withdrawal of European car brands, Chinese car sales in the Russian market have reached a new high. Russian drivers are adapting to the characteristics and driving habits of the new brand of trucks.

Conclusion:

The popularity of Chinese trucks in Russia reflects the deepening of technological exchange and cooperation between the two countries. We hope Russian drivers will quickly adapt to these new trucks and enjoy a safer and more efficient driving experience.

Thank you for reading. See you next time!