Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), the maker of BharatBenz trucks, has for the first time used the rail network to deliver its brand-new vehicles to northern markets, replacing the traditional method of driving them over long distances.
On August 6, a dedicated train carrying 64 trucks departed from Singaperumal Koil station, about 20 km from DICV’s Oragadam plant near Chennai, bound for Faruknagar in Haryana. The 2,400-km journey, which takes nearly the same time by road or rail, was managed by TCI Supply Chain.
The initiative is estimated to have reduced around 50 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. “We hope to regularly send trucks by rail to different markets,” said C. Muthu, President & Chief of Operations & Logistics, DICV.
Apart from sustainability gains, the shift to rail transport brings several operational advantages, including reduced tyre wear, lower odometer readings, and elimination of transit damage, offering significant benefits for customers, he added.