The elevation is about 5,000 m.

We'll head out after eating.

No good. The fuel isn't running.

It froze.

Don't heat it too much.

It's fine.

Don't set it on fire!

Wow, it's covered in ice.

Stop! What the...!

What are you doing?

What are you doing?

Valued at nearly 50 trillion dollars, China's distribution industry is the largest in the world.

Over 70% of domestic shipping is handled by some 20 million truck drivers.

Since the pandemic, our pay keeps dropping.

The stagnating Chinese economy puts new pressure on the drivers.

They say we're supporting millions of people, but we can't even support our own families.

Keep your eyes on the road.

A mismatched team of a veteran and a rookie driver find their backs against the wall.

How will we get through?

They look for new opportunities on the Tibetan highlands.

Why am I going?

For money.

China's most dangerous road lies ahead.

Your family misses you.

Will their journey end in fruition, or lead them astray?

I've worked hard to lead a good life.

I couldn't even be with my father when he died.

No matter how hard I try, nothing good happens.

This distribution center is located in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province.

Drivers nowadays can cook and clean.

Zhang Yukun is from northeast China.

He has 20 years' experience as a truck driver.

I bought new shoes for two dollars.

20 million truck drivers are said to be working in China.

Many of them are freelancers who are constantly in search of work.

Just three years ago, Zhang took out a loan for 78 thousand dollars to replace his truck.

My truck is my mobile home.

I'm at the wheel during the day, then I sleep in it at night.

This truck and I have been through a lot together.

We're like family.

Zhang comes from a farming community.

He started working as a truck driver at 19 years of age.

I made a lot back then.

Several thousand dollars a month with just a small truck.

Until a few years ago, truck driving was a lucrative profession.

Rewarding jobs were readily available through negotiation with brokers.

- How much to Hangzhou?
- This much.

- Can you up the rate?
- $350 is the best I can do.

Otherwise there'll be nothing left for me.

As long as you could drive, you could become a truck driver,

no matter who you are or where you're from.

But economic stagnation resulted in low demand for work.

Increased competition brought lower rates.

The arrival of mobile apps exasperated the situation.

Drivers increasingly undercut each other, further reducing rates.

There's no profit in China.

I can't pay my bills or support my family with just my truck.

Many drivers have already given up and sold their trucks.

Zhang arrives in Mohan, a town along the border with Laos.

Every day, several thousand tons of produce arrive from Laos

and other parts of southeast Asia before being sent throughout China.

China has made significant investments into its "One Belt, One Road" economic initiative in recent years.

Mohan is an important key, and jobs are easier to find here.

Liu!

Zhang meets with another driver.

Also from northeast China, Liu Yang only has 2 years' experience driving trucks.

Zhang's always there for me. He tells me the routes.

What's this?

Zhang has been mentoring Liu for the last 2 years.

Out of all the jobs, why did you become a truck driver?

I'd rather not say.

Tell me!

There was a big scandal at my previous employer.

I could never work in the same industry again.

Liu previously worked for an oil conglomerate, making 3500 dollars a month.

A sister company was found to have evaded 16 million dollars in taxes.

Liu's company also had its assets confiscated.

The Chinese government has been cracking down on fraudulent activity.

With continued economic difficulty, corporate bankruptcies have become common.

Many people turned to trucking after losing their jobs.

From company executives to gangsters, all kinds of people became truckers.

It's dog-eat-dog.

Many can't handle it.

In order to make a profit, truck drivers must take routes that no one else wants to take.

Do you have anything going to Tibet?

Zhang decides to choose a route into Lhasa, in the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The road to Tibet passes through highlands exceeding elevations of 4,000 m...

It's said to be the deadliest route in China.

You have to go to Tibet to make money.

But it's rough on tires and springs.

You're also risking your life at those heights.

I got one job.

Who'll take it?

You go first.

The road to Tibet is paved with uncertainties.

Zhang and Liu take both their trucks so they can help each other out in times of need.

