1.

Poor state of the vehicles

The Indian logistics industry focuses primarily on the returns and not so much on
the quality of the method. The goal is to transport the most amount of cargo in the
most
cost effective way. This invariably shifts the focus from the driver’s comfort and
the care required to maintain the vehicles. In many cases, vehicles are over used
and hardly maintained in their prime condition. The bad condition of the Indian
roadways only accelerates the depreciation of the vehicles involved.

2. The Indian Roadways

The Indian roadway network is over 90,000 kilometers. This number is just inclusive
of the National Highways. Despite its vast nature, the real life conditions of the
roads are far from satisfactory. A lot of the state roadways are in worse
conditions in comparison. These roads would hardly be deemed as comfortable for
driving, especially
for truck drivers. The bad state of affairs often results in delays and
inconveniences caused during transit. In worse cases, these would also lead to
unfortunate accidents.

3. Pit Stops and Poor Sanitation

There are not a lot of options for truck drivers and transporters for resting
during transit. The most common establishments would be the roadside dhabas.
These roadside dhabas along the national highways are primarily the only spot for
truckers to rest. The sanitization conditions are not up to the mark nor are
there any regulations set in place to ensure the quality of facilities available to
the truckers. Taking into account the disorganized nature of the roadways,
the chances of any changes for the better seem low.

4. Technologically Handicapped
The digital revolution has left nearly the majority of the country with a smart
phone, yet truck drivers continue to suffer from the lack of technological
advancements
in the logistics industry. Since the focus is only on the returns, the drivers are
ill-treated with bad poor quality amenities at their disposal. The logistics
industry
in the west has optimized operations with the use of technology, while their
eastern counterparts are still struggling.

5. Security and Theft

High value cargo is transported across the nation on a daily basis. Not every part
of the country is safe and there are certain routes which are deemed more dangerous
than the others.
This could be due to the local crime syndicates that target cargo vehicles during
transit and rob them of the valuables. Such incidents are very unfortunate and can
pose to be
highly dangerous for the truck drivers. Additionally, this is also a great loss to
the logistics company and the clients.

6. Bad Working Conditions for the Drivers

The lack of organized regulations and unions in the Indian trucking industry has
made the industry very unfavourable. The drivers are paid meagrely for their long
driving hours.
They are often paid by the distance and incentives are offered for early
deliveries. The drivers are forced to then spend many days and nights away from
their families and on the road,
often scavenging for more consignments. The scarcity of fresh consignments forces
drivers to accept whatever offers they get, regardless of how inconvenient a route
it may be.
The lack of standardization in remuneration in the trucking industry has also led
to different freight companies offering different pay for the same routes.
The logistics industry is in serious need of standardization as this could lead to
the formation of monopolies and thus making working conditions even worse.

7. On-Ground Problems with Authority

During inter-state transit, the truck drivers are expected to be well acquainted
with all required documentation and paperwork.
The state checkpoints are usually where the authorities stop all cargo vehicles and
do thorough checks. In such cases, it is not uncommon for the authorities to harass
the drivers.
Different states have different laws regarding cargo transits. Authorities often
use this to their advantage since the drivers are left to their
own devices by their employers to deal with such scenarios. Corruption being very
prevalent in our country does not help the cargo drivers who are already struggling
to make ends meet.

The issues are many and very little has been done in the past to resolve them. Let
us just have a quick look at some of the most significant problems experienced by
the truck drivers
hired by logistics companies in Mumbai and all other cities across India-

Work-pressure: Truck drivers are always under pressure to meet their target time.
They are framed with a time limit to deliver each shipment. To deliver the cargo
on-time,
they have to travel continuously for hours and they don’t even get much time to
rest and eat. Truck drivers hired by online truck booking companies spend very less
time with their
families due to work pressure.

