One freight hauler in particular has driven well past the rest of the trucking segment.

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For the average freight hauler, or construction company for that matter, in China, each equipment purchase must be paid for upfront, in cold, hard cash.

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Or, as an old Waste Management wag once complained to me: The most efficient operator in the business is a one-truck hauler where the owner drives the truck.

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For a large hauler to do such things would be inconceivable a few decades ago, considering how U.S. station wagons, with their faux wood paneling and gangly proportions, were basically ridiculed out of existence.

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Sure, we carefully covered every inch of trim in a heavy moving blanket beforehand, lest some sharp bit of bike drivetrain nip at the Targa's interior, but the point is, we did it, and even drove home with our Italian cargo and our loaner German hauler both arriving unscathed.

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