Interview with Ravi Pisharody, Executive Director of Commercial Vehicles, Tata Motors
Siddhi Vinayak Logistic Ltd. (SVLL), one of the leading organized logistics company in the country, has been an epitome of commitment towards drivers. Last year, the company had initiated Driver Day’s on 17 September – an annual occasion dedicated to celebrate the contribution of the driver community each year. The campaign has received overwhelming response from various stakeholders in the industry including vehicle OEMs, trasporter associations, governmental bodies, among others, as it enters its second year. Among the patrons of Driver’s Day is Tata Motors, one of whose largest customers in the country is SVLL. Mr. Ravi Pisharody, Executive Director, CVBU, Tata Motors, speaks about his company’s support for the cause.
Excerpts:
In your opinion, how big is the gap between supply and demand for drivers?
The gap between the supply and demand for drivers keeps fluctuating. But I think there is always a shortage. In the last two years, the economy has been on the slower side. So we thought that a lot of trucks are not running. But even in this situation when fleet utilization is 60-65 per cent, there is a gap in driver supply-demand. In about two-three years when the economy will improve further, the gap will be even wider.
What concrete steps can industry leaders take to address this issue? How can industry stake-holders come together under a sustainable and result-oriented mechanism?
Driver shortage is a complicated issue because many agencies have to play a role in sorting it out. Firstly, it should be realised by everybody, including the Government, that drivers play a very important role in the Indian economy. Most people fail to realize that the goods they come into contact with on a day-to-day basis are transported by drivers covering long distances.
Drivers don’t really enjoy a status in society. They are not treated as the key people in the transport industry, and most of them fall in the class of unorganized labour. A lot of facilities are denied to them.
In the last three-five years, this conception has changed as far as truck companies are concerned. There is now much more attention being paid to the comfort of drivers inside the truck cabin. A lot of driver training is taking place, and there are also insurance schemes for them. But eventually a driver is the employee of the transporter and, with companies like Siddhi Vinayak Logistics Ltd. (SVLL) making it a big serious issue, other transporters should realize that drivers are one of their key resources. Further, the harassment which drivers have to face on a daily basis needs to go. The Government should look upon drivers as contributors by relaxing regulations on driving.
Can technology in the vehicle or training play a significant role in remedying the current situation?
Yes and no, because drivers come from a background where their exposure to technology and education is not very high. Usually there is reluctance to pick up high technology, but in terms of anything that is able to reduce trip time will help those who are tracking the vehicle to know the location of their driver. Lately, a lot of GPS and telematics technology have come into the system whereby the driver can be in contact with the principal in a much easier way than in the past.
Adequate rest facilities for drivers all along the route and ease of driving are most important factors to reduce driver stress. If that stress is reduced by engine and power train technology, it will help. So a combination of tracking as well as vehicle technology will definitely help to improve the driver’s physical and mental condition.
Could you share some of the important measures that your organisation has taken to improve the status of drivers and ensure that more people join the profession?
We are laying a lot of emphasis on the conditions inside the truck cabin, so that the driver has a lot of room and space to manoeuvre about. This improves ease of driving. We have a continuous programme of driver training and have a lot of schemes undertaken from time to time for drivers under which they get free insurance or family support.
How do you propose to work with SVLL to make the Driver’s Day a success?
SVLL has been our valued customer for a long time, and we have been supporting SVLL in all its endeavors, and in return the company has been supporting us throughout. We are quite open towards this event; we either look after various things at the event or even off the event. We would like Driver’s Day to be a success, and many of the activities that SVLL will be conducting for the event will be supported by us.
What are your thoughts on drivers never getting their due recognition and being ignored always? Do you think Driver’s Day will play an important role in minimizing this?
Yes, but of course one company taking an initiative in this direction is like a drop in the ocean. We hope that more companies will come forward and contribute to this cause. On this Driver’s Day, more and more OEMs and transporters need to come together to make SVLL’s initiative a much more countrywide phenomenon.
Is there any message that you would like to give to other corporates/OEMs or to the society at large?
I and the entire team of Tata Motors is celebrating Driver’s Day along with SVLL on the 17th September. Are you?