BEIJING — China's road freight volume rose 0.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of the year, data from the Ministry of Transport showed.

More than 8.15 billion tons of road cargo were transported in the period, according to the ministry.

In March alone, China's road freight volume came in at around 3.14 billion tons, said the ministry.

Northwest China's Qinghai province led the expansion among 31 provincial-level regions, reporting year-on-year growth of 26.8 percent in the first three months, followed by the Shanxi and Shandong provinces.