India

From 2025, Truck Drivers Must Have Air Conditioning Cabins: Nitin Gadkari

NEW DELHI: From 2025, all truck cabins are be required to have air conditioning, giving drivers who frequently spend 11–12 hours in their stuffy confines much-needed relief. Driver weariness and accidents are frequently linked to difficult working circumstances and long journeys.

While premium trucks made by international manufacturers like Volvo and Scania already have air-conditioned cabins, most Indian players have not advanced despite a long-running debate on the subject.

Nitin Gadkari, the Union’s minister of road transport, revealed on Monday that he had approved a proposal to make air conditioning mandatory, with officials claiming that the industry needed a transitional time of 18 months to modernise.

“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 degree and we must imagine the condition of drivers. I was keen to introduce the AC cabin after I became minister. But some people opposed it saying the cost will go up. Today (Monday), I have signed the file that all truck cabins will be AC cabins,” the minister said at an event organised by an automobile company. The road transport ministry had first proposed the move in 2016.

“The industry had demanded that the provision should be optional. Some of them had even claimed that the drivers may feel sleepy in AC cabins. We always had the same notion about bus drivers and the drivers’ cabins were non-AC for years. But the introduction of Volvo buses ended that perception and now all luxury buses have AC cabins for drivers as well,” said a ministry official.

One estimate places the extra cost for installing AC cabins in trucks in the region of Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 per vehicle.

Also read: Centre Refusing Rice Under OMSS To Keep Stocks, Check Price Rise: Piyush Goyal On Refusing Rice To Karnataka

Shruti Chaturvedi

Recent Posts

Mumbai’s Street MBA: How A Bag Hustle Became A ₹8 Lakh Business

A Mumbai auto driver earns up to ₹8 lakh per month by offering a simple…

35 mins ago

Five Districts In Manipur Face Internet Shutdown Following Unrest

Manipur suspended internet in five districts for five days after protests over arrest of a…

2 hours ago

Shashi Tharoor Criticises Pakistan: “In Pakistan You Get Rewarded For Promoting Terrorism”

Shashi Tharoor condemns Pakistan’s treatment of Dr Shakil Afridi, who helped the US locate Osama…

2 hours ago

How To Read Food Labels & Make Smarter Grocery Choices

Reading food labels helps you make informed, healthier choices by understanding nutrition facts & picking…

2 hours ago

JP Nadda Slams Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Match-Fixing’ Claims As ‘Desperation Of Losing’ Polls

Rahul Gandhi's opinion piece appeared in a national daily and sparked political uproar. Opposition parties…

14 hours ago

Poverty In India Reduced Via Tangible Boost In Household Living Standards, Incomes

In 2022–23, poverty under the revised $3.00 line stood at just 5.25 per cent in…

15 hours ago