Chapter 263: The Yellow River Brand Heavy Truck

Zhou Dazhong brought Zhou Dafu to the personnel department and said, “Comrade Wu, this is a new employee. Please help him with the onboarding procedures.”

He then handed over the letter of introduction and the employment notice.

Comrade Wu took the documents and, upon seeing that the new hire was a driver, immediately took it seriously.

Although the young man before him looked inexperienced, he might be a truck driver in the future—someone he might need to rely on. So he quickly said with enthusiasm, “Hello, please write your name here.”

Zhou Dafu wrote his name carefully, stroke by stroke, with more seriousness than he ever showed during school.

“Comrade Wu, I’ve finished writing. Is there anything else to fill out?”

“Good, just wait here for a bit. I need to get this signed by the department head,” Wu explained.

Seeing that there was still a wait, Zhou Dazhong said, “Zhou Dafu, I’m heading to work.”

“Go ahead!” Zhou Dafu replied.

After all, he could handle this part alone. If needed, he could just ask someone—no big deal.

Drivers were different from other employees. Regular workers had eight grade levels, while drivers had only five—or more accurately, six—grades, each with its own set of requirements. Entering the driver ranks began with apprenticeship. After obtaining a driver’s license, one could be considered an official driver, but they weren’t yet a Grade 5 driver. Only after completing a one-year probation period would they be promoted to Grade 5 and start earning the monthly salary of 40 yuan.

Other workers could earn up to 90 or 100 yuan per month at the highest level, while even the top-level drivers earned only a bit over 80 yuan, a gap of around a dozen yuan.

However, drivers received extra subsidies. Long-distance trips with cargo earned 1 yuan per day, and short-distance runs brought in 0.6 yuan. So in terms of income, a Grade 1 driver wasn’t necessarily worse off than an eighth-grade worker. And the benefits and treatment drivers received couldn’t be matched by even the top-grade regular workers.

Soon, the head of the personnel department came out. Normally, he wouldn’t bother showing up for a new employee’s onboarding, but Zhou Dafu was introduced by Zhou Yimin—it was a good opportunity to build connections.

“You must be Zhou Dafu. Young man, you’ve got a bright future ahead of you!” the department head said.

“Not at all. I’ll be relying on your guidance, sir!” Zhou Dafu replied politely.

Then, he took out a box of Da Qianmen cigarettes he had prepared in advance, lit one for the department head, and casually placed the rest on the desk as though he had simply forgotten them there.

Seeing how thoughtful Zhou Dafu was, the department head was very pleased.

He wanted to build rapport with Zhou Yimin, but not necessarily with Zhou Dafu—at least not yet. After all, Zhou Dafu wasn’t even officially a driver.

“Xiao Wu, take Comrade Zhou Dafu to collect his onboarding items,” said the department head.

“Yes, sir,” Wu replied.

The department head had other things to do and wouldn’t accompany them the whole time. If it had been Zhou Yimin himself, that would be a different story.

Comrade Wu took Zhou Dafu to pick up his gear. There wasn’t much—just the standard uniform, a cup, a thermos, a towel, and a military coat, which was a special perk for drivers.

It was worth noting that military coats were in high demand. Without some connections, you wouldn’t get one. Even with a factory as large as this steel mill, they could only distribute a limited number.

Zhou Dafu hadn’t expected to receive so much on his first day. It had been ages since he’d had any new clothes, and now he even had a military coat. Just imagine the look on people’s faces when he wore it outside!

After collecting the items, Wu took Zhou Dafu to the transportation division, where Team Leader Li happened to be present.

Comrade Wu stepped forward and said, “Team Leader Li, this is the new employee, Zhou Dafu.”

“Alright.”

Li Feng looked Zhou Dafu over. So this was the guy Zhou Yimin had spoken to him about, the one he wanted to have learn driving from him.

Still, Li Feng would need to observe him first. He didn’t want to end up with an ungrateful apprentice, no matter who recommended him—not even Zhou Yimin.

Back then, the relationship between master and apprentice was no casual thing. “A day as a master, a lifetime as a father”—that was the prevailing belief. Although Li Feng had a son and didn’t have to worry about being cared for in old age, he would still bear responsibility if his apprentice caused trouble.

“Team Leader Li, I’ll take my leave now,” said Wu.

“Thanks for your help,” Li Feng replied.

Zhou Dafu immediately handed him a cigarette and even lit it, then asked respectfully, “Master Li, is there anything I should be doing right now?”

He didn’t really know what duties came with being a driver, so he could only ask.

“You’ll be coming with me on runs, and you’ll need to learn vehicle maintenance. Otherwise, you’ll never become a real driver,” Li Feng said.

Driving was easy to learn; the hard part was fixing the trucks. On long routes, it wasn’t unusual for something to break down in the middle of nowhere. You had to be able to make repairs on the spot. A single truck could be patched up and kept running for years.

Plus, truck technology and safety features were way behind modern standards. Accidents could happen if you weren’t careful—it was a high-risk job.

Zhou Dafu quickly replied, “Thank you, Master Li. I’ll count on your guidance.”

“Once you officially become a driver, you’ll be assigned your own truck. But until then, you’ll ride with me,” said Li Feng.

Then, he brought Zhou Dafu over to his truck. It was a brand-new heavy-duty Yellow River model.

Standard Jiefang trucks could only carry four tons, but this Yellow River model doubled that capacity to eight tons.

The Yellow River truck had only just come out in 1960—this very year. This particular unit had only recently arrived. So far, only their steel plant had received two of them. Other factories hadn’t even qualified yet!

Two years ago, slogans were flying everywhere, affecting all industries—automotive included. Back then, car manufacturers were determined to make bigger, better trucks to catch up with the world.

Of course, Li Feng wasn’t about to let Zhou Dafu get behind the wheel of such a massive truck just yet.

He’d start learning on the older models.

If Zhou Yimin were here, he’d probably be speechless at the sight of this truck.

The reputation of the Yellow River model wasn’t great. Its quality had serious issues.

Rumor had it that, in the rush to produce it, some equipment and blueprints hadn’t been properly tested. Certain parts were poorly manufactured, resulting in trucks so unreliable they had to be sent back for a month of rework.

“Looks like a beauty from afar, but up close it’s full of scars”—that’s how most people described the 8-ton model.

Some even joked, “The Yellow River truck’s horn doesn’t sound, but every other part rattles.”

(End of Chapter)