Every job is challenging. The difference is in degrees. Truck driving falls in the more challenging category in comparison with babus behind desk with computers or blue collar workforce at factories, or healthcare professionals at hospitals or educationalists at their citadels or sanitary staff at municipalities.
e forces because they enroll in this career knowing fully well that they are willingly signing their own death warrant.
Yet, millions flock to recruitment camps, held on weekends at district playgrounds across India at regular intervals. Metro dwellers may not witness this spectacle but it is a reality. Those who get selected rejoice and the rejects curse their fate and return home with a desire to return soon after improving their physical fitness. Yes, their maiden bridge to cross is this critical aspect.
(both men and women) to a career in defending the country? Patriotism? Nah. It's a preferred career option. Why? Once you get selected, the future is assured. The Nation takes care of you.
The recruit may become a cook or driver or artillery gunner what not. The whole nine yards. Am talking at the grassroot level. I recall what (Retd) Col. H P Sharma at Army Welfare Placement Organization, helping ex-servicemen with jobs in civil India saying: "Except teaching accounts, we do everything under the sun." So when they exit the services, choices before them career wise is wide. That's what Col. Sharma was trying to impress.
Simply put, the Indian defense sector attracts millions from remote villages to try their luck because their future is taken care of. Added advantage is the respect the civil society bestows on them, unless and until they misbehave.
The Nation's concern - the ruling elite marshalling the tax payer's money (yours and mine, of course!) - about them right from day one of their joining the forces till their departure for their heavenly abode via natural route or in action is astounding. It ought to be.
Leave aside for a moment, the
fauji. Even the white collar - absorbed via contracts or proper appointment - enjoy regular monthly salary, social benefits (provident fund, healthcare insurance including accident/death coverage), weekly offs, a slew of leave of absence - casual, sick and privilege. Or take the workmen at factories whose interests are protected through various labor legislative pieces. And, the quintessential trade unions to ensure these men and women are not exploited and their rights are not usurped.
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Brothers Vikram and Raju Singh from Bheem, Rajasthan into long haul trucking, the author travelled with in 2012
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Now, come to the world of long haul truck drivers.
It's a different world. Is there any recruitment process? No. Then how come 2.5 million heavy commercial vehicles are plying on Indian highways? Are they driverless trucks? You must be joking. No driverless trucks, for sure. They will not descend on the Indian soil for a decade at least in my reckoning.
The truck driver recruitment process is simple: someone in the
mohalla happens to be a driver with no
pucca training but learnt via On The Job Training mode or OJT as popularly known. Another reason for this OJT route is the total absence of Driver Training Institutes (DTIs) to impart formal driving education since the advent of trucking in India more than a century ago.
This OJT driver, mostly uneducated or less educated, seems to have built a career splendidly. With no industrialization in the vicinity, village youth loitering with no job in sight are goaded by the family to try their hands at truck driving. No education required. Look at
Chacha Abdullah or Parkash or Velumani. They made a career. Look at the living standards of their
parivar. They are well off. Give it a try,
beta!
OJT
Chachas also tell them: "Come. See
hamara desh (from the driver's cabin). Free of cost. In the process, learn driving. I will teach you. Of course, I will take care of food etc when you travel with me." The reluctant kid from
dehat hops into the cabin for his free
Bharat darshan to explore a new career disinterestedly to begin with. If he likes the journey and cherishes what he does (learning to drive a truck) and the kind of money he can make when he turns a full fledged driver - a year down the line - he is set. That's how truck drivers in India germinate. Or, after one or two trips, he is off the truck. Not my cup of
chai, Chachu! Back to idling at
dehat.
When he takes up truck driving as a career, he comes to term with the ground reality. What he heard from
Chachu is not all that rosy. What he sees sitting next to him while on the drive is something different. Plenty of gaping holes. There is no job security. No social benefits. Your earning comes from every single km driven with load. No load, no payment. Fall sick and can't drive. Sorry, no earnings. There is a wedding in the family and your presence is required for a month or so. Go away. No drive, no earnings. Or death in the family. Ditto.
Forget about job security. What about his own personal safety? Recall what happened during the recent farmers' agitation in Madhya Pradesh. Trucks were looted and torched. Drivers have to jump and run away to save their precious lives. En route, hit a goat or chicken or a human being while passing through the villages as part of National or State Highways. The locals will lynch you. It is driver vs the mob. Or take the empty highways nestling amongst forests that he has to cross at nights. He will be waylaid by hijackers. Drugged, looted and killed at times. Right
Ramrattan Singhi?
When he dies what happens? Nothing. Fleet owner mostly will arrange for the body to be carted to his hometown from the accident/death site and a few thousand rupees to the bereaved family for cremation. That's it. Period. Who is bothered about the future of the driver's family? None.
