Regular meetings for professional drivers

Regular meetings for professional drivers

Truck drivers from across Germany meet at the regular long-distance drivers’ meetings held by the police to discuss ideas and find out what is new. Chief police commissioner Andrea Möller is on the ball in Winsen (Luhe) – she is committed to gaining more appreciation for vehicle drivers and better working conditions.

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Woman fights for more truck parking spaces

Woman fights for more truck parking spaces

Anna Kuzynin tackles grievances in the transport industry head-on – both professionally and voluntarily. Since the shortage of parking spaces makes work extremely difficult for truck drivers, she is now campaigning for more truck parking spaces as Key Account Manager at KRAVAG Truck Parking.

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Spreading happiness one shoe box at a time

Spreading happiness one shoe box at a time

Holger Philipowski, Branch Manager of Quehenberger Logistics DE GmbH, helps ensure that hundreds of thousands of boxes full of presents are distributed every year to children in need around the world: He organises the transport for the “Weihnachten im Schuhkarton” (Christmas in a Shoe Box) campaign from Berlin to Eastern European countries, thereby showing how logistics does good.

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“We will soon have conditions like in Britain”

“We will soon have conditions like in Britain”

Nürburgring in July 2022, a Saturday afternoon on the sidelines of the Truck Grand Prix. We are in contact with professional drivers Peter Matthies, René Werner and Michael Finkbeiner, who is also a freight forwarder. They talk about their challenges – and explain why they still love their job.

Getting creative to combat lorry driver shortages

Getting creative to combat lorry driver shortages

According to the German Road Haulage, Logistics and Waste Management Association (BGL), there will be a shortage of 80,000 lorry drivers in Germany in 2022. Many haulage companies are at a loss as to how they can find and keep staff. A new study now aims to identify solutions.

Who will take over my succession?

Who will take over my succession?

If one’s own children do not take over the forwarding company, another solution must be found. Dr Marc Evers, Head of the Department for SMEs, Business Start-ups, Company Succession of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce, explains how to find the right person for the succession – and when to start the search.

These ideas really help against driver shortages

These ideas really help against driver shortages

Germany already has a shortage of between 60,000 and 80,000 truck drivers.
-drivers. How do you still attract good people to fill vacancies? And how do you keep them? We present eight approaches from practice that could still use many supporters.

Award for top graduates

Award for top graduates

Every year, the best graduates of the training programme for freight forwarding and logistics services can apply for the title “Young Freight Forwarder Germany”. To do so, they present a creative solution for a logistics task to the expert jury.

Smart solutions for the parking problem

Smart solutions for the parking problem

Es ist vergleichbar mit der „Reise nach Jerusalem“ – allerdings ohne den Spaßfaktor des Spiels. Tausende Lkw-Fahrer suchen jeden Tag vergebens nach einem Stellplatz, um ihre Ruhezeiten einhalten zu können. Das Start-up-Unternehmen „Park Your Truck“ will das altbekannte Problem lösen, indem es Flächenbesitzer und Berufskraftfahrer auf smarte Weise zusammenbringt.

“My drivers have a big share in the company’s success”

“My drivers have a big share in the company’s success”

Unternehmerin Ramona Sabelus engagiert sich mit einem eigenen Verein für Berufskraftfahrer, die unverschuldet in eine schwierige Situation geraten sind: Bei „Trucker in Not“ können sie unbürokratisch finanzielle Hilfe beantragen. Sabelus will den Fahrern damit die Wertschätzung geben, die sie mit ihrer wichtigen und anspruchsvollen Tätigkeit verdienen.

“Professional drivers deserve more respect!”

“Professional drivers deserve more respect!”

Jörg Schwerdtfeger never imagined that he would become an influencer at the age of 50. But with his voluntary initiative “I am a professional driver and deserve respect”, the experienced haulage expert has hit a nerve. More than 27,000 subscribers and a lively exchange on the Facebook channel of the same name speak for themselves.

“Sometimes the nerves lie bare”

“Sometimes the nerves lie bare”

The corona pandemic once again shows how important professional drivers are for the supply of society. Torsten Busch is on the road for the Seifert Logistics Group with an articulated truck with a 13.60-metre tautliner trailer in local transport in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. For motionist.com he reports how he experiences his job in 2020.

