Pyare Khan, Managing Director, Ashmi Road Carriers, explains the importance of a reliable fleet to add value to the transportation and logistics Industry
The Indian transportation and logistics industry, employing over 22 million people, while contributing to nearly 6% of the national GDP, is one of the largest and most diverse in the world. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic unfortunately inflicted a significant blow to the industry, with widespread disruptions in transportation networks and supply chains. Despite its significant dip over the last year, the transportation industry in India is witnessing a renewal, recalibrating to suit contemporary demands by incorporating digitization and contactless operations as critical pillars of its functioning. The Government of India has also placed continual emphasis on strengthening it, allotting as per the 2020-21 Union Budget, Rs. 1.7 trillion for fostering development within the transportation sector. Backed by government support and its own efforts, the sector is expected to bounce back, with a projected growth rate of 10.7% from 2020 to 2024.
One such major player in the industry, that has continued to exert its presence even amidst rising challenges, is the Nagpur-based Ashmi Road Carriers Pvt. Ltd. (ARCPL). Established in 2007, the company is one of the leading players within the transportation sector. It is involved in a variety of transportation-related services, including container handling, road transportation and over-dimensional consignment (ODC) cargo solutions. Over the years, the company has catered to several high-profile clients, including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), SAIL, Tata Steel, Concor, Reliance, KEC International Ltd. (RPG Group), JSW Steel Coated Products Limited and Sanghvi Cranes, among others.
Most recently, the company came into the limelight during the peak of the Covid-19 second wave, when Pyare Khan, Managing Director, ARCPL, made exemplary efforts to transport oxygen tankers between five different locations across three states. Khan supplied Rs. 50 lakh worth oxygen concentrators and Rs. 85 lakh worth oxygen tankers with the help of 19 tankers, at his own expense. His efforts were collectively lauded by multiple personalities, including the Prime Minister of India.
Conforming to a similarly committed ethic of delivering prompt, efficient and reliable services, ARCPL often deals with assignments that weigh over 5,00,000 tonnes and relies upon its efficient fleet of movers to execute them smoothly. Out of his large fleet, 175 are the strong and reliable Tata Motors trucks. Commenting on his partnership with Tata Motors, Pyare Zia Khan, Managing Director, ARCPL, said, “We have remained associated with Tata Motors since we launched this business back in 2007. As a reputed company within the transportation sector, our endeavour has always been to provide our clients with unmatched services. Having a robust fleet, suited to contemporary needs is thus essential, and Tata Motors vehicles have consistently met this standard.”
“Tata Motors trucks come with some of the industry’s best technological offerings, including features like track and trace, trip playbacks, geo-fencing and driver behaviour monitoring. These set of tools help us to keep a close tab on the functioning of our fleet, making us more efficient, while allowing us to dispense the superior level of services we aspire to provide to our clients”, he added.
Reflecting on the BS6 features in trucks, Khan said, “We have purchased 25 vehicles from the latest BS6 range, and our overall experience has been very satisfactory. These vehicles are equipped with a range of futuristic features such as anti-fuel theft, gear-shift advisor, automatic traction control and hill start aid those have certainly helped elevating the driving experience. We are also particularly extremely happy with Tata Motors Fleet Edge, the new telematics system. We are using it extensively, and it has helped us managing our fleet with improved efficiency.”
On the sales and services extended by Tata Motors, Khan contends, has been excellent, “Tata Motors has assigned a dedicated team of professionals to cater to our service needs. Back in September last year, when we were facing some fuel efficiency issues in our BS4 vehicles, the company sent us a team to help overcome the challenges. The project lasted for a month and the Tata Motors team successfully helped us establish the mileage”. He added, “The representatives from the sales department have also been helpful and quite cognizant of our needs.”
ARCPL, Khan further noted, also has a very close bond with its team of drivers, “Our drivers are our family, they are our main bread earners. We put up consistent efforts to ensure their holistic well-being. We have instituted a special team to cater to their needs, and have established a lodging facility dedicated for drivers in our head office. Besides this, we also hold an annual driver meet in our office to address any difficulties our drivers, or even their family members.”
“Tata Motors”, Khan added, “has also remained involved in helping our driving community. It has helped us carry out their training, organising two dedicated camps for this purpose. The drivers have also been made privy to the range of offerings under Sampoorna Seva, and they have expressed satisfaction towards the benefits of the scheme.”
He continued, “Going ahead, I am confident that we will continue our resilient partnership with Tata Motors. The company has remained closely associated with us, valuing our opinion while promptly responding to any concern. Its robust range of vehicles has enhanced the efficiency of our fleet immensely, helping us carry out our business productively and profitably.” As the transportation sector in India charts its journey towards revival, backed by government impetus, leading players like ARCPL will play a defining role in taking it to new heights.
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“By striving to provide best-in-industry products and committed customer services, Tata Motors has consistently sought to align and deliver by placing customer interests at the centre of every endeavour. As an established name in the transportation industry, ARCPL has been known for its commendable service. We hope to remain behind their quest for excellence, maintaining our close engagement with their business. We would continue to work towards bringing profitable value propositions in our vehicles, together with dedicated services and comprehensive schemes for driver welfare. In the coming years, we hope to strengthen our long relationship further, bringing prosperity and success for ARCPL
– V Seethapathi, Vice President, Product Line – M&HCV, Tata Motors