Day to day task and challenges of a truck driver

Posted by Zighra Logistics on January 18th, 2021

The truck driver’s job is a challenging and stressful job as it involves work pressure to meet the deadline. They work round the clock to move the goods from one place to another. They have to frequently drive the truck to another place to parcel goods. Truck drivers have to bear work stress and pain due to bad road conditions in some regions. The comfortability of the drive depends on the power of the truck’s engine and it’s instrumentations. Truck drivers who work for the top transport and logistics companies of India have to pick up and transport goods from ports, airports, and railway stations to the warehouses and distribution centers.

The truck drivers are the backbone of the logistics and supply chain companies in India and the world, they help in achieving the company’s business goals by generating revenues. For logistics companies, time is money, missing the deadline in delivering the orders causes financial losses to the logistics company. In India, 65% of freight transport is through the road mainly on trucks. This companies play an important role in the development of the remote region by improving its connectivity through road along with improvement in the business with trade and investment. So, the role of truck drivers in the development of the logistics and supply chain companies is important. Below are some day to day tasks and challenges of truck drivers:

DAY TO DAY TASK OF A TRUCK DRIVER

• Transporting goods or parcels from one place to another within the mentioned time frame. The goods may be finished goods or raw materials to be transported for industries.
• Inspecting the vehicle frequently, checking about their condition, and performing preventive maintenance of the vehicle.
• Planning better routes for easy and short delivery times.
• Daily updates about the distance and time-driven, fuel spent/refilled, fuel/toll receipts, rest hours, and any other maintenance charges.
• Comply with truck driving rules and regulations along with the company's policies and procedures.
• Go through the delivery instructions.
• Reporting to the company about any mishaps.

CHALLENGES FACED BY TRUCK DRIVERS:

The truck drivers face multiple challenges in their duty hours both physically and mentally. Driving a heavy load vehicle like a truck requires continuous concentration. They have to take care of the safety and security of the vehicle and the goods because the value of the goods loaded for transportation will be very high.

Work pressure:

Truck drivers always have work pressure on their heads to meet the target, management of the companies set the target time for optimization of the vehicle. They have to constantly drive along with their fellow drivers to meet the deadline and they sometimes hardly get time to sleep and have enough rest. Truck drivers of some busy companies get very little time to spend with their families.

Health issues:

Due to poor rest and odd timings for food, truck drivers face health issues. Continuous driving also causes body pain and also affects mental health conditions. Improper sleep patterns also affect their memory power.

Bad roads:

Sometimes truck drivers have to drive through remote locations where the condition of the roads are very bad. Bad roads affect the truck’s speed and driving hours posing more challenges to the truck drivers.

Food facilities:

Since drivers have to move from one place to another may be from one state to another, they have to depend on the motel for food. Most of the time they do not get the food of their choice.

Road accidents:

Road accident is a major challenge for truck drivers, no one knows when a mishap can occur. They also take care of the safety and security of the goods along with their life.

Payments:

Truck drivers are not much paid high compared to their work hours and stress levels. Logistics and supply chain companies always tend to optimize their operating costs by paying less to their truck drivers. Although they are insured with health and other benefits but their pay is not up to the mark