Tyre care and road safety training by ATMA for commercial drivers

One of the biggest woes for commercial vehicles is tyre related troubles, including flat tyres. These troubles can often lead to delay in delivery schedules and even accidents, in some cases.  

Automotive Tyre Manufacturers' Association (ATMA) recently conducted a tyre care and road safety campaign with commercial drivers. This safety drive came in the wake of the onset of winters, especially in northern parts of India. The focus was to impart knowledge concerning adequate tyre care which could translate into reduced cases of flat tyres, increased fuel economy and improved efficiency of the logistics chain. We could also see a fall in number of accidents caused by faulty tyres.

ATMA carried out this drive in partnership with ISRPL ( Indian Synthetic Rubber Pvt Ltd), which is actually a joint venture between Indian Oil Corp and TSRC of Taiwan. ATMA has been stressing on tyre care and road safety initiatives and has previously undertaken several campaigns with passenger vehicle drivers. Association with transporters and supply chain drivers only seems logical, after all the commercial drivers do drive the national economy.

Indian Tyre Technical Advisory Committee (ITTAC) was the Technical partner for this campaign, which took place at Panipat Refinery Campus of Indian Oil.

"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.

Rajiv Budhraja, Director General of ATMA, said, "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".

"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.

In a series of tyre safety checks that ATMA undertook, 100s of investigative engineers found that more than 60% of vehicles run on incorrect air pressure. This not  only undermines safety and handling of these vehicles but also leads to reduced fuel efficiency.

Members that have been regularly participating in such safety campaigns include CEAT, Yokohama, Bridgestone, Michelin, Apollo , Goodyear , MRF and other tyre manufacturers.