Air-conditioned cabins for trucks will soon be made compulsory, says Gadkari

Nitin Gadkari has said that truck drivers have been forced to work in extreme heat conditions. He also said that due to shortage truck drivers have to work for 14-16 hours at a stretch.

New Delhi: Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has said that soon it will be mandatory for all trucks to have air-conditioned cabins. Addressing a book launch event in the national capital on Monday, Gadkari said, "As drivers play a key role in the transport sector, which is one of the most important areas for India as the fastest growing large economy in the world, there is a need to address issues regarding their working conditions and state of mind."

According to Gadkari, who unveiled 'Desh Chaalak: A book honouring Indian Drivers', truck drivers have been forced to work in extreme heat conditions. The 66-year-old Member of Parliament (MP) from Nagpur also said that he has been pushing for air-conditioned cabins for truck drivers for a long time.

Gadkari said that some people objected to air-conditioned cabins in trucks stating that the costs would increase. "However, before coming to the event, I have signed on the file that henceforth, driver cabins in trucks will be air-conditioned," the Minister said. He also underlined the need to improve the working conditions of truck drivers and suggested setting up more driving schools to reduce the shortage of drivers.

Gadkari lamented that due to shortage, drivers in the country are working for 14-16 hours at a stretch, while the working hours in some of the countries abroad were fixed.

Saying that with India emerging as the fastest-growing economy in the world, Gadkari stressed that logistics is very important and there is a need to reduce the cost of logistics in order to increase the country's exports. "Our logistics cost, as compared to the rest of the world, is 14-16 percent. In China, it is 8-10 percent, in European countries and the United States (US) it is 12 percent. If we have to increase exports, we have to cut logistics costs," the Minister added.

According to a 2022 report 'Transforming Trucking in India: Pathways to Zero-Emission Truck Deployment' by Niti Aayog, the number of trucks is expected to more than quadruple, from 4 million in 2022 to roughly 17 million trucks by 2050.