T. Kumaresan, Chennai
From an auto driver to a fleet owner
He began his career as an auto driver...
He began his career as an auto driver
His day starts at 4.15 am and ends at 11.30 pm
He had a burning desire to drive his own vehicle
A chance accident of Chola AD in the newspaper changed his life
Today he’s a fleet owner of 8 vehicles, all purchased through Chola.
His son’s a student of Loyola College
His daughter works at Wipro
His loving wife is the driving force
In 1989 I began my career as an auto driver. I love driving and being on the road
and I chose this profession because this is what I wanted to do. In 2007, the school
where I used to drop the children, asked me if I was interested in taking up the
van service for their schools. At that time I did not have sufficient vans to take
the contract when the madam of that school suggested that I should consider hiring
extra vehicles. I was in a confused state not knowing what to do when i came across
CHOLA AD in the newspaper that said “Pay 30,000 and take home a Vehicle.”
Immediately I contacted Chola professionals who offered me complete support. I got
the loan and bought my first vehicle and later on through subsequent loans and refinancing
today I own 8 vehicles.
My day starts at 4.15 am and ends at 11.30 pm. Each day I get only about 4 hours
of sleep. At 4.30 am, I wake up my drivers because first pick up starts at 5.30
am. The last pick up is at 11.30 in the night. I wait for any calls from my drivers
and only then do I have my dinner in peace and then go to sleep. What motivated
me to be an owner is the way I was treated as a driver. I never want to repeat those
mistakes on my drivers. I make sure that I treat them with respect and they also
feel free to express their concerns and needs with me. It is a Win-Win situation.
If they are happy, I am also and therefore my business also prospers.
I built this business from scratch, I learnt a lot the hard way and I am not sure
whether today’s youngsters have that kind of forbearance, they are more technology
driven and do not have the patience to learn. But if my kids want to get into the
same business, I wouldn’t mind. I’d be actually happy because I know that the business
will continue for more years.
My advice to the younger generation aspiring to get into the transportation business
is that to begin with they should enjoy what they do. If they borrow money from
someone, they should borrow with the intention of paying the money back. It is of
utmost importance to pay your dues on time. It is better to have 1 vehicle and pay
due correctly than have many vehicles and don’t pay dues properly.
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