Why DSK?

A truck driver shoulders an unbeatable pressure and responsibility of the goods in the truck that deprives him of proper sleep, due to which a restless driver ends up losing his precious life in road accidents. We analyzed this problem and took a step forward to bring down the death rate by providing them adequate sleep in a secure environment. DSK is an initiative for the betterment of the driver’s society and the drivers are given necessary requirements of day-to-day life.

EXPLOITATION OF DRIVERS Till now the problems discussed were pertaining to the neglect being faced by the truck driver from officials and the society. Drivers are always in a hurry of meeting the scheduled delivery time for the goods on the scheduled date, in the hurry to meet the deadlines, they are unable to have proper meals or take ample rest while on duty. To top it all, they are greeted by number of other problems and they are often exploited by various agencies. And it is rather unfortunate that even the public doesn’t sympathize with them. And if they are involved in an accident, it is always presumed that the truck driver is the culprit and the public vents their anger on them, while, it has been found that truck drivers hardly ever practice over speeding and they don’t change lanes. In most cases, it is the hi-fi vehicles who in the hurry to overtake the trucks, cause accidents as they are over the speed limits most of the time. But no one ever looks into these facts before forming wrong opinions about truck drivers.

The men in khaki uniforms often stop the trucks and ask the driver to step out, and then they ruthlessly hold the collar of the truck driver and hold him to the ground and mistreat him. The humble truck driver says not a word in return because the khaki clad men are the representatives of the government and hence they can get away with anything. An ordinary constable may not cast much of an impression elsewhere, but he is the boss for the truck driver. He will often exploit the truck driver with the intent to get his “road tax”.

The general trend is such that a doctor’s son yearns to become a doctor with much pride, an engineer’s son an engineer, trader’s son a trader; but what about the truck driver’s son? There is a big question mark here. If this continues, there is going to be an acute shortage of truck drivers, who will transport the goods then? We rely heavily on the truck drivers and it is time to realize their importance.

In 1982, for every 1,000 trucks, there were 1,300 drivers available.

In 1992, for every 1,000 trucks, there were 1,000 drivers available.

In 2002, for every 1,000 trucks, there were 890 drivers available.

In 2012, for every 1,000 trucks, there were just 750 drivers available.

In other words, now over 25% of the country’s total available trucks remain stranded on roads due to a shortage of drivers. This is hampering the country’s transportation system. Trains can only transport goods from one city to another. We need trucks to make the goods available at the door step of the shops. If this trend continues, the day is not far when people will die of starvation as there will be no one available to transport the goods from the warehouses to the people. The situation is likely to degrade further and further if we do not realize the importance of truck drivers soon enough.

Vehicle manufacturers will soon have to cut down their production due to lack of truck drivers; unemployment will rise and companies will have to close down due to failure. The price of commodities will rise, and moreover, many other industries will face doom.

DECREASING RATE OF DRIVERS IS LIKE FEMALE FETICIDE Like the dwindling sex ratio, that is, the proportion of the girls to the number of boys is because of the stigma of the society; the same way, the falling proportion of the truck drivers to the number of trucks can also be blamed on the society. The only difference is that at least the government is taking some measures to improve the sex ratio by introducing stringent laws pertaining to female feticide; but nothing is being done about the situation for truck drivers. The only solution to this problem is by ensuring respect towards the job of a truck driver and recognizing their contributions and hard work. The truck driver to trucks ratio will significantly improve on the day a truck driver can take pride in his profession.

The constant exploitation of the truck drivers on the hand of the government, society and transporters (who don’t care about the welfare of their drivers) has led to the decrease in the number of prospective truck drivers. So just like female feticide, when the yet to be born baby girl dies an untimely death, even prospective truck drivers are lost even before they are born.

If the government and society fail to take necessary measures to improve the condition of the truck driver, well in time, they will single handedly cause the doom of the entire economy.

HALF-BLOOD BEHAVIOUR He lives away from his parents, family, home and the comforts of home; he faces the cruel weather and treads on difficult paths to get the job done to serve the country and society. And yet he faces such neglect. And the reason behind such relentless disdain is the society. Without considering the number of problems he may face on the road, his truck his loaded with goods and he’s sent off. No one thinks about his sufferings and no one looks into his requirements and no one makes any efforts in making his journey a little less unbearable. The society is indifferent towards him and his miserable life. Like a true warrior, he never gives up. No matter the nature and degree of the problem he is faced with, he always ensures the completion of his task. He never escapes from the obstacles he faces; he isn’t a coward. But instead of appreciating his bravery, the truck driver is constantly insulted and disrespected. Because of this callous treatment towards him, he has been deprived of a respectable position in the society.

