Videos of Rahul’s truck rides and comment draw mass attention
- AC cabin mandatory for trucks from 2025: Gadkari
Beyond the Horizon
By Pradeep Kumar
Trucks and their drivers make invaluable contributions to national economy by transporting various manufactured items from one corner of the country to the other to meet the demands; transportation of essential commodities is among their most important services while driving for hours together on driving seats.
Despite uncomfortable seats for longer driving, they have been for decades not only to earn their livelihood but also facilitating lakhs in earning their livelihood by transporting manufactured items of the whole sellers. Interestingly, this had drawn the attention of former Indian National Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who was seen traveling in a truck from Delhi to Chandigrah.
A video, that had surfaced on May 23, on Twitter by Congress supporter Darshni Reddy, highlighted Gandhi’s attempt to engage with the truck driver and gain insights into their challenges. The video was captured in Ambala, Haryana, and received attention from various Congress leaders.
Gandhi, during his recent trip to the US had said that the trucks in the US were made “keeping in mind the comfort of the drivers, but this is not the case in India”.
His view came after a truck ride from Washington DC to New York on June 15 when he engaged in a candid conversation with an Indian-American driver on the everyday life of Indian truck drivers in the United States.
“Trucks in India are not designed for the comfort of the drivers, while in US, safety and comfort features are on the top of the priority list for the manufacturers.” he said.
Responding to his question – How much do you earn? – the driver responded that he gets paid much more than what he might be earning in India. It is because of us truckers that the work of the manufacturers is done.”
As Gandhi’s activities are being keenly watched, Union Road Transport & Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari soon realized the relevance of Gandhi’s comment.
On June 19, Gadkari announced all auto manufacturers will soon have to install air conditioners inside driver cabins of trucks, Though he did not mention the target period as to when trucks with A/C cabins would roll out, nut some sources said that it would be from 2025.
“Our drivers operate vehicles in harsh temperatures of 43…47 degrees and we must imagine the condition of drivers. I was keen to introduce the AC cabin after I became a minister. But some people opposed it saying the cost of trucks will go up. Today, I have signed the file that all truck cabins will be AC cabins,” he said addressing the event called ‘Desh Chaalak – Recognising those who move India’, organised by Mahindra Logistics.
“In other countries, there is a restriction on the number of hours a trucker can be on duty,” he said.
He also spoke about the reduction in logistic costs and reiterated logistics costs in India need to be brought down in order to improve export competitiveness, adding good quality roads and trucks is key to it.
The Union Minister assured that the Centre is doing its best to improve wayside amenities on national highways. His Ministry is making 570 road side amenities, for which tenders have been awarded for 170 and work has also begun. He added that their goal is to create an amenity centre at every 50-km of highway stretches, he disclosed.
Gadkari also expressed his concern over the road accidents-induced fatalities and measures taken to reduce them. He said that lane driving should be encouraged along with better designing of roads and training drivers to follow proper rules.
Gadkari’s announcement comes days after Gandhi visited the US and travelled in a truck when the truck driver talked about the difference of working conditions for truck drivers in US and India.