They'll be delivering bananas.

Later in the day, Zhang receives his load of cargo.

He'll meet up with Liu in Kunming.

It's 2,800 km from Mohan to Lhasa.

If everything goes smoothly, they'll arrive in 5 days.

It's as warm as the spring here in Yunnan.

Lhasa will already have ice and snow.

It's like seeing all the seasons over a few days.

Check the tires.

Many of the roads in Tibet are unpaved.

Their trucks will need to be inspected in Kunming.

Hey!

This tire shop is frequented by Zhang.

They're all worn down.

You can't drive with these.

I thought they'd last.

No way.

What about these two? We're headed to Tibet.

They'd be fine for highways, but not for Tibet.

How's this one?

No good.

This one too.

This one's done, too.

One new tire costs $180.

So that's more than $2,100 total for 12 tires.

The two are low on cash.

If they pay for the tires, they won't have any money for fuel.

I have a favor to ask, having known you this long.

Can we pay you after we get back from Tibet?

What about you?

I don't have the money either.

You can pay later?

Yes.

My head hurts from all these IOU's.

These are all IOU's?

The unpaid debts total 4,200 dollars.

The past year has seen an increasing number of customers asking to pay later.

We keep our promises.

They all say the same thing.

I only trust Zhang.

You can give your money to Zhang.

That OK?

OK?

I'll handle it.

Zhang signs a contract for 2,400 dollars.

It needs to be paid within one month.

They've headed 500 km north since departing Kunming.

The roads grow narrow as they traverse an area where accidents are common.

It always takes more than an hour to get through.

Might be a landslide.

With the crowded roads blocking their path, nearly 5 hours has passed.

Their fatigue reaches a peak.

But their luck would grow worse...

The wheel is slipping. The front tire is off the ground.

If I'm not careful, the front tire will totally slip in.

Back up to where there's more space. Then we can get through.

Why didn't you stop earlier?

To get out of his predicament, he needs to move the truck ahead,

but the road is too crowded to manage it.

Don't move. The rear tires will slip.

Liu realizes the situation, and comes to assist.

There's a truck ahead that's slipping and blocking the way.

If you back up, it can get loose.

He informs the drivers ahead of Zhang about the situation, asking them to make space.

An hour passes since the accident.

Finally, they've secured enough room to move.

I'll pull it out, so back up.

That's it.

They're free from the slippage.

We're good.

If they back up 100 m more, they'll reach a wide area of the road where trucks on the other side can pass.

Liu continues to guide Zhang along the road.

That'll do it.

Come on through.

By the time the traffic jam disperses, it's past midnight.

What an ordeal.

Liu got us out of it.

He's usually slow, but he helped out this time.

You're still awake?

Yeah, we finally stopped.

Zhang phones his wife, Gao Yanping.

After I parked, I started feeling homesick.

That's why I called.

Do you miss me, or home?

Both.

Your mother and son really miss you.

I know.

Zhang hasn't been able to return to his family for a year and a half.

His home is in Liaoning Province, in northeastern China.

Trucking used to bring in a decent amount.

We were able to get by.

Zhang's only son, Zhang Haozhe, has been accepted to a university.

Once he begins living in the dorms, tuition and daily expenses will cost over $5,500 a year.

I wish I could have studied, but we were poor.

That's how things were.

I don't know anything about universities.

He'll do it for your sake.

That's right. Study like I wish I could have.

Their lives seemed to be going just as hoped, but that happiness wouldn't last.

My father got a headwound in a car accident.

Treatment cost $25,000.

A few months later, he was diagnosed with cancer.

I couldn't keep up with the bills, and borrowed from a lot of people.

He passed away last year.

Between the loan for his truck, his son's tuition,

and his now departed father's medical bills, Zhang is burdened by $70,000 in debts.

He's barely able to make payments each month.

Three days have passed since leaving Mohan.

The truck is almost out of fuel.

Fill it up?

- How much per liter?
- $1.20.

