CCTV9英语新闻：Jobs losses in HK's distribution, logistics sectors

（单词翻译:单击）

Mr. Leung runs a company that delivers goods to shops, markets and restaurants. Since the protesters occupied the roads, his business has declined¹ sharply².

"I had to re-route because of the road blockades and congestions," Leung said. "Time on the road is doubled. An order that I could complete within one hour before the protests³, now takes two hours."

To people like Leung, time costs.Leung used to have 100 contracted lorries. And the office phone would ring every few minutes.But now, it's quiet. His company revenue⁴ dropped 80 percent. And many drivers have quit.

"Now I have only around 10 lorries left," Leung said. "Business is bad. The drivers spend much more time on the road, but their income is less than half of what it used to be. Many of them had to leave."

"It's very hard to hire a driver because of the poor business," Bai Jianlu from Dragonsky Asia Enterprise⁵ Ltd. said. "I have to sell off the vehicles to stop further losses."

Tai Lin Pai Road in Hong Kong is the main thoroughfare for the city's logistics industry. At peak times, this road was packed with trucks. But now the scene is quite different.

This here is Hennessy Road, a key passage on Hong Kong Island. The eastbound traffic has been stopped for one month. Several key roads in downtown Admiralty and Mong Kok are also occupied. So truck drivers have to take long detours⁶, but the alternative routes are also congested.

The protests have increased the fuel cost of each lorry by more than 1,000 Hong Kong dollars. And each delivery⁷ in the occupied areas cost the drivers an extra two to three hours. October should have been the golden period for the industry.

In Hong Kong, there are around 200 small-and-medium-sized logistic companies. Mr. Leung's was among the top 30. But he says his company is now in the worst time since it was set up 20 years ago.

"We experienced⁸ the 1997 Asia Financial Crisis⁹ and other difficult times," Leung said. "We got through them, but now we are facing the worst time ever. We can't do our business, and the whole industry is suffering great loss."

Leung said if the protests continue, his remaining drivers would also have to leave. He said he doesn't know how long he can carry on for. And he only hopes the situation can turn better soon, so he can get his business back.