Logistics firms deploy truck pilot management system Truncheon

New Delhi: Alarmed by the high incidence of accidents involving trucks, logistics firms are trying new ways of long haul transportation that will cut down the work load of drivers, a prime cause of accidents involving heavy vehicles.

The idea is to prevent driver fatigue by fixing their work to covering a limited distance, 250 km in the case of many companies, using a new operational method called Truncheon, a truck pilot management system.

As per a report released in August by road transport and highways ministry, ‘Road accidents in India: 2015’, truck drivers made up for 11.4% of the total people killed in road accidents last year.

According to Agarwal Packers and Movers Ltd (APML), which is gradually adopting the system for its entire fleet of more than 800 trucks, Truncheon allows a driver to cover a fixed distance and then hand over the vehicle to another driver to complete the transportation.

APML expects to run the trucks for approximately 150 million km each year through this new system as compared to the current 80 million km a year. The company wants to achieve more than 85% on time performance of its services through this arrangement.

“Now every driver will be able to return home each day as compared to the truck drivers in the traditional way of operation where they had to finish the entire trip and then return back. For example if our truck is moving between Delhi and Mumbai, then it will stop at our hubs every 250 kms where the driver changes and the truck moves on with another driver, this truncheon continues till the truck reaches Mumbai”, said Ramesh Agarwal, chairman, APML.

The new arrangement is set to reduce the cost of APML by 35% as the Truncheon system will enable constant and timely monitoring of the arrival and departure of the trucks which in turn would increase the average running of the vehicle. The truck would stop only for handover and during checking by the maintenance team.

Rivigo, a logistics based start-up was the first company in India to come up with this Truncheon system for its truck drivers in May this year. The company was unavailable for any comment despite repeated attempts.

“For a system like this, a proper infrastructure should be in place for the drivers and more focus should instead be given to the fact that these truck drivers should at least be paid the minimum wage by law with proper social security and safety structure,” said S.P Singh, senior fellow, Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training (IFTRT).

According to Anil Sayal, chief executive officer, Flywheel Logistics, various companies use different methods to manage their truck drivers so as a concept in principle it is nothing new but the style in which one executes it is different.

“For example, in Flywheel Logistics we have two drivers in one truck and they both switch positions after sometime so that one can rest. In the other system, the truck driver gets off the vehicle completely and goes back home which leads to better management of a driver’s fatigue and also leads to optimization and efficiency of the vehicles”, explained Sayal.

Mahindra Logistics Ltd (MLL), has started installing “Porta Cabins” at the halt point for the driver’s rest room facility so that they don’t face any difficulty in resting, taking bath and sanitation while they wait during uploading and unloading of goods at the site. MLL also organizes personal hygiene awareness and health checkup camps for its truck drivers along with KRK Foundation, a registered trust formed in 2013 to improve the living and working conditions of long haul drivers and their families living in remote villages of India.

“Such initiatives make sense because long hours of driving reduces concentration, making them prone to accident and sleep deprivation will also affect their personal health. Increased stress levels can also lead to mental health issues. Also, they tend to relax with alcohol after a long drive leading to drunken driving. All of these can be controlled with the help of good management by the logistics companies,” said K. Srinath Reddy, president, Public health Foundation of India.