That much? That's an arm and a leg.

Just a little is fine.

The fuel tank has a capacity of 1400 liters.

At an extra 7 cents per liter, he would waste 93 dollars filling the tank.

The more he eats into his profits,

the less he'll be able to repay his loans and support his family.

Zhang stops the truck in an empty parking lot.

He has an idea.

You're a dealer?

Yeah.

I'll fill you there.

He's found an illegal diesel fuel dealer.

In China, this type of fuel is called "Xiaoyou," or "little oil."

It better not be poor quality.

You'll know when you start the truck.

Xiaoyou dealers can be found all over the country.

They obtain their fuel by smuggling it out of refineries or from overseas.

It's around 10% cheaper than legal diesel.

Not bad.

There's another Xiaoyou dealer in the next lot over.

But his fuel stinks.

Nobody buys it now.

Each year, 1.4 billion dollars in illegal fuel is confiscated in China.

Even that is only the tip of the iceberg.

That guy makes more than $100,000 a year from Xiaoyou.

He was boasting that he bought a home for his kid.

He paid $110,000 in cash.

The police collude with it and turn a blind eye.

What a joke.

Filling the entire tank costs $970.

He's able to save $67 off the normal price.

Four days have passed since leaving the border town of Mohan.

At last, Zhang has reached the Tibet Autonomous Region.

This stretch is known as the most dangerous road in China, Highway 318.

At an elevation of around 4,000 m, it's marked by many steep ascents and descents.

He travels along the highest section of the road, reaching 5,130 m.

Oxygen levels at 5,000 m are only half that of normal heights.

Altitude sickness threatens to bring headaches and chills.

Something happened the first time one driver came to Tibet.

He got too low on oxygen while sleeping and died from it.

Zhang averages 4 hours of sleep a night.

He calculates this to deliver his load as soon as possible, and move on to the next job.

We're off.

The true dread of Highway 318 is about to begin.

This is the sky road.

It's one of the most challenging sections of the highway, "Nujiang 72 Curves."

The road contains 72 curves of various sizes, and sudden descents of 1,500 m.

Look, there's a flipped truck.

I'll take it slow in low gear.

Zhang is intensely focused on his braking and turning.

One mistake could easily mean his death.

He makes it through the 72 curves, but he isn't home free yet.

Awaiting him are the sheer cliff faces of Nujiang Valley.

The huge rock face yawning before him is known as the "Mouth of the Tiger."

The Mouth of the Tiger is the worst.

It used to be 4 m high.

But so many trucks have scraped it that it's 4.2 m now.

Come on.

Oh man.

That was close.

You can see pilgrims.

Pilgrims of Tibetan Buddhism can now be seen along the way.

It's 400 km more to Lhasa.

This is Sejila Mountain.

It's the last one before Lhasa, with a high elevation.

After descending, we reach the expressway.

What a sight.

It reaches the heavens.

Namcha Barwa, the most beautiful in China.

It's got an elevation of 7,782 m.

It's rare to get such a good view.

The sun's about to rise.

Liu likes the seafood-flavored noodles.

We'll get going after we eat.

The temperature outside is minus 5 degrees Celsius.

Their diesel fuel has frozen within the filter.

The fuel isn't running.

Not there. Just heat the filter.

It's too cold.

If we can't warm it enough, we'll have to take the filter out.

I'll warm it more.

- Not too much.
- It's fine.

Don't get the open flame near the fuel.

Wow, it's covered in ice.

What the...?!

What are you doing?

Extinguisher!

What'd I tell you about the fuel?!

- Put it out?
- Are you joking?

Don't mess with it. It's ruined.

Man...

The whole truck could've gone up.

Of all the times...

I'll have to buy a new filter.

Without one, the fuel supply won't be smooth.

It seems all right.

No, it needs the filter to let the fuel come up.

Their only choice is to press on without a filter for the time being.

- Don't let it near the fuel.
- I know.

There.

