Accidents many, but very few lessons for Tamil Nadu truckers

CHENNAI: Every tenth accident reported in Tamil Nadu involves a truck. Around 19,000 accidents involving trucks were reported in Tamil Nadu between 2015 and 2017 and 5,400 died in those incidents. But despite such high accident rate, little has been done to train truck drivers except for the mandatory training programme conducted by government’s Institute of Road Transport (IRT) only for those transporting hazardous material.
It is mandatory for these drivers to undergo the training failing which the Regional Transport Officers (RTOs) will not endorse their driving licences to operate such vehicles. “The programme focuses on how to safely operate these trucks and what to do during emergencies,” said a senior official from IRT, Chennai.
The endorsement given by the RTOs is valid for two years and the drivers should renew it by undergoing a similar one-day training course.
While the focus is only on drivers who ferry hazardous material, those who transport non-hazardous materials like sand and fast moving consumer goods have no such formal training.
According to guidelines of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, such drivers should be taught to drive responsibly even under time pressure. They should learn how to manage stress better as studies suggest that over 50% drivers have health ailments.
However, given the shortage of truck drivers in Tamil Nadu, transport firms skip training and put them on long trips without adequate breaks. “Some truck owners force drivers to operate for long hours without a break in order to reach the destination on time,” said T Praveen, a truck owner from Erode. The drivers too take the risk in an attempt to earn incentives, he said.
Driver fatigue has caused more accidents reported across the country. When tired, drivers miss warning signs on roads.
To put an end to this, the transport department restricted working hours of drivers to eight hours at a stretch. But except for a handful number of cases booked, the rule is yet to be implemented in full spirit.