[prithm]

Originally Posted by BLACKBLADE

Is trucking a menial job ? No way man. It requires a lot of hard-work, determination, patience and perseverance to survive the life of a trucker.

The opening line of this write up actually summarizes the entire topic beautifully.

Given the current situation on roads, the hardships that truck drivers infact any large body heavy vehicle undergo is just unfathomable.

They have to share the already congested space with so many of us and on top of it they have to work with their heavy vehicle to cajole it to move nimbly through thick traffic.

Though a sizable number of accidents happen due to trucks, many are due to negligence of affected party due to arrogance, anger and indifferent attitude towards truck or bus drivers. Factors such as overworked, short deadlines and multiple trips also play an important role as cause of accidents.

Just giving them their due space and a double honk after overtaking them or a simple thumbs up through the window will give them a little happiness that they deserve.

[Santoshbhat]

Excellent thread. It's one of the most difficult professions out there and still one of the least respected. It is very common to find people going out on their vacation cursing trucks whenever they encounter some traffic, without realising that they are the one's who are the main cause for the traffic jams. Big trucks are the wheels of the nation and they are there because human society needs them to carry stuff. They are not doing it for fun.

I find long distance truckers one of the most predictable and disciplined drivers on the highway. Us car drivers hate it when truckers hog both lanes of the highway when they are overtaking each other and a lot of car drivers honk their way to glory forcing the truck driver to abort his overtaking maneuver midway just to give way to them. You can't expect all trucks to drive at the same speed and they need to overtake just like we do. If I am stuck behind two trucks, I wait for my turn patiently and give out a single honk just to make them aware of my presence. It is generally a matter of a few seconds only.

We need to realise that the laws of physics are always working against them. So let's be as considerate as possible towards them on the road.

[cp171185]

Great thread! Indeed a topic to discuss on.

As long as safety is concerned, safety will only come when law enforces us to do so. Many Indian customers don't wear seat belts even if the car comes with many safety facilities. They think airbags will save, no need to wear seat belts! My point is, even if trucks come with safety features, truckers are not going to wear seat belts unless stringent law & proper enforcement comes.


Meanwhile, this web show (do watch all the episodes) can give us real life feel of truckers on mountains:-

https://youtu.be/r9MIdSMm2yw

[BLACKBLADE]

Originally Posted by tharian

A very relevant thread.
I am one those guys who always think, even now, that if I was in a nation like in Europe or North America, I would have taken up this profession.

Seriously, it was my childhood dream to become a Long Distance Trucker. But not anymore. Stuck in an Eight to Six desk job now. Some how trucking fascinates me. Life on road should be daring and adventurous. There are passionate truckers in the west. Some even drive long haul trucks as a family, husband and wife together.

Originally Posted by tharian

A very relevant thread.
He was a driver of a heavy haul trailer carrying a heavy load , and he was doing it solo . For me, he was up there and for the rest of the world he was as good as invisible.
It is a sad story. How I wish it was different.

Courteousness and humility, such virtues the truckers even with their lack of education, don't fail to follow, that is found lacking in so many educated folks, these days !

[coolvenk]

From what I remember, truckers in the US get paid rather well, since they have trouble finding people otherwise, due to the other negatives of the job.

[navin_v8]

Nice thread. I was among one who used to despise highway truck drivers until I compared them to our regular city truck drivers. I happened to see a documentary on National Geographic which showcased the HIV problem with truck drivers in India. I was enlightened when I saw the documentary and the pathetic working conditions these poor souls have to put up with day in day out. Indian interstate highway truck drivers deserve a mention for the hard work and extremely dangerous situations they have to face everyday.

Apart from staying away from their homes for long periods they also have to eat, sleep, take bio breaks, etc. on the road. Most truck cabins cannot accommodate a sleeping mattress. Add to this the tropical heat and dusty environment of India. Most trucks have their engines inside the cabin which emanates a hell lot of heat and toxic fumes adding to the woe of already heat and dust stricken driver. On the job they hear a lot of abuse and insulting in addition to getting slapped and manhandled by cops and RTO. They work on paltry salary with no added benefits like health insurance, life insurance, meal allowance, etc. from the company they are employed for (I have heard truck drivers in Canada being paid if not more but equal to what a regular software professional does). They have to be dependent on highway dhaba's right from sleeping to repairing their trucks and everything that's in between. Having a dedicated truck stop where they can have rest, clean rest rooms for bathing and bio breaks, hygienic food, etc. is totally unheard of in India. Most truck manufacturers are also happy selling their dated truck designs as the truck contractors are satisfied with them. Safety wise the lesser said the better. Due to immense stress and helplessness most of them turn to alcohol, drugs, unsafe sex, etc.

