Identification and evaluation of challenges in commercial vehicle transport business in India post-implementation of BS-VI emission norms

Abstract

Commercial vehicles are an indispensable part of logistics and public transport in India. It is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions too. Several countries across the world have implemented stringent statutory norms for vehicular emissions that all the automobile OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) have to adhere to while designing, producing, and after-sales the vehicle. India has also mandated BS-VI (Bharat Stage- Six) emissions norms from April 2020. Though the motive of the implementation is commendable and will prove good to society at large in the years to come, its implementation of it has created enormous challenges for OEMs and users, particularly commercial vehicles. There are several reasons attributed to it. This paper is an attempt to identify and evaluate the challenges in the commercial vehicle transport business after the implementation of BS-VI emission norms. Various challenges are identified through literature and interactions with experts and users. The challenges are then ranked according to their significance using AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process). The challenges are then grouped into cause-and-effect categories using DEMATEL (Decision making trial and evaluation laboratory). The outcomes of the analysis would help OEMs, policymakers, and automobile users to take appropriate decisions and corrective actions for overcoming especially the maintenance and human related challenges.