Indefinite lorry strike in five districts from Monday

The State Lorry Owners Association-Tamil Nadu (SLOFT) has announced indefinite lorry strike in five districts of the delta region from Monday (February 16). The federation has also said that it will announce plans for State-wide indefinite strike on Tuesday.

The lorry owners planned a strike in December last year against the Union Ministry of Road Transport guidelines issued in November 2025 regarding the increase in fees for fitness certificates for all vehicles ranging from two-wheelers to heavy vehicles under the Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1989.

According to the guidelines implemented from December 2025, ₹1,000 is fixed for vehicles that are 10-13 years old, ₹5,000 for vehicles between 13 and 15 years old, and ₹25,000 for vehicles over 15 and 20 years old. The strike was postponed following an assurance that the fees would be reduced.

SLOFT president C. Dhanaraj said that one lakh lorries have stopped operation for the past three months, expecting the charges to be reduced. Petitions were submitted to the ministry and the officials concerned to reduce the fee. The Kerala government reduced the fee hike by 40%. But, in Tamil Nadu, there was no proper reply from the State government, he said.

Stating that 2.5 lakh lorries were affected by this hike out of the total 6.50 lakh lorries in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Dhanaraj said the vehicles that crossed 15 years and 20 years are running in goodsheds and in Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation godowns. These lorries are valued at less than ₹3 lakh. But it has to spend around ₹28,000 every year for a fitness certificate. So lorries in Tiruchi, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Mayiladuthurai districts will not be operated from Monday. On Tuesday, the SLOFT executive committee will meet in Namakkal and the date of the State-wide indefinite strike will be announced.

“We also approached mini truck associations to give their support for the strike, as there are around 20 lakh mini trucks in Tamil Nadu. The State government should consider our demands, as we have been waiting for more than three months for a reply from the government,” Mr. Dhanaraj added.