“Master, our station provides free shared net bags. You can borrow them at the “Smart Pavilion” nearby to secure the goods securely and make driving at high speed safer.” Recently, at the Zhejiang Transportation Group Yongkang Toll Station, a toll collector was patiently reminding a truck driver.
The railing was raised, and the truck loaded with hardware products drove onto the highway and drove into the distance.
Yongkang City, Zhejiang Province, known as the “Hardware Capital of China”, is relying on its developed highway network to accelerate the communication efficiency of “Yongkang Manufacturing”.
The director of the Yongkang Toll Station said, “The traffic volume of trucks has increased significantly recently, and the average daily traffic volume of large trucks has increased by about 30% year-on-year.”
As the core transportation hub of Yongkang, the road network of Yongkang Toll Station connects the coastal ports of Taizhou and Wenzhou in the east, Jinhua and Quzhou in the west to Jiangxi, Lishui and Fujian in the south, and core cities in the Yangtze River Delta such as Hangzhou and Shanghai in the north.
This unique location advantage shortens the logistics time for Yongkang hardware products to the Yangtze River Delta to “half a day” and expands the economic radiation radius from 200 kilometers to 500 kilometers.
“Traffic efficiency is customer satisfaction.” The logistics person in charge of a local hardware tool company in Yongkang said that efficient logistics directly enhances the company’s competitiveness.
At present, Yongkang has formed a hardware industry chain with more than 200 categories and more than 20,000 products. The annual output value of the industry is expected to exceed 300 billion yuan in 2025, of which about 65% of the products are exported overseas.
The Jinliwen Expressway, which directly connects to the international port in the east, has become the “first mile” of Yongkang hardware exports to the world.
In order to ensure the smooth flow of this “Hardware Avenue”, the Yongkang Toll Station, which was opened to traffic in 2005 and has been reconstructed and expanded, has achieved full lane ETC coverage and intelligent toll collection.
In the face of traffic peaks caused by large-scale events, toll stations can quickly activate emergency plans and add lanes to ensure smooth flow.
Services are also continuously upgraded.
Zhejiang Communications Group Expressway Jinhua Management Center has launched a “stationmaster direct connection” mechanism at Yongkang Station. Drivers and passengers can directly contact the stationmaster at any time to quickly respond to needs. At the same time, it has expanded the “Driver’s Home” service function to provide free emergency supplies such as net bags and ropes to enhance the travel experience.
The smooth expressway also promotes the integration of regional culture and tourism.
Within a 15- to 20-minute drive around the toll station, there are scenic spots such as the China Science and Technology Hardware City, the world’s largest hardware product distribution center, and Fangyan Scenic Area, famous for its Danxia Peaks, providing passing merchants with more reasons to stay.
Under the setting sun, the lights of Yongkang Toll Station are lit up and the traffic flows continuously.
Between the rising and falling railings, “Yongkang Manufacturing” is leveraging its high-speed engine to move towards a broader world stage.