On various occasions I have interacted with truck drivers at dhaba's and tea stalls while I go for long distance highway touring on my motorcycle. Most of them become emotional while having conversation and tell, "I am working so hard because I don't want my children to suffer like me". Them truck drivers are humble souls and are always ready to help with regards to route and the nature of roads in addition to providing lifts to random stranded people on the road. Like others have mentioned most of them are disciplined while driving and give way, patience is what something we can learn from them and keep smiling despite of all these worst conditions. They happily chug along going about doing their jobs.

Now with the advent of Ola, Uber, etc. many are jumping ships and why not. They can earn better, come home everyday, are not at the mercy of their contractors, sit in A/c comfort, less stress whilst driving a significantly small vehicle, and many more.

There has to be a disruption in the Indian trucking supply chain business to lure the drivers into this profession.

[revvenant]

Thank you very much for raising this very pertinent topic. This is very close to my heart since one of my close childhood friend's father was a long distance truck driver. He was formerly in the army (seemed like there was some complication in his discharge). In spite of his meager income and harsh lifestyle, he had enrolled his son in one of the most prestigious schools in the city.

I still remember a couple of times watching his dad gently lower him from the truck's cabin near the main road before the school gate before going on his long distance trips. He was shunned by the other kids as his dad's profession was seen as a stigma. Fortunately for me, my parents had brought me up with better values than that and we stayed good buddies until I had to move to another city when my dad got transferred and subsequently lost touch with him.

I feel most long distance truckers are decent. Usually, whenever a dim the headlight at one of them, they reciprocate (which several wealthy people driving luxury vehicles upwards of 1Cr don't have the decency to do). Very often, when I stop at roadside dhabas, they behave themselves in front of the women (in spite of their aura of harshness). Most signal well and actually look out for others on the road.

It his high time the country realizes the importance of these people and gives them what they deserve (regulations on the quality of cabin and overall vehicle, decent stops with facility to cook, bathe and rest etc.).

[Spinnerr]

Trucker life!

A good topic for discussion. Open roads, clogged roads… only a 'cleaner/chottu' for company.

This was back in my child hood, late 80s. My mom’s home was on a national highway, me and my cousins, during our summer vacations spend a lot of time on the trees, on the compound wall, looking at the trucks zipping by. Back then seeing a big trailer roll by was a thrill, counting the number of tyres was a craze. We too dreamt of driving a trailer, a container truck across India.
But then, that is just a childhood fantasy. A truck driver’s life was never easy, especially the long haul ones, driving across country. Lot of details has been captured on this thread.

I would like to touch upon small ways they try to earn a little more, other than over time. With low payments, truck drivers do look out for opportunities to make some extra money. To make ends meet, to have a small saving, to lead a slightly better life when they get back after these long tiring journeys.

A common means to make some extra bucks is by taking in a passenger, offering lift to backpackers or by taking in some additional goods during a return journey. After unloading, they would reach out to some known transporters who help by arranging a return load. The transport company too allots some contingency funds to address issues with parking, toll, entry charges, palm greasing amount, etc. Saving on this contingency fund too can add a bit to the drivers extra income.
There are those unethical ones who sell away good spare tyres, siphon off fuels to resell it. But the majority are good fellows.

India’s truck drivers – in pictures, a glimpse.

There is one picture in the above link that struck a chord, the picture of Jorawar Singh sleeping in the cabin of his truck, he had these paintings decorating the cabin, it depicts a wedding dance and women gathered around a charkha, spinning a thread. Maybe something that brings back his memories about his home. I felt it projects a strong longing to be home.

In spite of all these hardships, most of them are kind enough to let an irate driver past, smile & wave at a kid in a passing car, even when crawling at tollbooths, sometimes stopping by to help a car driver change a flat tire, offering them a lift.
I salute their community!

Slightly OT:
In this thread, there were a couple of posts about trucking being better off in USA and Canada, but then, they have their own set of problems. Comparatively they have better trucks, bigger, cleaner truck stops, more stringent rules; still they live with their own set of problems.

A quick glimpse via this NYTimes article (May 2017)

[saurabh2711]

Originally Posted by BLACKBLADE

Is trucking a menial job ? .

