The Hindu Business Line : Trained truck drivers in shortage

WITH more and more trucks plying on Indian roads and no meaningful driver training programmes, shortage of well-trained drivers is an emerging problem. Unless remedial measures are taken up urgently, the situation could become serious, say experts.

An estimate made by the Chennai-based Shriram Group, which is into truck financing, says that there is a demand for 1.5 lakh new drivers every year. "The number of schools licensed under the Motor Vehicles Act to impart driver training are, at best, facilitators for getting driving licences," says Mr Ajay Ahuja, Vice-President (Hire Purchase), Shriram Group of companies.

It is common knowledge that cleaners learn driving informally and become drivers, getting their driving licences with the help of brokers.

India has the distinction of being one of the most accident-prone countries in the world. Each year, there are about four lakh road accidents, or a thousand accidents a day. Nearly a fourth of them, or about one lakh accidents, are fatal.

"Nearly 80 per cent of road accidents happen due to bad driving habits and human error," according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.

However, precious little is being done about setting up driving schools and imparting formal driving training, note industry experts. Last year, the Union Government decided that at least five new driver training institutes should be set up by April; only one has come up, at Burrari, Delhi. And that too is not yet operational.

"It is a big problem," says Mr R. Aravamudhan, one of the partners of Vellore Transports, a family-run firm that owns a fleet of 60 vehicles. "Often we find ourselves in a situation where we have the load, but no drivers," he told Business Line. When such a situation arises, the transport operator requests a driver who has just finished his duty to carry on with the next assignment, with no rest in between. The problem of driver shortage, of course, is also seen by some as a business opportunity. Ashok Leyland, for one, wants to run on lease the Central Government-built institute at Burrari. "We are in the short-list," says Mr K.M. Krishnamurthy, Ashok Leyland's Special Director (Customer Service). If the company gets the institute, it would spend about Rs 1 crore in upgrading the facilities and starting training courses.

According to Mr Krishnamurthy, Ashok Leyland has also suggested to the government that Driver Training Institutions must be made bodies that issue licences, "as it happens the world over." The company has suggested that the various ITIscould institute driver-training courses that could perhaps be run with the help of vehicle manufacturers.

Mr Ahuja describes driver-training infrastructure as a "big necessity in the country" today. He has suggested to the Shriram s top brass that the group consider starting a training school.

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