Ram naam sathya hai! Or if his limbs are lost, believe me that's the end of his career as truck driver. Insurance? Haha. Do you ask me about various insurance schemes rolled out by government? 99% of long haul drivers have no idea. No promotion. Neither by the insurance companies (mostly PSUs). Nor by motor maliks.
That's the owners' attitude whom these drivers serve with no piece of paper to support. What about the consignor or consignee whose survival depends on these drivers in this age of outsourcing? Pathetic. No rest rooms when these drivers reach destination for loading or unloading. There is no concept of detention time, thanks to inefficient 3PLs. So during the waiting period, they defecate in the open, fertilizing the surroundings of India Inc whose CSR spend is large, no doubt. Are they not aware of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
Swatch Bharat Abhiyan? Is he going to come and check outside factory gates of India Inc? No way. He is trusting these educated lot will help him build a better India. If they turn a blind eye, how can he be held accountable?
Okay. What about the en route experience of drivers? Less said, the better. There are
18 vultures on the highways, it is said. "Vultures" is the euphemism for rent-seeking
sarkari babus representing various wings of federal or state governments. Taking advantage of the lack of education and therefore their lack of awareness of document of vehicle, cargo and their own, they will be fleeced. Not to forget is the poor attention to the CMVR norms by their motor maliks and themselves. All these provide fertile ground for these vultures to loot. That's the bribery part. Hello, by the way, the Republic of India is NOT a single unit, but actually it is United States of India: 29 or 30 odd states with their own piece of legislation!
When white collar staff travel on work, are they not entitled to traveling and dear allowance (TA/DA)? And when they travel do they sleep on the railway platform or airport lounges or inter state bus terminus benches? We all know the answer. But drivers on duty have no rest room facilities en route. Even when they reach the destination - loading or unloading point - no waiting shed or rest room for toilets or washroom.They are something like the caravan serai of yore. Park wherever and exist. Period.
Another biggest missing element is lack of respect bestowed on this profession. Want proof? The moment a young driver decides to get married, there are no parents willing for
"kanyadhan" (betrothal of their daughter). Why? Because truck driving is not a respectable profession. Social stigma.
In a nutshell, truck driving offers no job security. no benefits. no social status, and no respect. Still men from
dehat opt for this thankless job because the opportunity cost is very high. Become a truck driver and lead a comparatively better life vis a vis his neighbor engaged in farming that is seasonal and poor earning.
Federal Minister for Transport Nitin Gadkari keeps harping on 22% driver shortage in the country. Under Skill India, the government is exploring to bridge this gap via the setting up of Driver Training Institutes. Good initiative.
But is this drive adequate? Sufficient? Not at all. This Skill India initiative is trying to address a miniscule challenge. Put it differently, it touches the tip of the iceberg.
Creation of DTIs alone is not the panacea.
Then what? The need of the hour is a fulsome approach, involving various stakeholders. Yes, a social transformation, if one can say so. No jokes. Because, the future is alarming if the driver shortage is not bridged. Yes, Gadkari is keen on promoting multimodal mix to reduce the dependence on road transport (read trucks). That's a long term goal. Coastal shipping, rail logistics are all fine. But the first and last mile connectivity has to be through trucks. That too with drivers at the wheels. Not driverless trucks!
Why am I talking about fulsome social transformation? Let me put it this way. Right from the occupant of Rashtrapati Bhavan in Lutyen's Delhi to
Chacha Abdullah in his Azamgarh
basti has to go on a frantic food hunting when trucks go off the roads protesting against something or other. Suddenly, essential items price spiral. Healthcare institutions will face medicine shortage. Political masters get jittery as vote banks turn hostile. The nation is
always in election mode at the state or federal or local level.
Mami Ambuja in Mylapore and
Aunty Nandini Kaur in Chandigarh will find their fridges empty with no milk, no vegetables, no paneer. Kartar Singh Ahluwalia in Mumbai and Soumitra Banerjee in Salt Lake will try to acquire their nightcap (read liquor) at whatever price even. All because
Chacha Abdullah and his ilk have switched off their engines and taken their feet off accelerator for a few days even if it means loss of income for the days their vehicles won't move an inch.
Forget about everything. India Inc will face the music severely. In this age of Just In Time or Zero Inventory and outsourcing model, their assembly lines will grind to a halt when trucks go off the road.
Trucking or transportation is the backbone of any economy. India is no exception. Here again, transportation has to be understood in the right perspective. Not the HCV OEMs alone. Not the fleet owners only. Not the light asset management agency type transporters only. Not the agents or brokers alone. But the key player is the man behind the wheels. Truck drivers.
Transportmitra Services Founder Selvan Dasaraj (Disclaimer: this writer is the CoFounder - www.transportmitra.com - as well), keen on addressing the shortage issue realized that this challenge will remain unmet unless and until the anomalies in the way the current truck drivers are rectified by the society.
Why millions flock to army recruitment jamborees? Commonsense tells you that the service conditions are good and a career path is shown. Plus post retirement benefits spelt out clearly. Nothing to worry.
