1/ A truck crash in Ufa, in which 12 vehicles were struck and two people killed by a runaway Chinese-made construction truck, has highlighted concerns about Russia's widespread substitution of European vehicles with cheaper Chinese alternatives. ⬇️
2/ The accident took place on 15 October 2025 at the intersection of Ufa Highway and Novozhenova Streets in Ufa in the Republic of Bashkortostan. According to local authorities, 11 passenger cars and a cargo truck were struck, killing two people and injuring six more.
3/ The vehicle which caused the accident was a Chinese-made Shacman truck, made by the Shaanxi Automobile Group Co., Ltd.. The company operates in 140 countries worldwide, with manufacturing plants outside China in Mexico, Algeria, and Kyrgyzstan.
4/ The introduction of sanctions following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 cut off exports of many European vehicles. Russian companies and consumers have switched to Chinese models instead, though not without some problems. https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/stat...
5/ According to the Vladimir Sevastyanov, the head of Bashkortostan's traffic police, the brakes of the Shacman truck failed. Russians are said to commonly believe that the braking systems of Chinese trucks are unreliable, and far less safe than those of Russian KamAZ trucks.
6/ The truck driver was arrested, but according to an Ufa mechanic quoted by the local publication 'Proofs': "The driver has nothing to do with it. The Chinese trucks' brakes fail periodically. This is probably the 50th incident involving Shacman trucks in Ufa alone."
7/ "They usually collected 20 trucks at a time on the Sipaylovo descent. Not all trucks have this problem; there are very few incidents involving KamAZ trucks and others. Many Chinese trucks are owned by the right [i.e. well-connected] people. They don't follow weight controls.
8/ "Sometimes they haul 30 tons of cargo, but the brake system is designed for 20 tons maximum." 'Proofs' reports that Ufa drivers believe that "trucks from the Middle Kingdom are extremely unsafe, can accelerate at high speeds, and often experience brake problems."
9/ "It's not easy to stop a loaded vehicle, but it's still possible, since the gearbox load is always calculated based on the vehicle's gross weight. But an overloaded vehicle is impossible to stop.
10/ "Yes, from the outside looking in, it was all possible [to avoid the crash]. But when you're behind the wheel of a loaded Shacman with no brakes and flying down a mountain, I don't know what you'd do—kill yourself or try to slam on the brakes."
11/ "The tragedy was only a matter of time... I'm often overtaken on Salavatka and Komsomolskaya by these Chinese trucks loaded with construction supplies, going well over 60. Even with working brakes, they have the stopping distance of a train."
12/ "On Shacmans, the brakes are primarily powered by the exhaust brake. If the gasket between the exhaust manifold and cylinder head blows, they're left without brakes. More precisely, the brakes are practically useless, especially when going downhill while loaded.
13/ "Such a vehicle, even with a blown exhaust gasket, can fail to stop at any moment. Otherwise, even after passing the inspection, the brakes will still work. But the funny thing is, this Shacman primarily uses the exhaust brake to stop."
14/ The trucks are said to be routinely overloaded, leading to excessive wear on the brakes. Taras Koval, President of the Association of Transport Experts and Specialists, says that carriers overload Chinese vehicles because they see the warranties as worthless.
15/ Koval says that when they were using European-made vehicles, Russian carriers strictly adhered to weight limits for fear of invalidating the warranties. In contrast, they often allow Chinese trucks to be overloaded because the warranties are regarded as only nominal. /end