Payment: According to a survey, truck drivers are getting monthly salary about 10-
15,000 and that too not given on time. This shows that drivers don’t earn much as a
fixed income. Due to this, most of the youngsters get demotivated to work as a
driver. This adds to the shortage of drivers in the transportation industry.
Logistics companies in Delhi understand that it’s difficult for drivers to manage
their families’ expenses from the poor salary, thus they have increased their
drivers’ monthly income and also give it on time.
Insufficient sleep: As the drivers are bound with time target, they drive for long
distances nonstop. To ensure that they meet the target, they don’t get proper sleep
and drive without taking a break. Time limitations force them to work for 15 hours
a day. This is a major cause of their poor health.
Moreover, it also becomes the key reason for accidents happening on highways.
According to a recent survey, over 50% of drivers face health issues caused due to
non-stop driving, however, 63% drivers say that their health is not among the top
three priorities in the life.

Improper food facility: Due to the nature of the job, the drivers mostly remain
away from their families. They don’t get time to eat food on time and also roadside
eateries or restaurants don’t provide hygienic and good quality food which
negatively affects their health. Logistics companies in Chennai agree that most of
the drivers have this kind of lifestyle.
Highway conditions: India has one of the largest networks of roads in the world but
the sad part is, many of them are not properly maintained.
77,116 accidents and 25,199 deaths happened due to overloaded vehicles in reported
accidents, the report says.
Health issues: Drivers sit for long hours due to their job nature. They don’t get
time to exercise. Hours spent seated on a truck along with unhealthy food options
lead to obesity
and many other diseases. According to the survey, only 14% of the 3 million truck
drivers in the US are not obese. Non-stop driving by these truck drivers make it
hard for them
to go to the doctors and get necessary treatments. When they face any health
problem, they ignore the symptoms and keep on offering their logistics services.

Road accidents: On highways, most of the accidents happened between trucks and
other vehicles. But in every case, the truck drivers are blamed even if the other
party is responsible for it. Some start beating and abusing the truck drivers
without even giving them a chance to prove their side. People don’t look into the
actual matter and start blaming drivers. In some cases, it is recorded that drivers
are even beaten to death. They don’t get help from anyone as they are away from
their home. This makes their life really miserable.
Unstable relationships: Many truck drivers suffer from poor relationships due to
their profession. When one chooses their career as a trucker in one of the
logistics companies in Chennai, reaching home regularly is almost impossible for
him. It means that a driver has to be away from his home and family for days.
They can be at home only when they get off from their job. Staying away from the
family is not easy, especially for those who are married and also have kids.
This is also one of the key reasons why many choose to abandon this career. Only,
very few partners can handle this kind of sacrifice and live life staying away from
each other.

Life Experiences of Truck Drivers

1. I am not a truck driver, but in college days, my college was approx 50 KM away
from my home. And for this travel, truck was my favored mode of transport.
Traveling in truck was always more comfortable, cheaper and more time efficient.
During this travel, this is what I come to know (Here I would like to avoid all
generalization) -

Cabin of a truck driver is very comfortable, and they carry their bedding, gods,
foods, in short every thing with them. In most of the trucks, there used to be a
cleaner.
His job is to keep truck clean and in turn, truck driver will teach him driving so
that one day he can be a truck driver. This teaching lessons and on the road
training,
is first step for many before becoming a truck driver. When they have to follow
some tight schedule, they travel with two drivers so that they can drive in turn.

In India, traveling in a truck is another mode of public transportation, and it is

supprisingly used by considerable population. This creates a additional source
of income which is shared by truck staff. In the night, many trucks take halt in a
dhabha. This dhabhas provide truck driver food, rest and entertainment.

Most important thing which truck driver told me was, If you are in trouble in some
unknown place of India, contact to a truck driver.
They have pretty good contacts and they can arrange your travel to your home town/
safety . His statement were, truck driver will always helps you, because this is
the only
way we can keep conditions of roads humane.

Here are few things that I have gathered about them over the years:
When working for carrying quarry materials, they are a teeny bit relaxed as these
are mostly transferred over short distances. They can stay at home or at the
construction sites whichever is nearer.

