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Transport in India in 2014: page 3 - trucks (by Dick Gilbert)
Last updated 28 August 2024
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Since my last trip I'd forgotten how glorious Indian trucks can be. This highly decorated Tata 2518c, seen parked by the road from Farakka to Malda, serves as a reminder of their delights.
As some of you will know, I spent a short holiday in India in October 2006. What a fantastic country! At that time we visited four states - Delhi (DL registrations), Haryana (HR), Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Rajasthan (RJ). On my return I created three pages illustrating the transport delights that I saw.
Then, in 2014, I went back again, but this time to West Bengal (WB registrations), starting from Kolkata (Calcutta) and travelling about 250 miles north up into the real rural India, close to the Bangladeshi border and following the Hooghly River, a branch of the mighty Ganges. It was a fabulous trip with lots of new things to see, and I've divided my pictures into five sections, as per the above list:
I covered the topic of Indian trucks previously in my 2006 pages, but the trip to West Bengal offered some new sights and new angles on the subject, so I guess it's worth having another look.
Let's start with a different type of truck, as I'd never seen these before. The Shaktiman was built for the Indian military from 1959 for over 35 years, but the type is now largely phased out. So it's hardly surprising that many are now appearing in civilian use and these two were seen at a brickyard near Farakka.
Here's another Shaktiman, also near Farakka. Based on a German MAN design, around 70,000 were built in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh for the Indian Army and came in many variants, but they all looked pretty much like this. I'm glad I saw some, as they are probably a dying breed.
Further north up the same road is an example of overtaking, Indian style. The driver of this Ashok Leyland from Andhra Pradesh (AP) - which is nearly 800 miles south of here - in a line of traffic heading for Bangladesh, has decided that it's a good moment to overtake five other trucks, despite the tricycle and pick-up truck coming the other way. Good idea?
At a slower pace, here is another Indian overtaking manoeuvre. If you can't squeeze by on the correct side of the road, go across to the other side and try your luck there. If that fails, you can always leave the road altogether and take to the fields.
Some of the roads up near the Bangladeshi border are awful and take their toll on the trucks, particularly with regard to axles and suspension. The regular overloading doesn't help. Here are some roadside repairs on a tanker.
In this case the front right wheel of a Tata 2515 has snapped right off. The load then began to lean dangerously, so the tarpaulin was gingerly removed (at some risk to the crew underneath!) and the sacks started to fall off. They are gradually being transferred to the truck on the right, and only then might it be possible to jack up the truck and sort out the front axle. They sure know how to overload a truck. Meanwhile the rest of the traffic has to pass by on the left.
Sometimes the problem is more serious. We saw several trucks which had rolled over on sharp bends, largely because they were loaded to such a great height. This Tata has toppled into a lake; no injuries, as far as we could tell.
But, if all else fails, there's a Tata 1612 standing by to rescue you with welcome written on the side.
Sometimes the queue of trucks heading towards the Bangladeshi border was so solid that it came to a stop. In which case all the rest of the traffic went over to the other carriageway (something they were quite used to). The joke is the inscription across the back of this truck which says obey the traffic rules.
By this stage the truck traffic heading towards the border was stationary for miles, often in two lines stretching from horizon to horizon. I've never seen so many trucks in my life, and had no idea that there were so many in India.
This little Tata van seems to be performing several functions at the same time - van, minibus, open-top double decker and (by the look of it) part-time mobile fast-food outlet. Quite an achievement, so no wonder it's called Tarzan.
Finally, something completely different. This 4x4 armoured vehicle from the Kolkata Police quick reaction Team (KP QRT) is a 2.5 litre bullet-proof Mahindra Marksman, and is apparently always seen guarding the Victoria Memorial in central Calcutta.
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