ATMA Kicks off Safety Training for CV Drivers with ISRPL on Board

Having undertaken several campaigns aimed at sensitizing Passenger Vehicle (PV) owners on tyre safety, ATMA has sharpened focus on Tyre Care & Road Safety awareness amongst Commercial Vehicle (CV) drivers.

Commencing the drive in right earnest, Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA) has joined hands with Indian Synthetic Rubber P Ltd. (ISRPL), a joint venture of Indian Oil Corporation & TSRC - Taiwan for increasing tyre safety awareness amongst a large number of transporters and supply chain drivers associated with ISRPL.

A day-long session was held at Panipat Refinery campus of Indian Oil recently attended by drivers, logistics in-charge, fleet owners and top management of ISRPL. The session was held by ATMA in association with its technical partner Indian Tyre Technical Advisory Committee (ITTAC).

"It is the commercial vehicle drivers who drive the wheels of economy. ATMA TESS (Technology, Environment, Safety & Standards) Group felt a heightened need for training commercial vehicle drivers on tyre safety. We compliment ISRPL for coming forward and getting actively involved in training of its supply chain drivers," said P K Mohamed, Convener ATMA TESS Group.

"Especially in North India, winters tend to get foggy. Commercial vehicles stranded on the roads could prove risky as it could lead to traffic snarls. We would wish that drivers take proactive measures to maintain their tyres so that down time could be minimised. Such training sessions held in an intimate setting also provide an opportunity to the drivers to clarify their doubts," said Rajiv Budhraja, Director General ATMA.

"Specially designed training modules were prepared in vernacular languages for ease of training to CV drivers. Booklets on tyre care in vernacular languages were also distributed on the occasion. Based on the feedback received, we will modify the training modules," said Dipankar Paul, Coordinator Safety, ATMA.

Showing commitment to the cause, top management of ISRPL including Joe Cheng ( Chief Operating Officer), Bishwajeet Bose (GM Marketing), Bibhuti Chowdhury (Head -Materials) and Lalit Sharma (Dy GM - Materials) participated in the Tyre safety session as a morale booster for the drivers.

In a series of Tyre Safety clinics over one year, more than 100 service engineers from ATMA member companies carried out safety checks covering over 22000 tyres across New Delhi, Chennai, Mysore, Chandigarh and Greater Noida. The survey found that over 60% of the cars do not have properly maintained tyre pressure which undermines safety and fuel efficiency.

ATMA members which have been participating in Tyre Safety campaigns include Apollo Tyres, Birla Tyres, Bridgestone India, CEAT, Continental India, Goodyear India, JK Tyre & Industries, Michelin, MRF, TVS Tyres and Yokohama.

ATMA is amongst the most active national industry bodies in the country representing Rs. 55000 crore (USD 8 bn) automotive tyre industry. Eleven large tyre companies comprising mix of Indian and International tyre majors and representing over 90% of production of tyres in India are members of the Association.