Agarwal packers call for action to reduce trucks' idle time

Logistics player Agarwal Packers and Movers today said overzealousness of authorities results in its trucks being immobile for 42 per cent of journey times, and action on this can help reduce transportation costs by 14 per cent for users.
"We have a fleet of over 1,200 trucks and they have to stop at small distances due to checking by the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and other authorities," its chairman and managing director Ramesh Agarwal said at an event here.
He said the company's trucks are able to cover only 330 kms a day as against a capacity of 600 kms.

"I have enough manpower and the improving quality of roads also support for such distances to be covered, but the check posts which come at every district restrict and result in down times," he said.
The Centre and respective state governments can help save cost of transportation, he said, stating that cost to a consumer who hires services will come down by 14 per cent if all such hurdles were to go off.
He said Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari had promised action on this after the new government came to power, but things are yet to change on the ground.

Agarwal said many times, the trucks go idle for trivial things.
"There might be human errors and you can use cash fines as a deterrent, but here the entire truck with valuable goods, which are up for time-bound delivery gets stuck," he rued.
The upcoming Goods and Services Tax, billed as a major reform to turn the entire country into a single market place, will also be not of much help in the current version where states are protesting, he said without elaborating.