The fuel is finally flowing.

I can't believe he'd set it on fire.

Our noodles are cold.

Liu, we're taking off as soon as we eat.

Why are you nice to him after he made a mistake like that?

I can't afford to get angry at him.

If he got sick up here, it'd put me in an even worse situation.

It's hard enough for me.

Over the last two years, Liu's mistakes have been a thorn in Zhang's side.

What can you do?

But Zhang can't find it in himself to leave his partner.

Repaying duty is important to me.

When I had nowhere else to turn, Liu helped me out.

When he met Liu, Zhang was short the $1300 for his truck inspection,

and couldn't ask for help from his relatives.

Despite just meeting each other, Liu was happy to lend him the money.

I owe Liu for that.

That's why I'm helping him now.

I'm the one who prepares the cargo.

Sometimes it does feel exhausting.

6 days and 2,800 km since leaving Mohan, they arrive in Lhasa.

We finally made it here.

The first time I came here, I was amazed by Potala Palace.

Most people never come to Tibet even once in their lives.

As Tibet's largest city, Lhasa has a population of 870,000.

The tourism industry has been developed, welcoming 20 million visitors per year.

In order to support economic development in Tibet,

over the last 5 years the government has invested 43 billion dollars.

Infrastructure and urban development are slated for improvement in the future.

Lhasa's elevation is 3,700 m.

Even mild exercise brings shortness of breath.

When I first came here, I kept getting nosebleeds.

Unloading the cargo, it's hard to breathe.

It sure hasn't been an easy drive.

For the six-day drive, Zhang is paid $2700.

It's more than double the typical rate within China.

However, deducting the costs such as tires and fuel puts him into the red.

At this rate, there's no telling how many years he'll need to repay his debts.

Zhang is faced with a hard decision.

I've been thinking.

Working with Liu brings my earnings down a lot.

I have to look for not just my cargo, but Liu's as well.

It takes time to seek it out, and I end up losing money.

I don't know what to do.

If I break things off, I'm not sure how he'll get by.

Cheers.

Let's enjoy this.

We made it all the way to Tibet together.

It's been tough.

I'm really thankful.

I know it isn't easy looking after a rookie like me.

Do you know how I've felt these past two years?

Huh?

I felt that I needed to repay the kindness showed to me.

I was in a hard place when I couldn't get the truck inspection.

I just couldn't leave you hanging.

- Who do you think I am?
- A good person.

- That's it?
- Should I thank you and cry?

- I don't want thanks.
- Then what?

What're you saying?

What I want is...

I already know.

What?

You want to split up?

I need you to understand.

I'm so tired, Liu.

Let me ask one thing of you.

Whether I'm here or not, you've got to be able to do this yourself.

That's how I've felt these two years.

I won't let you down. I'll do better.

- But...
- But what?

But, I don't want to do this alone. Let's stick together.

If you really want to leave, I can't stop you.

Right?

In the end, Zhang can't bring himself to end their partnership.

I'm so tired, man.

It's all right.

Nobody knows what it's like.

Don't get so down. Nobody's perfect.

Get lost!

When my dad died from cancer, I couldn't even be with him.

Liu...

Everyone looks down on me.

Even in a dream, I just want to go home.

I haven't spent the New Year with my family in five years!

"Caught in the wind and rain, I've lost my way home."

"I was wrong to believe I had a home in a foreign land."

One month later, Zhang is driving alone.

He decided to try trucking without Liu for the time being.

Trucking isn't easy, but I plan to keep it up.

To drive my own truck....

That's the only dream I have.

So I've got no regrets.

Even if I could do it all again, I'd still be a truck driver.

As the Chinese economy loses steam, truckers are driven into intense competition.

Their struggle for survival seems bound to continue for the long haul.

"Liu is still working with trucks in Guangzhou."

"Zhang was able to return home for just 2 days for his truck inspection."

"In the spring, he plans to try trucking to Pakistan, a major hub in One Belt, One Road."