Many Thanks BLACKBLADE. Respect to you as well, to bring this topic to the table.
A very noble topic to discuss, on one of India's most neglect job.
Heavily exploited. All the perils have been discussed or highlighted in the comments posted earlier.

Apologies for the long post. But only way to show my respect to the community.

As a child being seated at front seat of our car, always used to curse the truck drivers for driving slow & being unable to overtake them. Without even realizing what they are going through. We use to travel on Legendry two lane (full of pot-hole) Madhya Pradesh Roads of 90's From Khargone/Khandwa to Indore or Mandsaur. And our yearly trips to distant part of country, where we used to find some good roads as soon as we crossed MP border.
Crossing MP border reminds me of Famous sugar factory at Shirpur (MH) which used to be the point from which Convoy to cross the Bijasan Ghat (to enter MP) used to start. I guess most of the senior members will recall this.
This was the point where some police officers used to check the papers of all the trucks that were part of the convoy & used to wait for convoy to start moving. Bijasan Ghat was famous for loot from a particular community, expert in stealing from any moving vehicles.
My dad usually tried to avoid reaching Shirpur at time of convoy & if at all we reached their we blockade, he ensured that our car is parked nowhere close to the factory gate, where all checking used to take place. Never realized why, he used to do this. Unless one day we had no choice but to stand at the gate. the checking started & one of such checking resulted in an argument between the truck driver & the police officer. The poor guy was beaten black & blue by entire company of police posted there. I recall other drivers strolling around our car, stating that this is a daily affair & the poor guy was the first one to be treated that day. Nobody knew how many more for the night, till morning when convoy was lifted. Another truck came from MP side, alone. Was stopped & accused of breaking the convoy at MP Side, probably he overtook the cars in front & reached here first. He too was abused badly, and asked to come out with papers. He refused. The officer started hitting him with his "lathi". We heard a "khutt" sound. Dad said, he now has a broken bone. Poor soul.

My dad always carried a sympathy with truck drivers, probably due to he had seen this incidence earlier. Another reason to avoid being parked at that point, for us not to see it & get terrified.
My aggression mellowed down when I started driving, first with sedan & then disappeared when moved to SUV. I realized when driving an SUV is so tough, I don't want to be seated at steering of the truck.

Another incidence that comes to my mind & supports the fact of the supporting nature of truckers under extreme conditions.
In 90's road from Indore to Chhota Udaipur via Alirajpur was also notorious for looting of vehicles. On our trip back to indore from our Gujrat trip our car broke down few KMs after chhota Udaipur towards Alirajpur. it was around 4 pm. Out driver who was an expert mechanic as well, tried to fix the fuel pump of our old ambassador, but to no avail. we saw many cars pass by in either direction, asked for lift to let us through any of the city on either side & get us a mechanic. No one stopped. After nearly two hours, out of the blue, tanker stopped behind our car. Got down and asked what went wrong. After explaining the issue to him, He offered to two our car till alirajpur & asked all of us to sit in the cabin. Towed us, to a mechanic. Waited their till pump was fixed around 9PM. Dad tried to give him some money, for his goodwill. He denied outright, said I only stopped because it was MP register car stranded in Gujrat jungles.

This was the day I learned the difference between an electronic horn & a pressure horn (pneumatic) that trucks have. "Gaffar" - driving the truck, explained patiently whatever I asked..

These days, I ensure to roll down my window, wave a thanks to trucker who allowed me to pass or whenever I made some misjudgment while overtaking a truck & both had to take safety measures.

I only have one word for truckers now "RESPECT".

[GeeTee TSI]

Probably those working in Oil and Gas can relate, this industry takes driving safety very seriously and it extends to the contractors too.

Dedicated safety inspectors, back office for tracking driving hours, driver fitness and the hours of sleep he had before a trip (this I am not making it up!) Every vehicle on the road is equipped with a tracking device (I can vouch for it's existence for at least a decade even in India). Drivers are given training followed by a commentary drive, their driving parameters are monitored. Ordinary Indian trucks are outfitted with seatbelts, headrests, blind spot mirrors and a tracking device (No, we do not always move stuff with FH12 Volvos in India and nor will we get to that level).

Since the client (Oilfield) demands this standard, even the (sub standard) fleet operators have to comply with everything. Of course this has a cost especially if we compare per km with the cheapest option available. But this industry players do not have a choice to do away with any of the requirements. Vehicle condition, driver's condition (health, rest, training) becomes the client's prerogative through the fleet operator.

