Karnataka truckers oppose mandatory installation of tracking device

Bengaluru: The Federation of Karnataka State Lorry Owners And Agents Association has demanded the transport department to drop the mandate to install vehicle location tracking device (VLTD) and panic button in the existing vehicles. The federation also said that installing High-Security Registration Plates (HSRP) was of no benefit.

“While affixing the VLTDs in older vehicles, there are chances of wiring and other issues, which won’t be covered under the insurance,” Aravind Appaji, secretary of the federation, said. 

“The second thing is there is a chance of data leak of the movements of our vehicles. These devices are being pre-installed in vehicles bought after 2019. However, we are yet to see what benefits it has. The vendors are also fleecing us by charging Rs 5,500 annually as renewal charges. When there are features of raising alarms in mobile phones, what’s the point of a panic button?”

Appaji also said that there was a lobby behind the installation of HSRP and conversion of the driving licence book into a smart card.

“The transport department claims that the stolen vehicles could be traced better using the HSRP. But how many have been traced as of now using the HSRP? Similarly, there is a lobby behind the conversion of a driving licence book into a smart card. In this digital era, why can’t they give a QR code, which can be scanned instead of fleecing us through smart cards?” Appaji asked.

The federation has also written to Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy with the same demands. The state government has set November 30, 2024, as the deadline for installing the devices in all public service and goods vehicles holding national permits.

According to the transport department, the installation charges would be Rs 7,599 (excluding GST).