Shivani Carriers Private Ltd., the Indore-based transporter, is a reputed service provider in Madhya Pradesh with over four decades of expertise. Now, the company is spreading its wings in the Western region, including Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra, and going all the way up to Telangana and Odisha, with customised customer-centric solutions in the best way possible.
The beauty of the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh lies in its dark soil of volcanic origin best suitable for crop cultivation. Hence the region, along with the adjoining areas, is predominantly agricultural with wheat, soyabean, rice and pulses being the major produce, along with a host of agro-based industries. Now, with the local economy industrialising and the region sourcing raw materials and essential supplies for the industrial clusters of Western India, the trucking logistics in this region has got a whole new vigor in the last two decades or so.
The evolution of Shivani Carriers corroborates this development. Starting with just PTL services from Indore to the local towns of Ratlam, Mandsaur and Neemuch within the region in 1974, the company pretty much remained within parcel booking services till 1994 when its present Managing Director, Mr. Hemant Laddha, took over the baton from his father Mr. Shrawan Kumar Laddha. For over the next decade, the company remained low-key with just four trucks plying FTL for some companies on a contractual basis.
The year 2006 was a turning point, says the MD. “It was time for us to push our boundaries further, and we invested on new trucks and bagged prominent contracts for big companies consistently over the years. It was our customer-centric service approach that made this huge transition happen”, he said.
The company now has a strong private fleet of over 140 vehicles catering to the logistics and supply chain demands of corporates, including Hindustan Unilever, Tata Chemicals, Nirma, ITC and Pepsi Co., to name a few, across a wide spread spectrum of FMCG, industrial, steel, dry chemicals, auto parts, and so on.
‘Revitalising’ moment
The fleet of Shivani Carriers boasts a great mix of vehicular segment and brands, starting from LCVs (Tata 407) to 40-tonne rigid, multi-axle haulers with 28-32 feet containers and 49-tonner tractor-trailers, including that of leading brands like BharatBenz, Mahindra, Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland and Eicher. The trailers are independently sourced from Tata DLT and Tranztar. About 25 vehicles are dedicated for bulker transportation, including for hauling dry soda ash in powder form for detergent industries, an application that the company pioneered in the region.
Commenting on fleet composition, Mr. Laddha says: “There is no specific reason for the multi-mix fleet model. We choose our vehicles based on customer requirements and operating conditions. All leading truck brands in India offer products that are the close alternatives and equally competent. So gone are the days where brand reliability was a major variable, although resale value parity does exist. It’s better to try every alternative. How we make use of them makes all the difference”.
In the last two years, the transporter has replaced his aging vehicles (some had even crossed the 10-year mark!) with modern fleet, including 40 BS-IV trucks inducted into service last year. “Although the fleet size has remained largely the same for some time now, this year we are planning to bring in new addition which will increase our fleet size considerably”, he said, while adding that modern trucks are far more efficient and ergonomically comfortable for the drivers, which helps in lower TCO and retention of drivers within the company.
Current market scenario
Asked almost on the prevailing market scenario for truckers, the Managing Director finds the demand for trucking logistics bullish and optimistic. But he cautions that the profitability for the new demand arising is deteriorating considerably in recent times. “Rising fuel costs put a big hole in our pocket, as everyday price revision doesn’t work in trucker’s favour… results in great uncertainty as we are forced to absorb cost initially”, he claims. The other major factors that dim profitability are increasing product tag prices and maintenance costs with authorised service stations, third-party insurance, highway toll rates, and police and RTO bribery, which is still a big nuisance, he adds.
With the revised axle load norms, Mr. Laddha is hoping to offset some of these added costs and enhance his profitability. “Post-demonetisation, we have embraced cashless transactions to the fullest extent using Fastag and Happay cards, which also helps in efficient control over financial and expense management of fleet operations. The advent of e-way bills is also making a huge positive difference”.
Rising costs apart, Shivani Carriers is also facing the brunt of poor driver retention. The company has come up with a variety of driver-focussed initiatives to address this issue, including incentives to drivers posting efficient driving dynamics and offering air-conditioned trucks for long-hauls. It is also collaborating actively with all OEMs to train their drivers on eco-driving skills and preventive maintenance to ensure lower TCO. The telematics data generated by their own softwares and GPS systems are also used in this regard.
“There is a dire need of parking facilities in our highways, as there exists a huge safety gap for both drivers and cargo. Lack of proper resting facilities for over-night stays in road side parking or at loading / unloading points hampers drivers’ commitment and motivation to stay in the job”, notes Mr. Hemant Laddha. In this regard, he is assisted by his wife, Ms. Vandana Laddha, as the director of driver management and fleet operation, who has won the Mahindra ‘Lady Transporter of the Year Award’ in 2012.
Trained customer care team and specialised staffs for handling high value goods is another area where Shivani Carriers is quite strong. “Being open to customers’ unique needs and offering customised solutions is what puts our company as one of the leading and fastest growing transporters in the region. We strive to make a difference in what we do, a mantra that keeps on driving us ahead”, proclaims the company.