Now I can finally drive my new truck!
It may have taken a while before Sascha Liedke could finally start to use his new MAN TGX with MAN Individual package and make himself at home, but one thing is clear: it was worth the wait.
Plenty of room and storage space, a kitchen equipped with a microwave and coffee machine, a TV and a good bed. Does that sound like a house or flat to you? That’s because, in a way, it is. Throughout the week, the cab of Sascha’s brand new MAN TGX with 510 hp serves as both his workplace and his accommodation.
“These features are something I wouldn’t want to do without at the moment,” says Sascha. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the motorway services have closed, and the food at most truck stops is take-away only. In some places, it is still possible to eat in a restaurant. “And yet you hardly have any contact with the other drivers. That’s a real shame. I miss the conversation,” says the 51-year-old from the northern part of Saarland. Things were very different when he started working as a driver. “I have changed careers,” says Sascha. “I always wanted to follow in my granddad’s footsteps.” So in 2006, he took his truck driving test. Since 2007, he has been employed as an international long-haul driver at Adolf Peiffer GmbH in Freisen.
Peiffer values a uniform fleet
“It’s a lot of fun working at Peiffer. I get on very well with my colleagues, and within the company there is an informal rapport between people. Everyone is always ready to listen and will try to support you however they can.” The business places a great deal of value on having a well-maintained, and above all, uniform fleet of vehicles on the roads. To keep meeting this goal, every three to four years the fleet is renewed with the latest, most up-to-date vehicles. The trucks are maintained and washed in the company’s own workshop and wash hall.
In January 2021 Sascha’s wait came to an end: on this occasion, he was lucky enough to be appointed the sole driver of one of Peiffer’s 28 new additions from MAN. With the truck now all to himself, he is completely free to furnish the cab according to his own tastes. “I had already had the opportunity to test-drive the new TGX for three weeks back in July 2020, commissioned by MAN. And it was a great three weeks! Now, I can finally drive my new truck and have it to myself,” says Sascha happily. “Driving the new vehicle didn’t take much adjusting to, because I had already learnt the ropes during the test-driving weeks. My first trip was to Berlin with ceiling panels, insulation boards, accessories, and a loading weight of about 16 tonnes.”
Sascha’s thoughts on the new truck? It’s the best!
“The new MAN offers plenty of room and storage space. Because the fridge is now completely under the bed and the gearshift console in the middle is gone, the interior is substantially bigger,” says Sascha. He is also highly impressed with the new vehicle’s fuel consumption. “I currently use about 23 to 24 litres per 100 km on average, driving a distance of 2,000 to 2,500 kilometres each week. That’s with a variety of loads (however much they weigh) and a forklift attachment at the rear that weighs around two tonnes. The turning assistant is also very good, and I can no longer imagine doing without it. The new interior design has won me over too, just like the smaller windscreen.”
As far as his truck is concerned, Sascha could not ask for more. But if he had two more wishes, one of them would be to keep working for Peiffer hauliers – ideally until he retires. And the second one? “For us to all get through this difficult time healthily and to be able to see each other, celebrate and meet again in relative normality.”