Truckers not OK

We only talk about how our police force is over worked but have ever paid attention to the truck drivers who actually move the nation?

There are some 9 million truck and tanker drivers in India who move freight across India, accounting for 69% of the total goods movement in India. This transport contributes over 3% directly to the GVA. And yet, those who ply these trucks are the most overworked, most sleep-deprived and with no healthcare. They just spend their lives, almost entire life time on the roads of India.

Castrol had conducted a survey and it found that 25% of the truck drivers were sleep deprived and up to 53% reported physical and psychological issues such as fatigue, insomnia, obesity, backache, joint and neck pain, poor vision, breathlessness, stress, and loneliness.

In most of the developed countries, there is a law beyond which they cannot be on the road; they have to take a break maximum after 12 hours for at least 6 hours. We have no such thing in India and little wonder that this huge community of people are marginalized by the society, akin to cleaners. So next time you are on the highway, give a thought to the truck drivers you see plying on the street…instead of showing them rage, maybe we need to start being sympathetic and urge the Govt to regulate this class of workers and help them gain health and dignity in life.