The Hindu : National : Driving their way to success

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 04, 2006

National

National

Driving their way to success

P. Sujatha Varma

VIJAYAWADA: Smooth roads, cabins with plush interiors, well-maintained vehicles, insurance cover, fixed working hours and $4,000 to $5,000 a month. What more could a truck driver ask for? After all the hard work amid challenging working conditions in India, a trucker saves only around Rs. 4,000 to Rs. 5,000 a month. Can an Indian truck driver ever imagine getting a job in the U.S.? Yes. The opportunity is knocking at his door. A CNBC estimate has pegged the requirement of heavy vehicle drivers in that country at 5,12,000 over the next decade. Lured by the abundant human resources in India, American recruiting agencies are now looking at the driving institutes here. Over 160 drivers are being trained at the world-class driving facility created by the Krishna District Lorry Owners' Association at Ampapuram, opposite the Gannavaram Airport. They are being taught spoken English and road rules during the four-month training module, which costs Rs. 25,000.

Adverse conditions will be simulated to equip them to handle any kind of terrain, including the slippery conditions during snowfall. In all, 220 truckers will be trained.

If they clear the H-2 visa (temporary employment) interview, they will initially be employed in the U.S. for a year. Other requirements include ability to read and write English, a clean police record and a HIV negative status.

"The drivers will, in all probability, reach the U.S. by January, which is the middle of winter," says M. John, director of Western Truckers' School, a private company engaged by the OMCAP (Overseas Manpower Company, Andhra Pradesh), a State Government agency floated to help jobless youth find employment in foreign countries, to which is training the drivers.

"We are looking for Indian drivers with a minimum of five years of experience in driving 10-wheeled vehicles," says Philip J.P. Gagan, a U.S.-based contractor who mediates between a consortium of nearly 40 trucking companies and suppliers of workforce.

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