Regional liquid bulk transporter has a trump card up its sleeve to sustain and spring up in its business – ‘Safe and Sustainable Transportation’ as its hardline policy.
Remember the terrible accident on the Delhi-Jaipur expressway that hit headlines way back in 2014? Being hit by a truck that skidded off its lane, a heavy-duty tanker carrying inflammable gas exploded instantly with splinters hitting seven other vehicles, including two other tankers carrying petroleum and edible oil, passing through the spot. Ten people were charred to death, while a dozen others got injured. Massive traffic snarls ensued the incident late in the night, endangering travellers’ and haulers’ safety at a remote location. The environment suffered irrecoverable damages due to spillage of oil and carbon residue post explosion.
In petroleum and chemical industries, a plethora of essential safety measures during production, handling and storage are mandated for civilian and environmental safety, and it is presumed that they are all followed within their plant premises. But once the product is loaded in tankers and leaves the plant for its ultimate destination, the means to monitor and control such measures becomes limited, while the responsibility is now with the transporters. Although the safety risks are still intact, even multiplied as a matter of fact, as the product is on the move with changing landscapes and diverse vulnerabilities.
In India, a lion’s share of petroleum and chemical bulk transportation is by road, thus safety largely depends on the condition of vehicles and the quality of drivers. But for a transporter, safety is a matter of life and death, involving a matrix of factors, including road and route conditions, traffic, awareness of fellow road users, operational timing and duration, driver amenities and comfort, cost per safety measure, all weighted against the total cost of ownership and revenue.
With road safety education and crew training still incipient, the transport risk and public safety remains alarmingly critical in the country.
Operationalizing safety
In the high-capacity liquid bulk transportation for more than a decade, Sri Velan Transports is an illustrious bulk carrier in the Southern region, especially plying around the industrial and logistics hubs of Chennai, Bangalore, Mangalore, Hyderabad and Goa. It primarily handles petroleum products, including ATF and liquid calcium carbonate under long-term contracts with companies, including IMC, Reliance Petroleum, Shell MRP Aviation, Shell India, TNPL, Pon Pure Chemicals, and Omya.
Mr. D. Prabhu Shankar of Sri Velan, who claims to have entered this business by accepting its risks and challenges, says: “Back in 2006 when we stepped into chemical transportation, it was quite ambitious than any other cargo we were hauling before. Safety risks were much higher, along with pilferages and theft vulnerabilities. It demanded a whole new approach right from scratch, and we stood up to those dares”, he reveals.
For instance, the company embarked (even now for every new operations) on a comprehensive en route survey to assess its unique vulnerabilities and exposures. Potential black spots and grey areas were identified, and no-stop zones, speed limits, and safe travel timings were enforced. “Tracking of vehicles and sensor-enabled cargo safety systems were introduced way back in 2006-08 as well. This systemic approach helped us achieve control over losses and safety risks over the years, while also gaining customer trust”, notes Mr. Shankar.
Another thrust area has been driver adaptation. Mr. Shankar observes: “Drivers are the key stakeholders in our approach. We ensure that they are well informed and qualified not just in operating the trucks, but also in safety mitigation and crew resource management. But more than that, creating an enabling environment for the drivers to perform and learn from different situations is very important”. Drivers are also trained in emergency response and shared responsibilities as a road user, claims the company.
In this regard, driver comfort and well-being commands utmost priority at Sri Velan. Its entire fleet comprises of trucks with factory-made cabin that benefits from improved ergonomics, while a majority of them are air-conditioned. The company has mandated the 2-member crew rule for all operations, and scheduled duty change for every three hours of driving, with total driving hours limited to eight per driver. Turnaround timing for all its fleet is between 6 am to 10 pm, thereby eliminating the risks of night driving.
Further, the transporter has put in place essential technologies to enhance safety. This July, camera-based cabin and road view monitoring system has been introduced. Mr. Shankar says that this system can help in establishing the culprits for road mishaps, as lack of proper evidence results in an undue disadvantage to heavy vehicles, which in turn has resulted in higher third-party insurance premiums. The company has an all-integrated vehicle management system that records driving patterns, unnecessary stops or speeding, harsh braking and acceleration trends of individual drivers.
Perks of high-capacity haulage
Yet another strategy for risk management in liquid bulk transportation is employing higher-tonnage vehicles. Almost three-fourth of Sri Velan fleet are 37-tonne 5-axle (rigid-type) 14-wheelers with 29 kL capacity tankers. “Freight capacity has almost tripled by using multi-axle tankers as against single axle models, while the risk levels of operating three tankers has reduced to just one. Thus our aim is not in expanding the fleet size, but its capacity”, observes Mr. Shankar.
The advent of higher-tonnage rigid axle trucks is a boon for the tanker industry. They offer lower TCO, along with ease in handling and maintenance. The road infrastructure and driver availability determines the prospects of bulk trailers in tanker logistics, and the company is of the view that its operational routes are not yet mature enough for tractor-trailer operations.
Sri Velan Transports aims to curb accidents involving its fleet 100 per cent by 2025. “Maximum profitability and performance per vehicle is our growth parameter, while earning trust and confidence among our customers on safe transportation remains to be our ultimate long-term goal. We also try to improve the turnaround time of vehicles in petroleum transportation, especially with ATF, as the aspired threshold of odo running is not realized”, says Mr. Shankar.
With road safety already in his business agenda, Mr. Shankar believes that food safety and security is yet another threat to the well-being and existence of our society. Along with his transport business, he also directs an organic farm platform ‘Uyir’ in the Erode-Coimbatore region in Tamil Nadu that sells fresh organic fruits and vegetables directly to consumers without middlemen.