This document summarizes driver rest room facilities available at an Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) retail outlet in Manesar, India. The IOC outlet provides a parking area, cooking facilities, eating area, rest area with cots and TV, bathroom, and washing area for truck drivers. These facilities give drivers a clean and affordable place to rest, cook meals, wash, and socialize while waiting to continue their journeys. However, there are still too few such facilities for the many truck drivers in India who often must sleep in their trucks or eat at unhygienic roadside restaurants. IOC aims to expand these types of driver rest areas but more investment is needed to properly support long-haul truck drivers in India

1. Driver Rest Room Facilities
@ IOC Retail Outlet, Manesar

2. As one passes through the National Highway 8 – linking Delhi with Jaipur – one cannot escape
noticing the massive Indian Oil Corporation’s Company-Owned Company-Operated (COCO)
retail outlet bang opposite the National Security Guard (NSG) headquarters.

3. A perfect halt for Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCVs) or trucks plying to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar
and beyond before they cross Gurgaon. Due to entry/exit restrictions on the Gurgaon-Delhi
border for HCVs, drivers have no option but to wait for the sunset to move further. What one
will do if they did arrive ahead of the free flow time? Hang around on the roadside or… park
inside this IOC outlet.

4. This outlet, managed by Madan Kumar, is a perfect haven for truck drivers wanting to pass
time – away from choc-a-bloc NH 8 always. A decent parking lot, unlike the usual highways
dhabas they frequent almost on every trip.

5. Driver Rest Room Facilities (DRRF) is something the oil marketing company is keen to develop
to assist truck drivers. This IOC outlet at Manesar boasts of such a DRRF within its premises.

6. This DRRF has a dedicated area marked for self-cooking purpose. Contrary to popular belief
that truck drivers always eat at highways dhabas, they do cook their own meals almost
regularly because eating out is expensive even at their level.

7. This pair of drivers, for instance, are busy preparing their ‘roti’ (Indian bread) and ‘dal’ (thick
lentil, spiced and mixed with diced vegetables) as an accompaniment. After parking their
vehicles in the yard, they access the nearest market for their requirement of rice, wheat flour
(atta), vegetables, edible oil etc. One thing they don’t buy is the fuel for their stove. They dip
into their fuel tank to meet this requirement!

8. Yes, they do miss eating their spouse-cooked home food. “We are always on the road. How we
can expect our ‘biwis’ (wives) to be with us always? There is our family to attended to at
villages. So we learn to cook and eat our own food. It’s really tasty! Taste some of this stuff,”
offers one of these drivers at Manesar DRRF. Do they cook when they visit home on short
holidays? No way, pat comes the response.

9. Some eat in groups from a single thali (plate). Cook together and eat together.

10. The DRRF at Manesar has a wash basin, but no tap.

11. A restaurant functioning from the same IOC outlet offers Drivers special vegetarian thali @
Rs.60. But no takers. Why? Expensive, claim truck drivers.

12. Post-lunch or at any time, drivers have access to this rest-cum-recreation room with working
ceiling fans. It has a few wooden cots to lie down and a colour TV to watch. No register is
maintained to track the usage of this facility. Why not offer them a soft pillow and blanket?

13. Interesting part of this DRRF at Manesar is the toilet facility for truck drivers. Perhaps this was
meant for general public. Nonetheless, truck drivers are given access, which is a good gesture.

14. The bathing area @ this IOC outlet is the best thing I have seen. Long haul truck drivers
certainly make use of it to the maximum: to bathe and wash their clothes. Several notches
above the usual dhaba bathing tanks!

15. Bathing over. Cooking over. Eating over.
Resting over. Sunset, a few hours away.
Still sufficient time to gossip among their
fraternity. These drivers sit on the shaded
lawns inside the IOC outlet, closer to their
parked vehicles and engaged in
conversation.
IOC claims that it has approximately 650
DRRFs on National and State highways
across India. Some are COCO – like this
one at Manesar. Others are under the
charge of the IOC dealer of that particular
fuel station. Are they equally well
managed and monitored?
Yes, it is still a drop in the ocean. Highway
amenities for long haul truck drivers is the
most neglected area. These soldiers on
highways sleep inside their cabins and eat
at unhygienic dhabas. Not because they
want to, but because there are no decent
and affordable Driver Rest Rooms like this.
It’s time we show that we care for them.

16. IOC, Manesar is NOT the only DRRF in India.
There are others too.
Check out the NEXT Slide

17. Driver Rest Room Facilities
@ Milestone Motors, Dibrugarh

18. (Cut & Paste this link on your URL + CLICK)
www.slideshare.net/supplychaindia/drrfassam