The reason behind the success of India truck industry is the added advantages of road transport over the railways. Trucks can accept goods in small quantities, can reach rural and hill areas, and also require less time than the rail for loading and unloading of goods. As a result, India truck
industry cemented its place in goods transportation. With passage of time, truck industry in India has involved a good number of Indian automobile giants including Tata Motors, Hindustan Motors, Ashok Leyland, Mahindra and Mahindra, Force Motors, Swaraj Maza, Eicher etc.
Profit and Profitability
Following are some of the factors that prove to be vital in profitability of truck operations:
- Fuel Prices
- Capacity Utilization
- Freight Trips
- Other Operating Costs
Following are the ways that truck operators take to optimize the profits:
- Overloading the vehicles in general
- Maintaining a suitable vehicle mix according to the vehicle's payload capacity
Types of Trucks in India
The trucks can be classified into several sub-categories depending upon their size and purpose of use. Following are types of trucks that one can find in the India truck industry:
- Haulage
- Rigid Trucks
- Tippers
- Cabs
- Delivery Vans
- Trailers
Truck Manufacturers in India
There are a number of companies that manufacture trucks in India with different models. Following are some of the most well-known truck manufacturers in India and their models:
| Ashok Leyland |
|---|
| Haulage | Tippers | Rigid Trucks |
| 4X2 Haulage Models | Hippo Tipper | Beaver Tractor |
| Multiaxle Vehicles | Stallion Mk III Tipper | Hippo Tractor |
| Hippo Haulage | | Ecomet |
| Beaver Haulage | | |
| Hindustan Motors Ltd. |
|---|
| Rigid Trucks | Force Motors |
| Mascot T-480 FC | CLA 40.280 |
| Pick-up | CLA 49.280 |
| Cargo | |
| Porter Plus | |
| Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. |
|---|
| Cabs | Delivery Van |
| Pick-up Range | Mahindra Voyager Delivery Van |
| Hard Top Range | |
| LCV Range | |
| Tata Motors |
|---|
| Rigid Trucks | Pic-Up |
| World Trucks | Tata Xenon XT |
| Tata Ace | |
| Rigid Trucks | |
| Tata Novus | |
| Swaraj Mazda |
|---|
| Rigid Trucks | Applications |
| Sartaj V W 26-S | Super ZT54 |
| Premium Truck | Swaraj Mazda Water Tank |
| Swaraj 4 Wheel Drive | |
| Volvo |
|---|
| Rigid Trucks | Tippers |
| Volvo FM | Volvo FM9 Tippers |
| Volvo FH | |
Problems in India Truck Industry
The global economic slow down has had a great impact on the India truck industry. As the price of raw materials for the industry has soared up, it has resulted in price hikes for Indian trucks. Tata Motors had to raise its truck prices by an average of 3.5%, which affected the demands.
India truck industry also had to face problems during the energy crisis in 2003-08, which led to rise in automotive fuel prices. It resulted in diminishing demand for trucks with low-fuel efficiency. The poor road infrastructure in India has also caused huge problems for the Indian truck industry as many prefer to choose railways over road transports for moving goods within the country.
Last Updated on June 25, 2015