Truckers present a Christmas miracle

Truckers present a Christmas miracle

As a “Christmas Trucker” Stefan Giuliani travels to poor regions of Eastern Europe every year to distribute aid packages to the needy. Using a 40-tonne truck from REICHHART Logistik GmbH, he brings food and hygiene products to people for whom these are the most precious gifts.

From truck driver to pilot coach

From truck driver to pilot coach

Pilot coach – that sounds like something linked to aviation. But it is, in fact, very down-to-earth as we’re talking about the kings of the road: truck drivers. So that they can fulfil their tasks responsibly and to the best of their ability, the haulier Reinert Logistics trains special driving trainers. After all, it is about much more than just manoeuvring the drawbar trailer from the loading point to the unloading point.

‘As a woman, you can accomplish anything in the logistics industry.’

‘As a woman, you can accomplish anything in the logistics industry.’

On 8 March, it is International Women’s Day – it has been a public holiday in Berlin since 2019, while in other countries, such as Russia and Vietnam, it has been for much longer. How are women faring in logistics? The best way to find out what’s going well and where difficulties lie is for successful women in logistics to tell us themselves.

The Transport Ambassadors are flying the logistics flag

The Transport Ambassadors are flying the logistics flag

What does a Transport Ambassador actually do? Neither the Federal Foreign Office nor Wikipedia has an answer to this question. Perhaps it’s best asking someone who already has this title on their business card, such as Jens Thiermann, Chair of the Die Transportbotschafter (The Transport Ambassadors) e. V. association.

Will trucks soon park in high-bay warehouses?

Will trucks soon park in high-bay warehouses?

According to the German Haulage, Logistics and Waste Disposal Federation (abbreviated BGL in German), German motorways lack 35,000 to 40,000 parking spaces for trucks. What can be done about this? A software company has developed an innovative system that creates three to four times as many parking spaces in a given area, thus solving several problems at the same time – the ‘TruckTower’ is an environmentally friendly truck parking facility and an inexpensive hotel for truck drivers in one.

‘The drivers are the backbone of the German economy’

‘The drivers are the backbone of the German economy’

Logistics is suffering from a severe lack of drivers – the profession has lost its appeal and its image is suffering. The ‘PROFI – Pro Fahrer-Image’ initiative aims to change this and ensure that industry, retail, the transport sector and the general public once again appreciate professional drivers for what they are, namely one of the most important players in the logistics chain. In an interview, Professor Dirk Engelhardt, chairman of the board of Germany’s Federal Road Freight Transport, Logistics and Waste Management Association (abbreviated BGL in German), and Ralf Merkelbach, key account manager for major fleets in Europe at BPW Bergische Achsen, explain how the initiative plans to achieve this goal.

Truck drivers have big heart for small children

Truck drivers have big heart for small children

When around 125 trucks drive onto the large motorway service area in Schwabhausen, near Gotha in the German state of Thuringia, quite a few of the people watching have tears in their eyes and goosebumps . This is because there’s a child in every driver’s cab that is enjoying a very special happy day today. ‘A Happy Day of Life’ is the name of the annual charity event that gives children and young people from difficult backgrounds the opportunity to go for a ride in a real truck.

DocStop: Medical help for truck drivers

DocStop: Medical help for truck drivers

Professional truck drivers who need medical assistance during a journey often do not know how to find a doctor near them who can treat them at short notice. And where can they park their 40-tonne truck during the visit? The DocStop initiative has created a network that provides truck drivers with quick and straightforward help in such situations.

Search for the alternative drive of the future

Search for the alternative drive of the future

What kind of drive will the commercial vehicle of the future have? Logistics entrepreneur Jochen Köppen from Duisburg in Germany is looking for answers and has therefore decided to retrofit one-tenth of its fleet starting spring 2019.

The joy of driving

The joy of driving

Trucks have a polarising effect: often scorned by car drivers and loved by long-distance truckers. But where does the magic of a truck come from?

Oldies but Goldies!

Oldies but Goldies!

Restoring a classic truck to full working order demands patience, knowledge and perseverance. A fascination with the historic vehicles fuels these efforts.