When it comes to motorsports in India, the name that instantly strikes nowadays is Formula 1. Apart from F1, motorcycle racing too generates a fair bit of enthusiasm among sports lovers. However, talk to anyone about truck racing, and he will likely think of the ?Horn OK Please? signage, definitely not trucks racing on a track.
So when Tata Motors organised the T1 Prima truck racing championship last Sunday with the aim of making trucking ?glamorous?, it was a pleasant surprise for many. The championship, held at the Buddh International Circuit near Delhi, witnessed an audience of over 25,000 cheering on the speeding trucks. The race was won by British driver Stuart Oliver of team Castrol Vecton, followed by Team Cummins and Team Tata Technologies.
But is one race enough to raise the profile of a truck driver, a profession that?s arguably of much importance to our growing economy but is always seen with little respect? And will the introduction of premium trucks in the Indian market help?
?A premium truck has added features with high-end technology, which needs specialised truck drivers to understand them,? says a company spokesperson from VE Commercial Vehicle (VECV), an equal joint venture between Eicher Motors and Swedish truck major Volvo. ?So we need specialised and educated drivers to operate these vehicles.?
Companies are betting big on premium trucks. Tata has already introduced its premium range Prima on tippers and tractor trailers. VECV, the third biggest player in the domestic medium and heavy duty truck industry, will offer a new product range christened the Pro series. Hinduja flagship firm Ashok Leyland plans to launch up to 18 different types of trucks this year under its new brand for commercial vehicles called Captain.
The shortage of professional truck drivers in India poses an existential threat not just to Tata but to the whole industry. While there is no official data available, industry stakeholders say nearly 20 lakh vehicles or 10% of the total vehicle population lies idle across the country for shortage of drivers. A truck driver can earn R20,000 a month, but many drivers are content with R6,000-8,000 driving smaller vehicles. Even the championship was bereft of Indian drivers as none had a racing licence; top British truck racing drivers competed in the event.
?The problem in India is that everyone is a driver?a person just needs to have a driving licence to steer a vehicle. This should change and hopefully will as high-end trucks need specialised training,? the VECV spokesperson adds.
Though Tata hopes the T1 Prima race will, to an extent, make truck driving glamarous, Vinod Sahay, head, sales & marketing, medium & heavy trucks, Tata Motors, admits it?s going to take more events to really turn things around. ?We want to bring some respectability to the profession and connect trucking to the society. However, it can?t be done overnight,? Sahay says.
The VECV spokesperson couldn?t agree more. ?Today in India truck driving is not a respectable profession. And we don?t have professional, well-trained drivers too.?
Coming back to the race, are we going to see Indian drivers in the next edition of T1? Ravi Pisharody, executive director, commercial business unit, Tata Motors, says, ?We will definitely bring Indian drivers to the race, but it needs a lot of training, so we might do some internal competitions. We will shortlist competent drivers, train them, race them in circuits in Chennai and Delhi. Expect smaller trucking events in the next 6-8 months.?
Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, however, isn?t too keen on Indian truck races. ?Being the world?s largest manufacturer of trucks, Daimler has actively taken part in international truck racing events like the FIA European Cups in the past. However, in India, our focus is to provide our customers with world-class trucks and offer them good service and after-sales support. Truck racing events are merely of a promotional nature and not the focus of our interest, as Daimler trucks are known for their quality, technology and reliability,? says a company spokesperson.
Apart from the facilities and trained drivers needed for a race, it is also important that the trucks used are race-worthy, and match global standards. The FIA-approved event featured 12 Tata Prima 4038.S trucks prepared with the assistance of and in accordance with the technical regulations of the British Truck Racing Association.
Patrick McGoldrick, MD&CEO, Tata Technologies, who were a team sponsor in the championship, says, ?During this race, we learnt, for example, the side mirrors are vulnerable. This puts into question why in this day and age of technology we still use side mirrors. I look forward to put our learnings into new enhancements in commercial vehicles and to the next race.?
Though the machines were less powerful compared to European trucks, British drivers were pretty impressed with the the trucks. ?The trucks are very good. They do exactly what that they have been built to do,? says Simon Reid, one of the British drivers.