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Selling trucks could be its top priority but Mahindra Navistar is paying as much attention to the well-being of the driving community.
“Truck drivers have got a raw deal over the years and need better recognition,” Mr Nalin Mehta, Managing Director, told Business Line in an interview.
Mahindra Navistar is now putting the building blocks in place to make life easier for drivers.
multilingual call centre
For a start, the company has a multilingual call centre, where the driver has a choice of seven languages to get his work done.
The person in-charge at this call centre is a diploma engineer who can understand what the driver needs.
“These are down-to-earth mechanics with diplomas. He gives the right directions to our roadside assistants who reach the spot with the right parts and have the trucks back on the roads in no time,” Mr Mehta said.
Rights, liabilities, rules
As part of the training programme, Mahindra Navistar is pushing the envelope to ensure that drivers get to understand better their rights and liabilities along with basic ground rules.
“For instance, we remind them to report accidents to the nearest police station and not run away, which is a crime. We also have professionals like lawyers to teach them their rights. Drivers know precious little about the papers that they need to keep during the long haul,” Mr Mehta said.
Driving training
Driving lessons are imparted in a matter of days given that most of them “are masters of mechanical control”.
Those who pass the overall big test get an opportunity to see the Chakan plant and this has been a big motivator.
Fleet owners sometimes find it difficult to send their drivers for the training programme all the way to Chakan.
Mahindra Navistar now has nearly 20 people trained as master drivers in different locations.
“We will eventually have to decentralise our training operations because there is a serious shortage of truck drivers across the country,” Mr Mehta said.
Dhabas, the lifeline
The company also learnt from a detailed study that dhabas (roadside eateries) are the lifeline for drivers. These places not only serve them food but meet other needs such as stitching and washing clothes as well as stocking medicines. Some of them even have security guards who protect the truck cargo when the tired driver knocks off to sleep.
“We learnt a lot from this study and have acknowledged the efforts of these dhabas through the Mahindra Navistar Transport Excellence Awards which also honour transporters and drivers,” Mr Mehta said.
outperformers' league
The other initiative is OPL, or the outperformers' league, where the company brings various people from industry on a single platform to discuss issues.
A recent session on the Goods and Service Tax lasted for hours and another on road safety, similarly, had everyone engrossed.
OPL ropes in drivers too where they are taught yoga exercises, hygiene etc.
product portfolio
Mahindra Navistar has in its product portfolio 25 and 31 tonne trucks, a 25-tonne tipper and 40-tonne tractor trailer.
The 35 and 49 tonne tractor trailer, as well as the 25-tonne heavy duty tipper, will soon be part of the family.
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