Idled Trucks Imperil Fuel Demand as China Widens Covid Battle
- Road freight volumes in March decline across some provinces
- Virus lockdowns have been extended to more Chinese cities
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China’s trucking fleet has been caught up in the nation’s push for Covid Zero, further threatening oil demand as supply chains snarl.
Drivers are being held up in a web of quarantine controls that’s led to long queues and disruption to deliveries, with the volume of road freight hauled across provinces from Jiangsu to Guangdong declining in March from a year earlier. Trucks play an essential role in commercial transport and prolonged curbs will crimp diesel consumption and weigh on China’s oil demand.