Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari announced that the government is working on a system to track the working hours of drivers, particularly for heavy vehicles. Expressing concern, he highlighted that drivers often work for more than 12 hours, which negatively impacts their safety and productivity.
During a discussion about a recent accident in Jaipur, he pointed out that the initial investigation revealed that the driver of the LPG tanker involved had been driving for over 12 hours. Gadkari also compared the situation to developed countries, saying that in places like the United States, Europe, and other advanced nations, drivers are allowed to drive for a maximum of eight hours.
He said that the eight-hour driving rule is not being followed in India and said that the government is considering several options to address this issue. One such measure could involve linking the system that tracks drivers’ working hours to their Aadhaar cards, allowing drivers to swipe their cards to log their hours.
Additionally, Gadkari mentioned that the government is working to make features like automatic emergency braking systems, electronic stability control, and audio alerts to warn drivers of drowsiness mandatory in all new heavy vehicles.
Road Transport Secretary V. Umashankar added that the government is rapidly working to track the long driving hours of drivers using technology. He said that vehicle location tracking devices (VLTDS) and Aadhaar cards could be integrated to monitor driving hours. While vehicle location tracking is already mandatory for all commercial vehicles, he noted that while the Motor Transport Workers Act allows states to notify work conditions and driving hours, only a few states have implemented this regulation.
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