Introduced by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Government of India, in 2017 on a pilot basis by the Mumbai Traffic police in October 2016, the e-challan system has since been put into practive all over the country. Aimed at digitising the process of traffic violation enforcement by eliminating manual loopholes, the system is proving to be annoying for transporters however.

It is not the technology, but the ones who deploy the system, claims transporters. Stating that the e-challan system has over time become a source of significant distress for transporters even though its introduction was appreciated by the industry as it digitised the process of traffic violation enforcement and eliminated many manual loopholes, Bal Malkit Singh, Chairman - Core Committe and Former President, All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC), averred, "The system has over time become a source of significant distress for transporters and other road users. It has become a new ‘Frankenstein’ and death knell for the road transport sector.” 

Stating that a strong resentment is brewing and the transport fraternity across the country is agitating, Singh said, “The intention behind e-challans is to improve transparency and reduce manual intervention, but several issues have risen to complicate the situation for transporters.” “The primary issue stems from the large volume of incorrect or excessive e-challans issued to them. Many trucks plying long distances are receiving multiple e-challans for the same alleged offense or due to erroneous readings from speed detection or overloading devices,” he added. 

Giving an example of trucks travelling through multiple states often receiving fines for supposed infractions such as over-speeding or minor overloading even though they are within legal limits, Singh explained, “Such errors accumulate and led to a financial strain for transporters. This is exacerbated as transporters operate nationwide – covering diverse terrains and jurisdictions – that would mean that they may be penalised in various states.” “These fines often lack clarity or the chance for immediate redressal, leading to confusion and increased operational costs,” he elaborated.

Informing that enforcement officials have found a way around technology to generate motivated challans without any verifiable proof of offence, which is leading to acute harassment of the transport fraternity, Singh articulated, “There is neither authentication of any violation through static photo nor there is any transparency leading to acute harassment of the transport fraternity. Static photo of a parked vehicle is clicked and challans are issued for random offences. The vehicle owner may be from a geographically distant state and cannot contest the challan in court. Lack of communication regarding issuance of e-challan to the vehicle owner/operators who is sitting in one part of the country and must travel across the length and breadth of it to get it disposed/rectified.”

With instance where the vehicle owner comes to know of the challans issued only after he tries to dispose of his vehicle, goes to renew its fitness and to renew the permit (in the case of commercial vehicles), the issues with e-challans is pan-India in nature than be limited to a certain geographically or cultural area it looks like. 

Transport associations like the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) have voiced concerns and are actively engaging with state and central authorities to address the growing problem. They have raised issues related to inaccurate e-challans due to technical errors or faulty detection equipment, lack of a unified system across states leading to inconsistency in how fines are issued and difficulty in contesting these fines as there is no streamlined process for redressal or appealing incorrect challans.

They are demanding a centralised and transparent grievance redressal system, standardisation of e-challan policies, equipment calibration across states and leniency or waiver of penalties that are clearly issued due to system malfunctions, according to Singh. 

Of the opinion that traffic enforcement is a state subject, Singh expressed that the intensity and frequency of issues differ state-to-state therefore and in some states use of faulty equipment or overly strict enforcement practices that has led to a higher number of incorrect challans. Singh drew attention to issues like non-integration with national vehicle databases (such as Vahan 4) in some states. “The system in Telangana for example,” Singh articulated, “has been of specific concern for transporters because it is not fully integrated with the national system, leading to problems like wrongful issuance of challans for vehicles from other states.” 

"The potential solutions to addressing the issue of e-challan," Singh commented, “Is to ensure scientifically verifiable evidence. A centralised grievance redressal system with a nodal officer should be put in place. The exact recording of the offence with exact measurement in case of over-height or overload or similar such case should be presented rather than a picture to avoid any doubt about motivated action. Equipment and procedures should be standardised. Vehicle databases should be integrated. Enforcement officials should ne trained to be humane. The accountability of the enforcement officials should be ascertained whenever the issue of motivated challans is there." 

Image for representative purpose only. 

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Ashok Leyland, the Indian flagship of the Hinduja Group and the nation’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturer, has expanded its presence in Odisha with a new light commercial vehicle dealership in Rourkela. This facility represents the company’s seventh LCV outlet in the state, reinforcing a nationwide distribution network that now exceeds 945 customer touchpoints. The product range available includes BADA DOST, DOST, SAATHI, PARTNER and MiTR.

The newly appointed channel partner, SteelEx India, operates a 3S facility covering sales, service and spares at Brahmani Tarang in Vedvyas, Rourkela. Strategically positioned to serve local demand, the site features 12 quick service bays alongside modern infrastructure aimed at delivering a superior customer experience.

With this inauguration, Ashok Leyland continues to strengthen its light commercial vehicle footprint in eastern India, leveraging a robust service backbone to enhance vehicle uptime and owner support in the Rourkela region.

Viplav Shah, Head – LCV Business, Ashok Leyland, said, “Odisha has always been an important market for us, and we are excited to further strengthen our presence in this region. Our relationship with customers is built on trust, performance and shared growth. Our products are known for their superior mileage, reliability and performance with a robust network and an industry-leading service retention; we take pride in the continued confidence our customers place in us. The opening of this new dealership marks another step in our commitment to delivering world-class products and unmatched service.”

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Pune-headquartered automotive major Force Motors has announced its strongest-ever annual financial performance in FY2026, driven by significant growth in the domestic market and improved operating leverage.

The company reported a 13 percent YoY growth in revenue at INR 91.67 billion, EBITDA at INR 15.93 billion, up 39 percent YoY and a net profit of INR 12.11 billion, up 51 percent YoY.

It attributed the growth to broad-based expansion across primary vehicle platforms, maintaining its dominant position in the van segment while doubling its presence in the premium mobility sector. Force Motors continues to remain a zero-debt company, highlighting a disciplined approach to capital allocation and financial prudence.