The ones who carry heavy vehicles like cars, bikes or other non-perishable items
over very long distances carry a good load of cash for toll fees, daily expenses
and other sundry stuffs.
Not all, but few long distance truckers take services of prostitutes en-route since
they stay long away from home.

Many truckers have favorite food joints along the route, and they deliberately stop
there even if they aren't hungry.

When carrying perishable items like fish, fruits, etc. they are given target hours.
If they reach destination before that, they are paid a bonus by the hour. This is a
reason they over-speed, drive rashly at night and sometimes even during day time.
While night time driving, many take to smoking.

They use the burning point of bidis(country cigarettes made out of tobacco leaf) or
cigarettes to touch their thigh flesh, to stay awake and alert.
Some even put a brick on accelerator and drive with both legs on the seat.

The Government through the Road Transport Department has brought about a few
measures:

drives promoting the use of condoms for safe sex to prevent AIDS and other STDs.
putting a picture of their family in front of the driver, so that the person drives
more responsibly.
ensuring fuel stations on highways have restrooms and washrooms for truckers
travelling long distances.

I was writing an article about thanking truck drivers and their contribution in our
daily life and the search of an image of a truck driver brought me here, I would
love to answer this
question :)
I am from a logistic company and have observed the truck drivers closely for 2
years. While pursuing my MBA I never thought I would be in
proximity of the trucks and truck driver during my work but ya it is overall a nice
experience. I have travelled in trucks a lot and yes!
it includes tourist spots too, thanks to the wide network of fleet my company
posses. If I talk about the life of a truck driver from
my perspective I would say it isn't a life! they spend most of the life on wheels,
their cabin is like their home only , they sleep,cook,
eat in trucks only, they work in all weather and the risk of accidents always
remain attached to them. Every truck driver is addicted
to one or the other kind of drug, you wont find any driver who is not addicted to
any of the intoxicant. Some of the names I learned are
"Bukki" "Sulpha" (All obtained from opium) some prefer "Ghutka" "Tobacco" , I asked
them as why every driver is addicted to these thing they said
" Sabb! isko khane se neend nahi aati" (Sir, eating this helps prevent falling
asleep). If i talk about the drivers of Haryana and Punjab they are very
much fond of music, drug and Alcohol , you'll find a nice loud music woofers inside
the cabin playing punjabi beats on high volume.They keep their cabin both
interiors and exteriors well decorated whereas the drivers from south India are
much disciplined in every respect be it drug intake or timely delivery.
They carry rice,pulses,dried fish, Masalas, a stove and a huge container to store
water to cook food.
If I talk about my company drivers, we keep them organised, they remain in uniform,
I provide them monthly training on safety and quality with the help of videos,
there is a speed limit of 60 km/hr and the same is monitored through GPS. I
remember one of the driver said to me that it's difficult for a truck driver to
marry a
girl as everyone hesitates to give their girl to a truck driver, still I see them
cheered up always, everyday they do deliveries in night and sleep in day,
they prepare excellent food and sometimes I get tempted and just ask them to bring
it for me.I also witnessed many accidents of the truck drivers
which is painful and I can only say that being a truck driver is too tough in
India.

Seekhle beta driveri, phoote tere karam, khana khaana kabhi kabhi, sona agle janam

Due to corruption, along with money a lot of time is also wasted

They know accidents can happen anytime still they drive. Dont think about it
otherwise wont be able to work.
They rescue other drivers whenever there is an accident. if driver is stuck inside,
pull him out using ropes.
they try to stop cars, if no one stops they block the road causing traffic jam
which leads to people coming out to help them.
They live inside their trucks. It is their home. Cook, sleep, drive all inside it.
Carry cylinder and stove and cooking materials and utensils.
like honking. makes them feel their existence

Baahon mein chale aa, mera pyaar shalimaar, kyayehi pyaar hai