The fourth edition of ‘Transporters Meet’ — Lead The Road — hosted by The Hindu BusinessLine will be held in Hyderabad, an important truck hub, on September 7 to discuss various issues related to the trucking sector. The event is presented by Indian Oil Corporation and powered by YES Bank.

Over 60 lakh trucks crisscross the length and breadth of the country at any given time, carrying all sorts of goods, including essential commodities, fruits and vegetables.

The transporters meet is being held in the backdrop of rising fuel prices (they touched a new high today), stagnant freight rates, driver shortage and various regulatory changes, including proposed changes to the axle load norms and so on.

BusinessLine , which has been tracking the industry vigorously, brings together various stakeholders, including truckers, financiers and others on a single platform to discuss the issues, share best practices and find possible solutions to the challenges.

The first in the series held on June 1 at Namakkal, the hub of truck industry in South India, dealt with the issue of fuel price while the second at the port city of Kochi discussed State-specific issues facing the sector. The third edition at Vijayawada touched upon the need for giving infrastructure status for the industry, which according to the truckers, would not only boost the sector’s growth but also that of the economy. They also felt that the proposed axle load revision would have a short-term effect and raise safety concerns.

Presentations apart, the event at Hyderabad will see a panel discussion on the topic ‘The Road Ahead’ for the sector. The panelists are AK Agarwal, Director, Agarwal Packers; N Bhasker Reddy, President, Telangana Lorry Owners Association; DV Ramana Rao, Chief General Manager (Retail Sales), Telangana & AP State Office, Indian Oil Corporation; and Rajesh Raghuvanshi, National Sales Manager, Construction Equipment Loans, YES Bank.

TV5 is the television partner for the event.