An investigation on the effectiveness of mandatory periodic truck safety inspection policy in China: a case study of Guangdong province

This study empirically evaluates China's periodic truck safety inspection policies by investigating the cyclic variation of truck performance based on the inspection data classified by truck types in Guangdong province of China from 2010 to 2017. The annual performance of different truck types is analysed and the cyclic variation of truck performance is evaluated over eight consecutive years. Then, the costs of the periodic inspection scheme and the advantages of prolonging the inspection intervals of small trucks and medium trucks are discussed. Quantitative data is also used to reveal the potential associations between the decay rate of truck performance and overweight. The study found that for light and medium trucks within their first five years of operation, the inspection intervals can be extended from one to four years. This research provides useful recommendations for policymakers and government departments when designing effective truck safety inspection schemes in China and beyond.