The concern for the upliftment of the highway drivers is no doubt gaining momentum in the road transport industry. High octave voice of Arnab might not have been heard on this topic till now but never the less other media channels have started taking it as an issue. And why not? Before the issue of driver shortage takes alarming levels, one and all connected with transport industry directly or indirectly and the country on the whole should be worried lest the supply chain management will sooner than later will take a nose dive.
To start with let us take a look at the other segments of the transport industry in India.
Airways, Waterways, Railways or Roadways are all the various laterals of the same Transport industry. Though everything is not hunky dory in these segments but our concern or comparison, if any, is with the Pilots, Captains with that of their counterparts in the surface transport or more specifically the Highway Drivers. The men behind the Steering perform the same task of managing their vehicles safely and efficiently. Expertise is the main criteria. But does not the change in the mode of transport alone could culminate in such a contrasting socio-economical polarization in the frontline workforce? Our land Pilot is not even a distant cousin of the former. The quintessential Ground Pilot is marginalized.
To understand the present-day plight of the highway driver it is essential to identify the root causes of his ever-diminishing professional status.
Aviation segment is strictly under the vigilant surveillance of the Regulating authority locally and globally too. Structured and approved training programs are pre-requisites to become a pilot. Add to it the regular and repetitive refresher programs to keep the professional pilots up-to-date with the technology. Unbiased checks and filtration process to weed out the not-so competitive workforce for the sake of safety is unparalleled.
On the other hand, the drivers are inducted into the main stream by peer learning. Majority of the truck drivers, especially in our country are neither educated (Literate?) nor formally trained. As for the training is concerned, they would have learnt the art of driving from their seniors while working with them as helpers for a year or two. Driving school is an alien word to this tribe. Whenever we talk of truck drivers the level of awareness for using the emerging technology is abysmal. Not able to cope with the new and innovative add-ons in the latest vehicles leaves the driver confused. Resultant outcome is a not so professional product who has inherited the plus and minus traits of his Ustaad, unintendedly.
Obviously, need of the hour is to establish Driver Training Institutes and impart rigorous training and tests so that the end product is a qualified and certified professional which will automatically enhance his worth.
Aviation sector is well organized one with the employees having a voice and no wonder are privileged enough to get their demands met. The Pilots who are certified categories do always carry a price tag. Talking about the truck driver, he belongs to the most fragmented section of the transport system with 85% belonging to the chalak/malak clan who could ill afford the goodies of an organized sector. They are compelled to wait for days in one go because of the lack of freight consignments due to a highly cut-throat scenario.
Unlike their brethren in the other three arms of the transport industry, Airways, Waterways and Railways, the truck driver community has long suffered in oblivion and has largely been ignored. Drivers in India are mostly paid on the basis of the number of kilometers that they run their vehicle. There is no way they could get a constant income. The so-called owners of trucks (mostly 1 to 5 trucks) are far from financially independent. It is a well-known secret in the industry that a standardization of remuneration is nonexistent. A constant income source, therefore, is not always functional. As a result, the driver, specifically the malak/chalak lot is never able to be financially independent.
Most often than not, the atrocities (read dishonesty) of the authorities in surface transport are left to the hapless drivers to fend on their own. We have a far better mechanism to deal with such irregularities in the organized sectors. A well-defined and reliable system is existing in the remaining three factions unlike in the surface transport with truck drivers during their transit of freight across various states in India.
Now, let us see the safety and security environment of the Industry. Chances of pilferage and theft in comparative terms is much less in the other modes. And even so the onus of preventing it and safeguarding the consignments is squarely on the Security and Vigilance cells of the respective departments. Whereas there is a lurking threat to security of the goods and the entire burden is on the one-man army of the truck-morally, financially and at times his own safety.
During a recent discussion on the subject Mr. DC Selvan of TransportMitra, has said: “The basic job description of a commercial driver has changed. The only skill required was safe driving. We want driver to be a basic mechanic, a PRO to negotiate with the cops and RTO, a cook to cook his own food, be a security to the vehicle, the list can just go on and on….He needs to be well educated to read and write, write notes etc. We could also look to drivers to understand the laws of CTO, RTO, interstate laws, MVA laws so that he could stop the corruption on the highways and deal with the highway vultures. How much salary is fixed for the driver ???”
Just ask any transporter as to what they expect from their driver? Literally, everything.
Multitasking? Oh, yes. Driving is secondary actually! Don’t you call it professionalism? Absolutely.
That be so let us set right the fundamentals. Believe me, he won’t need anybody’s sympathy.