Conditions on major roads linking Beijing and provinces in northwest China have worsened over the past five months. The worst traffic jams usually last for more than a week causing bumper to bumper queues more than 100 kilometers long.
These drivers are here to escape the scorching sunshine. All of them are on a mission to carry coal from Huhot in Inner Mongolia to Beijing.
A truck driver said, "I've been stuck for three days here. It happens a lot."
The economic growth in Beijing is driving up demand for coal. As a result, coal producers in Inner Mongolia are increasingly depending on road transportation.
Another truck driver said, "Traffic has doubled."
A detour to get around the congested part is possible, but will cost more.
A driver said, "If you take a detour to the adjacent Shanxi province, you'll have to pay 3 hundred to one thousand yuan more depending on the toll gates you go through. The contractor won't pay for this."
Local traffic authorities blame the regular traffic jams on limited road capacity. They estimate the current traffic flow is still growing by a rate of 30 percent per year.