The Centre has approved a draft notification that mandates air-conditioning systems in cabins of trucks classified under categories N2 and N3. This means almost all trucks above 7.5 tonne GVW must have AC cabins.
Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport and Highways, had recently announced that all trucks would be required to have AC driver compartments from 2025. He has been batting for drivers’ comfort levels for a while now given that they work in extreme climatic conditions.
In a tweet, he said: 'Approved the draft notification to mandate the installation of air-conditioning systems in the cabins of trucks belonging to categories N2 and N3. Truck drivers play a crucial role in ensuring road safety. This decision marks a significant milestone in providing comfortable working conditions for truck drivers, thereby improving their efficiency and addressing the problem of driver fatigue.'
Ever since he became the Minister of Transport, Gadkari has been keen to introduce AC cabins for trucks. His goal was to enhance road safety and working conditions for drivers. This would reduce their fatigue and also enhance overall productivity of trucks.
The move, though welcome, will pose challenges. AC cabins will see a hike in ex-factory cost as more than 55% of trucks sold in India have a cowl. Customers build the cabin at their convenience thereby compromising safety standards.
Those OEMs that retail more trucks with cowls will need to look at several aspects such as designing the cabin with customised ducts and vents for every model/variant, modifying the instrument panel, developing an HVAC system suitable for all models, working on the cooling systems, placement of condenser unit besides, tweaking the engine power to support the compressor etc.
According to industry experts, these will add to the ex-factory cost. While the acquisition cost will doubtless increase, observers say the AC cabin will enhance productivity and might even reduce transportation costs.
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