Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari recently said he has approved the draft for providing air-conditioned truck cabins in the country. “Approved the draft notification to mandate the installation of air-conditioning systems in the cabins of trucks belonging to categories N2 and N3,” the Minister tweeted.
“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,” he said.
The move is expected to have a positive impact on the health and safety of drivers as the long hours of truck driving in the harsh weather conditions of Indian summer will be more comfortable. At an industry event last month, Gadkari said that he wanted to introduce air conditioners in truck driver compartments from the day he took charge as Minister. But there were some apprehensions to this plan with people complaining about higher costs.
“In our country, some drivers are behind wheels for 12 or 14 hours whereas in other countries, there is a restriction on the number of hours for bus and truck drivers to be on duty. Our drivers operate vehicles in temperatures of 43 to 47 degrees and we must imagine the condition of drivers,” he said then.
Global players like Volvo and Scania come equipped with air-conditioned cabins for a category of their trucks, however in India it is rare to find one.