My point is that with the right intent, resources and priorities, we can greatly influence the level of road safety and the condition of truckers even without counting on regulations to step up

[anandpadhye]

Excellent thread.

I browsed through the Rivigo website and stumbled upon this:

https://rivigo.com/who-we-are

Specifically:
Against the average distance of 15 kilometres per hour recorded by the industry, our technological innovations and operational excellence have ensured that our truck covers 50 kilometres or more in an hour. This enables us to provide the fastest services on Indian road conditions, overcoming delays at numerous checkpoints across 29 states in the country.

Is this really possible? 50km in an hour for a truck in India? Really? And I am sure they are saying this on an average, not the best case on a secluded Rajasthan highway which is abolutely flat with zero incline and no potholes/speed-breakers?

Note: One of the themes of Rivigo seems to be "quality of life" - less stress for the drivers. And I really admire that. But aren't they going overboard with their claim of average 50km in an hour? May be in a few years from now, but today?

[Brumby]

A really thoughtful thread and I completely agree with the views of everyone. The living and professional conditions of the truckers can be and should be improved, but how will that happen? Are we ready to pay higher prices for the goods that are being transported in these trucks? Unless we are willing to pay more, things are never going to improve, the money that is required to improve the conditions has to be paid by the end user, period. A close family friend is in transport business and I understand how difficult it is to survive in this business with cut throat competition.
I have seen a lot of people talking about these issues but these very people crib about how cost of living in India is becoming expensive by the day. Though a bit off topic, I remember one incident where during the society meeting some of the members wanted the security guards to perform the duties equivalent to what the guys at US consulate do, at 1/4th the cost. I hope the friends in the forum, living in housing societies understand well what I mean.

Cheers

[prateekvidya]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Excellent thread.

Note: One of the themes of Rivigo seems to be "quality of life" - less stress for the drivers. And I really admire that. But aren't they going overboard with their claim of average 50km in an hour? May be in a few years from now, but today?

Well - it is actually true. A Rivigo truck typically does 50 kmph - it does a Mumbai-Delhi stretch in about 30 hours. The driver relay model, as it is called, was started with the mission to improve the lives of drivers - what this post is precisely trying to address. The grievances of drivers in the conventional model can never be overstated.

What the relay model achieves is magical:
1. Lives of truck drivers improve significantly : most (above 95%) actually return back home the same day, carry a tiffin from home, and spend time with their families - it is now a regular day job which pays higher than what half the engineers make in this country, and much higher than BPO centers.

2. The truck now runs for 24 hours - faster transit time - better for supply chain for anyone - demands a premium - makes the whole model sustainable on its own. Everyone wins.

India, at its current rate of growth, needs so many drivers that this is the only way out. In-fact, companies like DHL and a bunch of others are now adapting it.

Good days are coming ! but till these things hit a substantial scale - the truck driver continues to be a victim of abuse.

[hema4saran]

Excellent thread. If you look closely, most of the Interstate trucks follow everything and those drivers are best in lane discipline and all other things. For whatever poor condition the truck is in (Read No Blinkers, No proper brake lights, No under-run protection, Frequent breakdowns, No safety warning triangles/Cones etc), We need to blame the owners only. For the owners, maximum profit is only thing in mind and they don't care much about the driving conditions etc. Forgot about the way these people are treated by Highway patrols and City Traffic police whenever they venture into City. It is just pathetic .

Like erratic car drivers, there are few idiots behind the wheels of the trucks as well. We can't do anything about those and need to live and drive with them. On the other hand, if you see the local water tankers, dumpers (Both Garbage and sand/blue metal) they are the most erratic ones and they don't pay a heed to any rules.

I got a chance to sit in stationary Volvo trucks and MAN trucks in India few years back. They have excellent cabin and the seating is best with proper space for sleeping and also few other creature comforts. The recent models of Tata trucks are also comparatively better if not best.

[Joxster]

When I saw this thread, the first thing that came to mind was a video I saw quite some time back, which really opened my eyes to the reality of trucking in India, and gave me immense respect towards the truck drivers.

It's a rather short video, but a good insight into just how bad it is to be in that driver's seat! Some of those overtake manoeuvres are

PS: Ignore the language and cursing, as I'm sure you can appreciate and understand the poor guy's frustration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv3ll3t217s

Cheers