Thomas and his MAN Truck Champion

Timber driver Thomas really beat the big drum to increase the chances of his MAN TGX 26.580 finishing in the leading positions in the MAN Truck Champion competition. His plan worked because the Trucker’s World member was rewarded with second place in the national ranking of the MAN competition.

“Although I had hoped for one of the top positions,” he says, he nevertheless didn’t expect it. So the surprise was all the greater when he received a call from a MAN employee to tell him that his MAN had been voted into second place. The first person with whom he shared the good news was his wife, calling her straight away. He naturally also celebrated the good performance of his black MAN at a trucker meeting he attended the weekend after and once again at the ADAC Truck Grand Prix, where he was able to present his champion together with the other winners. “I thanked everyone who voted for me on Facebook and WhatsApp,” says Thomas.

The elegant black Lion truly doesn’t have to hide in the forest. Although he spends most of its time there with Thomas, who is on the road as a timber driver, you can already see at first glance that the truck is visually well-maintained. “The design and look of my MAN mean a lot to me and I attach great importance to them,” confirms Thomas, who spends a lot of his free time tuning his truck. The 54-year-old reveals:

“I have created a large number of parts myself, and I try to keep everything looking good and functional.”

And that is not so easy in timber transport. However, challenges are part of day-to-day business, especially in this field. For example, the different types of timber and weights require a great deal of know-how and skill when loading the truck. Driving on forest roads should also not be underestimated, especially in winter, and as a result of digitalisation there is often no contact with the forester. Nevertheless, Thomas, who works for a pallet company, masters his tours through the local forests with flying colours. After all, he has been a professional driver since 1988, and his career started back then in the former GDR.

He drove a lot in long-distance haulage and got to know many people and cultures during this time. And vehicles: „I’ve always driven MAN vehicles over the years: a MAN F90, MAN F2000, MAN TGA and MAN TGX. I particularly liked the underfloor models in long-distance haulage.“ Even though he is more than satisfied and proud of his winning Lion, he is already dreaming of the next MAN he would like to drive: “Next, I would like to have a MAN of the new Truck Generation with Individual equipment S and 640 hp – especially for timber transport.” In fact, one of his greatest wishes for the future is to always be able to drive a MAN.