Transporters yet to shrug off GST blues

Diesel prices raising costs; demand low on most routes

Transporters are under pressure two months after the goods and services tax (GST) was imposed. The immediate problem faced by the truckers is rising diesel prices. Demand for transport is low, and haulage companies are not able to pass on rising fuel costs except on a few busy routes where freight rates have risen marginally.

“Traders and SMEs (small and medium enterprises) are yet not fully conversant with the GST, and demand is low,” says Vineet Agarwal, managing director, Transport Corporation of India (TCI). TCI is among India’s largest freight companies and at any point 10,000-15,000 of its trucks are