We have heard of cases where truck drivers have abandoned their vehicles on the highways and returned to their hometowns to seek protection from the deadly virus as also find food and shelter. As a result, the road transportation sector has almost come to a standstill. But it’s time to coax them to return and keep the supply chain going, says Raghuram Sharma
US President Abraham Lincoln once said, “We hope all danger may be overcome but to conclude that no danger may ever arise would itself be extremely dangerous.” A lingering doubt in every transporter’s mind at the moment is would he or wouldn’t he return to work? Is it a self-declared sabbatical leave? If that is the case, how long will this absence last – days or months? What will be the effect on business? Can the industry do without him? Yes, I am talking about the most vital link of the transport industry – the driver. This sword of Damocles is dangling over everyone’s head.
The pandemic has left the migrant driver as well as the transport industry more than puzzled. Let us talk about the imminent victim first. He neither has any work to sustain himself nor the solace of his family. Over and above is the presence of an all-pervading deadly virus. Caught in such a viscous trap, one is but natural to get dismayed, disgruntled and petrified at the drop of a hat. It applies even more to those who don’t have a proper footing in society. For our highway drivers who were oblivious of the impending catastrophe since initially they were in a state of ‘devil may care’ attitude, ground realities struck when there were no eateries on the long roads and no repair shops.
As a result, there were no safe parking places. People on the highway who hitherto were showing camaraderie were not just social distancing but were in fact social boycotting these hapless drivers lest they too may fall prey to the demonic virus. Startled by such unthinkable happenings and the subsequent dawning of the wisdom in them, they too thought it better to be with the family than succumbing to the disease like an orphan. And that is what led to the panic reaction of abandoning his vehicle, immaterial if it was loaded or empty.
The only thought running in his mind at that time was to run off to his secured shelter called home and into the comfort of his kith and kin’s proximity. I have observed the psychology of the port and mine sector drivers who could be called migrants in an actual sense. Every year they leave for their hometown irrespective of leave sanctioned or otherwise. And not just for 10-15 but almost for 2-3 months. Surprised? Not me! Most of them know that when they come back their job is intact or there would always be another available, such being the demand for drivers.
Bereft of any social safety benefits, they return and withdraw from their provident fund account, the only savings corpus supposed to be a cushion for their retirement for whatever amount might have accrued therein. They live for today. Tomorrow can take care of itself. Yes, returning to work for sure they will do and they have to do lest they may not be in a position to feed so many mouths for long without the salary. But, the million dollar question is when? This time around, he has an undeniable alibi. First and foremost, his deep fear has to wean off. He has to get reassured that he is comparatively safe and the intensity of the pandemic is not fatal.
Ultimately, the lure of livelihood has to win over the fear of life. We all have fears: fear of the unknown and fear of the known. Some of us have the fear of losing our money and some are paranoid with guarding our health. In these times of the pandemic, the paramount fear is the dread of losing our very life and the terror of losing our dear ones. It doesn’t differentiate between the haves and have-nots. We are scared all the time. And our driver is no different in this aspect. He has to per force decide to overcome the fear factor. The migrant driver has to physically, mentally and psychologically be in a state to return to work. Feelings are neither technologically driven to happen with the push of a button nor can be achieved with remote control. They have to be created.
And it is in such a situation that the government, the transport industry and the employers have to work in tandem. For now, there is a rush of trains taking the migrant labourer to their hometowns. But sooner rather than later, the reverse has to take place. The new normal will not be the same. They have to be provided safe and hygienic shelter unlike in the past where they were herded in a small room by the dozens. The present scenario of social distancing can no longer be the privilege of only the well-to-do citizens.
Rather than comfort, it would be inevitable to stop any community spread. No one wants to see the ugly head of the pandemic rising again. The ever migrant, so to say, nomadic truck driver’s lifestyle has to change for the good in the best interest of the industry too. Rest and relay models will sooner or later become the norm lest the driver community look at alternate sources of employment, even at lower levels of income and taking solace in a more permanent and established family life. Port, mining and such sectors could establish worker quarters and encourage the drivers to migrate with their families. It will surely ensure a steady supply of drivers and result in increased productivity.
At a time when both livelihood and lives are at stake, it is necessary to find ways and means for long-term sustainability. Both transporters and the drivers are currently the victims of circumstances. Now is the time to chart a course that can lead to a win-win situation. The one important factor that all of us have to bear in mind is that it is the truck drivers who were working hard on the highways to keep the supply chain on. And they need to get back to doing so. Everything is interlinked. The government’s plan of restarting operations in industries depends upon how efficiently the supply chain is maintained. All said and done, the country cannot do away with road transport, be it the supply of raw materials to the manufacturers or transportation of the finished goods to the doorsteps of the consumers.