IN the last two weeks, transport companies in Shenzhen have received a mountain of tickets for traffic violations in Dongguan, some dating back as far as 2004.

Some 53 companies reported that 1,509 container trucks were slapped with 10,072 cases of traffic violations, according to the tickets they got from Dongguan during these two weeks, the Shenzhen Container Trailer Association said.

The total fine could add up to about 2 million yuan (US$247,000) for the 53 companies, according to the association.

Jiang Yong of a transport company, who received tickets that were six months late, said the Dongguan authorities should have contacted the transport companies in time. ¡°The turnover rate is high in this industry. Who shall I blame if the drivers involved have already left the company?¡± said Jiang.

Most of the vehicles were recorded as having run red lights, which constituted 95 percent of the traffic violations. It may have been associated with Dongguan¡¯s traffic rules, a driver called Liang Pin said.

In Dongguan, vehicles are not allowed to drive straight on the left- or right-turn lane at a green light, even if there is no vehicle using the lane before the light turns, Liang said. Similarly, vehicles cannot use the straight lane while turning left or right. For a 17-meter-long trailer, sometimes it is impossible not to occupy the straight lane when turning left or right or making a u-turn.

The association said it would contact the Dongguan traffic police to start an investigation.

Editor: Yan