The company reported a 20 percent growth in overall domestic wholesales compared to the previous fiscal year. Performance across key platforms includes the Traveller maintaining a consistent 70 percent market share in the core van segment. Urbania recording over 100 percent growth, established as a leader in premium shared mobility.

Trax volume grew by over 70 percent, successfully expanding the company's reach into rural and semi-urban markets. While, demand for specialised vehicles strengthened through institutional and defence portfolio, fulfilling key orders for specialised applications for the Indian Armed Forces.

The record profitability is attributed to an improved quality of earnings and a more balanced product mix. Higher volumes allowed for better absorption of fixed costs, while a focus on higher-margin premium segments, such as the Urbania, bolstered the bottom line.

Prasan Firodia, Managing Director, Force Motors, said, “We have been a segment creator since our inception, and we are now pioneering and leading the premium shared mobility segment with Urbania’s strong presence, while platforms like Traveller and Trax continue to deliver scale and reach across markets. At the same time, our engagement with institutional and defence customers reflects the depth of our engineering capabilities and our ability to deliver in demanding and ever‑evolving environments.”

“FY2025–26 marks an unprecedented year in our journey, where consistent execution across quarters has translated into our strongest-ever financial performance. This has been driven by a clear focus on the segments where we believe we can lead and also create new segments, supported by improved operating leverage and a more balanced product mix. As we look ahead, we remain focused on building the business with consistency and discipline. Staying closely aligned to customer needs, while continuing to strengthen our product, technology and innovation capabilities, will remain central to how we approach the next phase of growth,” he added.

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Euler Motors has announced a strategic partnership with Annapurna Finance to expand financing options for electric commercial vehicles (EVs), specifically targeting semi-urban and rural markets in India.

Annapurna Finance joins Euler Motors’ network of over 15 financing partners, offering customised loan solutions for the manufacturer's range of electric three-wheelers and four-wheelers.

The collaboration focuses on fleet operators, small businesses and last-mile entrepreneurs who have traditionally remained outside the mainstream lending ecosystem.

The partnership aims to leverage the unique strengths of both organisations to bridge the credit gap in the commercial EV sector. They will focus on micro-entrepreneurs and MSMEs in underserved regions where formal credit access is often limited. By using Euler Motors’ data-driven insights into vehicle performance and battery health, Annapurna Finance can perform more accurate risk assessments on EV assets.

The initiative aims to improve the unit economics for small operators by providing affordable financing that aligns with the higher uptime and lower operating costs of electric vehicles.

Rohit Gattani, VP of Growth & Vehicle Financing, Euler Motors, said, “Financing remains one of the most critical levers for EV adoption in the commercial segment, especially in markets where access to formal credit is limited. As demand scales, the real unlock lies in reaching operators who have the intent to transition but remain outside traditional lending ecosystems. Annapurna Finance brings a strong, on-ground understanding of these customer segments, particularly in semi-urban and rural markets, which will allow us to extend EV access far more meaningfully. This partnership is about going beyond availability of credit to enabling real participation in the EV economy, with stronger unit economics and more predictable earnings for small businesses and fleet operators.”

Asish Mishra, Head of Product, Annapurna Finance, said, “At Annapurna Finance, our focus has always been on expanding access to credit for segments that are often overlooked by mainstream financial systems. With EVs emerging as a viable pathway for income generation, this partnership comes at a critical time. Euler Motors’ strong product engineering and real-world performance focus give us confidence in the asset itself, which is fundamental to enabling sustainable financing. For our customers, this translates into higher vehicle uptime, better operating efficiency, and ultimately more stable and improved earnings over the long term. We see this as a meaningful step towards building both financial inclusion and clean mobility at scale.

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Tarmac, a CRH company and one of United Kingdom’s leading sustainable building materials and construction solutions business, has reported a significant decrease in road incidents and operational costs following the first 12 months of a safety technology partnership with Motormax and Geotab.

The company operates a diverse fleet of over 2,000 vehicles including trucks, vans and plant equipment, deployed a multi-camera system integrated with the MyGeotab platform.

This ‘single pane of glass’ view allows transport teams to access telematics data and high-quality video footage simultaneously, providing evidence for incident reporting and targeted driver training.

The implementation has delivered measurable improvements across safety and financial metrics including 30 percent decrease in driver-fault collisions and a 50 percent reduction in ‘pulling out’ incidents. The proportion of high and medium-risk drivers fell from 40 percent to 6.5 percent.

Tarmac claims it achieved a 30 percent YoY saving in collision repair costs, while fuel economy improved by 25 percent across the van fleet due to better driving behaviours. Speeding incidents per 1,000 miles also halved since May 2023.

The technology has streamlined collaboration with Tarmac’s insurer, AXA. By training the insurance claims team to use the system, the company has accelerated claims resolution and improved liability decisions. Based on these results, the insurer has provided a bursary that Tarmac is reinvesting into multi-camera technology for all new vehicles.

Jonathan Meddings, Fleet Risk & Compliance Manager, Tarmac, said, “The integration allows managers to view telematics data and high-quality camera footage in a single platform, accelerating decision-making and streamlining fleet operations. As a result, we have already seen significant cost savings.”

Beyond safety, the platform supports wider business functions including HMRC Compliance – accurate reporting of personal mileage usage. Improved mileage capture for lease vehicles and the optimisation of vehicle types to ensure higher-cost 4x4s are only used when necessary.

Tarmac uses the data to reward safe driving through its ‘100 Club’ initiative, which recognises drivers who maintain perfect scores over 300 miles in a month.

The integration of fleet safety data into monthly management packs has elevated road safety from a compliance task to a core operational discipline with clear accountability.

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