Not just this, even their family – parents, wife and kids – have to lead a life of suffering. Even they are looked down upon by the cruel society. As if it were not enough that they had to live without him, they are even nagged about his profession by the society. The kids are made fun of at school, and being in such impressionable ages, they start loathing their father’s profession. The wife is disrespected and always positioned at a much lower social platform as compared to other ladies. The parents are always drowned in worry about their son who is constantly on the road, they fear for the safety of his life. Many girls refuse to marry truck drivers as they don’t consider it as a respectable profession and look down upon it.

This constant social disdain is why the truck driver is unsuccessful in commanding even an iota of respect; even their families are in constant ebb of morale. Unless these hard working truck drivers are given the respect that they deserve and are acknowledged and recognized for the services that they render to the society, the country’s transportation sector cannot prosper in the right way.

DRIVER IS A FIGHTER OF SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY Our chivalrous and brave soldiers watch the borders all day and all night just so that we can sleep peacefully at night in our homes. For our safety and protection; they have sleepless nights and they sacrifice everything, even their lives, for the country. In the same way, truck drivers have no relief and are always on the move for the economy. They live their lives in transit, and drive through areas no matter in peace or in times of riots; they always have to keep moving, day and night for the economy to function smoothly.

Yet, he is neglected and not given the respect that he deserves and his importance is not recognized. He is often held solely responsible for any mishaps or accidents that occur on the road. He is exploited and looted most of the time. He drives through rough and inaccessible terrains under any and every circumstance.

A soldier and truck driver, both protect the integrity and sovereignty of the nation. One ensures the safety of the nation while the other ensures the functionality of all economic activities with the nation. Truck drivers’ work day and night to ensure an effective logistics system for the nation and we heavily depend upon them but seldom recognize their efforts and sacrifices.

Hence, it is high time that we realize the importance of the truck drivers, and give them the status that they deserve in the society. They act as the country’s flowing blood, without them the economy would suffer.

A RAY OF HOPE FOR THE DRIVERS The world functions on the basic principle of “Give and Take”. It is a constant phenomenon of exchange where one gives and the other takes. And this helps maintain equilibrium with nature. There is a natural flow of energy from one end to the other, because of which the world functions. And as per Hindu mythology, only demons obstruct this flow of energy or material; as the Gods are the givers and the one who stops the flow is the Demon.

Initially one starts an establishment by receiving knowledge from the environment. After achieving a certain level of success, the receiver is then in a position to start giving back to the environment. Mr. Ramesh Agarwal started the Driver Seva Kendra with same intention; to give back to the society.

India prides in its Guru Shishya Parampara and believes in the tradition on Guru Dakshina, wherein after completion of the course, the disciple repays the Guru. The concept of Guru Dakshina evolved when Swami Dayanand asked his Guru Virajnanda about what he should offer as Dakshina, to which the Guru replied, “Remove all superstitions and blind faith from the society and enforce social reforms.” Similarly, Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa asked his disciple, Swami Vivekananda to spread the glory of Indian spiritual knowledge throughout the world. In the same way, Mr. Agarwal felt that he owed to his Guru – the transport sector, and hence he wanted to do something to contribute to the fast progress and development of the industry by extending benefits and services to the drivers, free of cost.

25 years ago, Mr. Ramesh Agarwal left his services with the Indian Air Force and spent his funds and savings on setting up the “Sainik Vidhwa Yojna” for the benefit of the widows of the martyrs. Once, a retired officer asked for his help in ensuring the safe delivery of his household goods from Hyderabad to Balasor, Odisha. Mr. Agarwal put in such meticulous efforts in performing this job and he did so with such perfection that he decided to take this up as a profession and that led to the establishment of Agarwal Packers & Movers.

As a CSR, APM has envisaged its role towards the society with keeping in mind the kind of life and pain that drivers go through. DSK was an initiative for the betterment of the driver’s society by taking care and providing them with basic amenities of life like food, clothing and shelter etc. Ever since 2012 DSK has been functioning successfully and has been able to reduce the death from 540 a day to 500 a day.

• With an aim to save lives APM succeeds on saving 41 lives a day.
• Welcoming the drivers by washing their feet.
• Sleepless move for drivers. A driver sleeps for not more than 3 hours in a day on an average.
• They work for the economy of the country and do not get even a sight of respect.
• Unnecessarily charged by the road police and other officials on the mid-way.