25 July, 2017
As India's leading truck manufacturer, Tata Motors has the largest fleet of small, medium and heavy trucks on road today. Making truck drivers an integral part of the Tata Motors ecosystem.
Five years ago, in an endeavor to give back to the truck drivers, Tata Motors launched the Institute of Driving, Training and Research (IDTR) in Pune through a joint venture with the Central Institute of Road Transport.
Road safety and employment opportunities
A part of Tata Motors' CSR initiatives, IDTR's main objective is to improve the quality of life for truck drivers. Its dedicated driver training programs help to improve road safety and to enhance employment prospects for rural youth.
Today, Tata Motors offers driver training at five state-of-the-art facilities across the country in Ajmer (Rajasthan), Silchar (Assam), Pune (Maharashtra), Dimapur (Nagaland) and Mauhana (Punjab). All these facilities are equipped with the latest infrastructure, including advanced driver training systems, driver testing labs, auto labs and training provided by seasoned professionals in classrooms and on-campus driving ranges. These facilities also have a hostel and a library for the drivers. To participate in the training, truck drivers have to pay a nominal fee, ranging from Rs 500-1,000 for the refresher course of 2-3 days to Rs 11,000-16,000 for the beginner course that runs for 21-37 days.
Giving back, impacting lives
So far, the response has been very encouraging. In the last five years from FY11-12 to FY16-17, over 102,000 drivers have been trained through IDTR, in programs such as 'Training for Heavy Motor Vehicles', 'Training for Public Service Vehicles', 'Training for Defensive Driving and Fuel Efficiency', and more.
Over the next five years, IDTR plans to open more driver training institutes in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Odisha and Jharkhand. The target is to train more than 139,000 drivers by FY20-21.
Future forward
However, India's need for more skilled transporters means that it is necessary to increase the number of such training institutions. Keeping this in mind, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship plans to open an additional 500 small driving training Institutes to skill more drivers across India.
While NGOs such as Rise India have come forward to provide funding for this project, Tata Motors will lend its support through leasing out vehicles and training aggregates for 20 locations. This project will be carried out in a phased manner over the next three years. This year (FY16-17), Tata Motors has pledged its support to five institutes.
Tata Motors' Truck Driver Training Program is an initiative that also has strong sustainability aspects. Tata Motors will be able to build a larger pool of trained drivers to operate vehicles that are being sold every year. Sales of these vehicles would also increase if more drivers turn transport entrepreneurs. Vehicle performance will also be healthier with properly trained drivers at the helm. Most importantly, road safety will improve for all concerned.
We encourage you to drive safe.