Mein hoon na? Similarly, when basic issues are addressed with sincerity by all stakeholders - not the government alone - the village youth will explore truck driving as a career option genuinely.
Okay, what needs to be done? What's the Laundry List?
The responsibilities can be put into three baskets viz.,
a) The Government
b) Fleet Owners/Transporters/Brokers/Agents
c) End Users (consignor & consignee)
The government has to ENSURE the provisions of Transport Workers Act 1961 is implemented in letter and spirit. It contains everything including wayside amenities, working hours, resting, social benefits etc. But, there is no monitoring and implementing with the result this segment, second only to agriculture in terms of providing massive job opportunity directly and indirectly, remains unorganized and therefore indisciplined. By the way, the truck drivers are not unionized at the scale of transporters, brokers, fleet owners. A unionized truck driver fraternity is feared at and viewed as an evil and hence fleet owners, transporters prefer the status quo is maintained. Sheer self interest with poor long term vision.
Fleet owners have to get into a concrete working arrangement via written employment papers with social benefits such as Provident Fund, Healthcare, Accident/Death Insurance, Working Hours, etc. It is no use claiming that drivers are comfortable with the existing working relationship with per km basis. Most of the fleet owners are fully unaware of CMVR norms. If that is the case, how can they monitor their vehicles and drivers are law-abiding? So, fleet owners need education first. Remember a major chunk of fleet owners are owner-cum-drivers with little or no education to boast of. It is a challenge.
Last, but not the least, is the role of consignor and consignee. Here I mostly refer to the behavior of India Inc -the ultimate beneficiary or end user of transportation services. These giants with multilocation manufacturing facilities and huge budgets for mandated CSR spends turn a blind eye to creating driver rest room facilities outside their own factories. Reason: they claim transportation has been outsourced and therefore it is not their responsibility. Sad, these rich and educated owners and managers of these billion rupees business enterprises need a stick - not a gentle prodding - to become better corporate citizens.
This segment believes in adopting villages than creating basic toilets and rest room facilities outside their own factory gates. Why? Village adoption gets more publicity. Not creating toilets outside factory gates. Pathetic and pitiable. This segment also needs awakening.
Career path is something that needs to be addressed for truck drivers as well. Why a 15-20 year old experienced driver be equated with a rookie? Why both be bracketed as driver? Even someone joining as a cook or driver in defense forces, he progresses in his career. His designations change. Role changes. At the time of retirement he is no longer the cook or driver he was recruited. He retires as Subedar. With a life long pension and free medical facility for him and his family.
Truck driver is just that: no seniority. No worktime benefits. Nor post-retirement benefits.
It is a tough call for the entire society to change its attitude towards truck drivers. But worth trying.
When these changes are brought about, the driver shortage will vanish on its own. Better working and living conditions will automatically draw freshers to this profession.
Remember that we are in the midst of Make In India journey with the grandiose plan to spike contribution of manufacturing to GDP from 16% to 25% . Basically this is all about making physical or tangible goods to meet the needs of 1.2 billion populace that needs to be clothed, fed and nurtured in this age of decreasing mortality or increased longevity of life. Items are to be manufactured and distributed pan India.
Roads have become better. Trucks have become better. But the treatment meted out to drivers remains unchanged. Even those opting for driving career would prefer to steering Olas and Ubers in cities for obvious reasons. Not the trucks of Tatas. Not Leyland. Not Eicher. Not Bharat Benz. Not Scania on highways far away from home for long stretches and treated shabbily by all and sundry.
Create this basic mindset change and begin to adopt a humanly approach towards truck drivers. Then DTIs will begin to get candidates. Mobilization of candidates will become a child's play. Today it is not. DTIs are unable to survive due to mobilization challenge. Why would anyone want to be a truck driver if the working and living conditions are worse? It is not aspirational yet. It's that simple.
The government, primarily, should turn its spotlight on improving the working and living conditions of current truck drivers. When they feel they are treated well, the viral effect will be phenomenal. The result will be positive. For this to happen, the government should prick the conscience of all stake holders and make them fall in line. All in the overall interest of economic growth.
When that happens, the Recruitment Drive for Truck Drivers at district headquarters on weekends will become something like what we are witness to army recruitment drive today. Millions will flock to these jamborees. And the 27% driver shortage will vanish into thin air. Are we ready?
The writer is the author of 10,000 KM on Indian Highways, Naked Banana! and An Affair With Indian Highways. He has traveled 28,000 KM in trucks since 2010. He also found and manages KRK Foundation, a registered NGO focused in improving the working and living conditions of long haul truck drivers and their families living in remote villages of India. He is Co-Founder of Transportmitra Services P Ltd (www.transportmitra.com) and edits DRIVERS DUNIYA, India's FIRST English Quarterly focused on truck drivers. He is reachable at ramesh@konsultramesh.com
