The government has approved the draft notification to mandate the installation of air conditioners in the cabins of trucks belonging to certain categories, says Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari.

"Truck drivers play a crucial role in ensuring road safety. This decision marks a significant milestone in providing comfortable working conditions for truck drivers, thereby improving their efficiency and addressing the problem of driver fatigue," Gadkari writes in a tweet.

This comes two weeks after the minister said that trucks sold in the country will soon have air-conditioned driver cabins. "While I wanted to introduce air conditioners in truck driver compartments from the day I took charge as the minister, some automakers opposed the move, saying this will increase costs," Gadkari said, adding that truck cabins in 47-degree Celsius heat are unbearable in summers.

"We must understand the mental state of a driver while working. Even machines need fuel and grease to work properly," the Union minister said, adding that some auto companies, which were earlier cost-centric, have now become quality-centric.

India's logistics cost is 14-16% compared with 8-10% in China and 12% in Europe and the U.S., according to Gadkari.

"In order to increase exports, the logistics costs must come down. And to achieve that, we need good roads, good trucks and good drivers," the minister said, adding that cleaner fuels such as hydrogen can bring down the country's logistics cost to 8%.

"In India, there is a shortage of truck drivers as they drive for 14 to 16 hours on average," Gadkari lamented, saying their drive time is restricted in other countries.

India also has a shortage of driving schools. "There are only 40-50 driving schools whereas there is a potential for 1,700 such schools. OEMs should invest in driving training schools and vehicle scrapping business," Gadkari said.

While talking about road safety, Gadkari urged drivers to follow lane discipline. "Trucks and buses will soon be mandated to drive in the last lane, we are marking lanes on the Mumbai-Delhi expressway," he said. This, according to the Union minister, will reduce road accidents.

India sees around 5 lakh accidents every year resulting in 1.5 lakh deaths, costing 3% to India's GDP, Gadkari said, adding that 60% of such deaths are in the age group of 18-34 years. Gadkari attributed frequent road accidents to faulty detailed project reports prepared by road engineers and lack of lights and signage. "We need to work on road engineering, automobile engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency medical services," he added.

India, which recently overtook Japan to become the world's third-largest auto market, clocked an annual turnover of ₹7.5 lakh crore. In the next five years, the government plans to increase it to ₹15 lakh crore.

AC trucks

Govt approves draft rules to make ACs mandatory in truck cabins