Two Wheel Loaders and One Woman Who Wouldn’t Give Up

In the Beginning 

Zhang Zhuying is a wife and mother of two; she and her husband own a gravel plant in Shexian County. About 13 years ago, Zhang purchased a SEM ZL 30F wheel loader for a large job she’d just landed. Although she knew she couldn’t do the job without a machine, the risk weighed heavily on her.

“I was not very confident at that time. It’s hard to say whether I could make money after buying such an expensive loader. But at that time, I just got a big job and couldn’t do it without a wheel loader.”

The original purchase of the machine from SEM dealer Shexian Weiyuan Construction Machinery gave Zhang and her husband a unique regional designation: They became the only self-employed team in the southern half of Shexian County that owned a wheel loader. 

Working the Plan 

Still, after purchasing the loader, the pressure of repayment followed. Zhang made an unprecedented decision to learn how to operate the machine. At that time, it was rare to find a female operator. It seemed no one was optimistic that a woman could do the job, and she met resistance. But Zhang met that resistance head on.

Upon returning home, the couple discovered that several rear eight-wheel dump trucks and a recently purchased excavator were gone. The machines were later found in wreckage on a downstream beach, carried away by the flood. The loss made the couple feel like they were starting all over again. Zhang didn’t give up despite the devastation of losing so much equipment. She told her family, “We still have two loaders, and we are all fine. That is the greatest luck.”

Learning Never Stops 

For the past 13 years, Zhang has never thought of giving up. She likes to drive wheel loaders and says she feels at ease behind the wheel both day and night. She’s undoubtedly developed a special regard for her machines.

“These two SEM wheel loaders are no longer simple machines for us. They are like our family. They have silently made a lot of contributions to us for many years of hard work. They are the heroes of our family and helped us out of predicaments.”

In 2021, Zhang joined operators from across China at the SEM Operator Campus to hone her operator techniques. Outside of the industry, Zhang feeds her zest for learning by trying new things, including pursuing a chef and pastry certification and working to improve her Mandarin.