Top bloke!
A dyed-in-the-wool “Berliner” out and about in Bavaria in an 80-tonne truck … what could possibly go wrong? Well, nothing at all! Sandy Helbig has seen every nook and cranny of the Free State in his MAN TGX 33.560. Everywhere you turn there are gravel quarries, asphalting plants and other businesses that need well-calibrated vehicle scales or multi-range scales. And that’s where you’ll find Sandy!
He makes a well-adjusted impression at work. Sandy is well versed in striking the right balance, working alongside inspectors from the Office of Weights and Measures and service technicians from weighbridge manufacturers. Driving onto the weighbridge is part of everyday life for most truckers – as is the finicky weighing procedure: Is the loaded weight correct? To avoid substantial fines, the display and the weighbridge must be set correctly. For example, if you have a 60-tonne weighbridge, a tolerance limit of 60 kg must not be exceeded. That’s what calibration is there for. And Sandy.
“Weighbridges need to be recalibrated after a new installation, repair work or conversion. Generally speaking, vehicle scales over three tonnes are checked every three years”, explains Sandy, “there is always something to do at that point and it involves many different weights.”
No matter what the on-site requirements are – Sandy is not easily rattled: “My MAN truck is certified for an increased total weight of 80 tonnes. I have a special permit and can transport up to 50 tonnes. I’ve got a forklift truck on board, of course, because you can’t do without one,” explains Sandy. “I’m glad that the MAN has a decent-sized engine. The D38 copes a lot better when I have a full load. Not even the hills cause it a problem.”
He needs to be careful when he is planning his routes. Many of the roads in the Alpine state can only be used by vehicles weighing up to 40 tonnes. There are no such problems today. The man from Berlin gets into his MAN truck and heads off to his next client. A 60-tonne weighbridge at an asphalting plant is due to go through its first manufacturer calibration. A service technician from the weighbridge manufacturer is the only other person involved in the process. Sandy and his calibration vehicle are due on site. He unloads all of the weights and sets them down on the weighbridge in rank and file. “Every weighbridge is different, but the calibration process itself is always the same. At the outset, for example, an 8-tonne weight is used to check whether the cells in the weighbridge are working at all 4 corners,” explains Sandy, “then we shift the weight. This ensures that the same weight is indicated on the display at all times irrespective of where the truck is positioned on the weighbridge, whether it be at the back, front or in the middle.”
Next, the remaining weights are placed on the weighbridge and taken off again until it is perfectly balanced at a weight of 60 tonnes and the service technician confirms this by referring to the display. Both men communicate with hand signals: “We have worked together on many an occasion and it works really well this way.”
“I am a living, breathing weight,” says Sandy, laughing, “I don’t need a set of scales at home. I can always check that during a calibration run.”
He has been driving his calibration vehicle for six years and now has 26 years of professional experience; some of that in an MAN F2000. The Berlin-born trucker cannot imagine doing any other job. “I like working with people as part of a team. If we have a large weighbridge to calibrate, then we head out there with two trucks. I really don’t mind staying overnight in the truck. I’ve made it nice and cosy in there and I have everything that I need: microwave, coffee machine and TV. My boss bought the truck from MAN TopUsed,” says Sandy, contently, “we have a lot of freedom to do what we want, as long as we take good care of it.”
A quick glance at the MAN TGX 33.560 and it is clear that it is, indeed, well looked after. What’s more, the other passion in Sandy’s life is clear for all to see. Sandy is proud of his children. He likes taking his son to ice hockey matches, especially when the team from Berlin is playing. Even after many years as a “Bavarian by choice”, his hometown is still very close to his heart.
What is his hope for the future? That everyone stays healthy.