The Grand Trunk Road - Decorated Trucks in India and Pakistan

What a driver earns depends on the distance and the load he is transporting. Carrying fruit and vegetables is especially profitable. They must meet tighter deadlines since fruit and vegetables will rot if not delivered on time. So the drivers stay on the road for 36 or even 48 hours at a time, to ensure the grapes, tomatoes or chillies they are carrying reach their destination in peak condition:

 

“ There are truckers who only ever carry perishables so this is how they live. You see it’s good money. They tell you you’ll get an extra 2,000 rupees (about £20) if you get the truck there within 24 hours. So every hour is crucial when you are carrying perishables. And if you don’t get there on time, then you lose out on your wages because your load isn’t saleable! Everyone wants to carry perishables – that’s where the money is!”

 

It is not surprising then that most truck drivers have to manage on very little sleep. They have to stop at regular intervals at roadside cafes to splash water on their faces to keep themselves awake. Some say they deliberately stay hungry to stop themselves from falling asleep at the wheel. But many do fall asleep unintentionally and this is when accidents happen:

 

“Of course it’s dangerous! You nod off and you’re finished and so is your truck. The trucker coming towards you nods off and you’re finished and so is your truck. If it’s the other driver’s fault you’ll get the blame. Or a cow or a goat gets in the way and the driver still gets the blame. Then imagine, you’ve been driving, you’ve rushed your dinner, you start driving again and you feel sleepy…Plenty of accidents!”